Metro United Way Thanks the Community for Its Generosity

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• Campaign Awards and Achievements
• People Who Made The Campaign Possible
• Pictures from the Community Campaign Thank You event

Metro United Way announced the 2009-2010 Community Campaign results and thanked the community for its generous donations, hard work, and dedication at an event on March 8th at Neighborhood House. Even with the economic hardships of the last year, the campaign was a tremendous success.

Metro United Way’s 2009-2010 Community Campaign raised $27.1 million dollars. “This community is unfailingly generous and compassionate, and we are grateful to the thousands of donors who made the campaign total possible,” said Dave Calzi, Managing Partner of Ernst & Young and the 2009-2010 Metro United Way Volunteer Campaign Chair.

The campaign was a huge success and much was accomplished. Some notable campaign highlights include over 200 WOW! Companies that achieved a 10% or more increase over 2008, resulting in $439,568 new donations, and 18,655 new donors who joined the LIVE UNITED Club by donating $3 per week, or $156 per year.

In the last year, there was a 40% increase in requests for basic service assistance, such as food and shelter, and many of those requests came from people who have never had to ask for help before. Joe Tolan, the CEO and president of Metro United Way, says the needs this year are dire. 

"Most of us have never seen an economic downturn like the one we are living through now.  So many people need help for the first time in their lives, and our community has done an outstanding job of stepping up to help, despite the toll the economy has taken on many of our donors.  I am very proud of Dave Calzi, this year's chair, our volunteers, our staff, and the entire community for pulling together and digging deep to help their neighbors during this time of crisis.  The campaign results are a remarkable achievement, and we are very grateful."

With the amount raised, Metro United Way will be able to continue to meet the basic needs for food, shelter, and other necessities for 150,000 people; allow 15,000 seniors and people with disabilities to achieve or maintain independence; and provide 12,000 people with access to healthy emergency food.

Next year’s Community Campaign Chair will be Barry Barker, the Executive Director of the Transit Authority of River City (TARC).

The Metro United Way Community Campaign Thank You event took place at Neighborhood House, where a class of 4-year-olds from the Metro United Way Gheen’s Bridges to Tomorrow initiative shared a song and Neighborhood House executive Pam Rice took attendees on a tour of the facility.