The Peru Gazette

The United Way of the Adirondack Region, Inc. has met the 2014 campaign goal of $725,000. The annual campaign is conducted primarily during the fall months and concludes in February of each year. This year’s campaign raised a total of $725,116.00, which includes proceeds from special events. DaleAnne Wolter of Compassionate Friends of the Champlain Valley and JCEO was the co-chair of this years drive and has volunteered on the campaign team for several years. She said “we are so delighted to deliver this exciting news to our three county region. It is once again a testament to the generosity and caring nature of the North Country. It was very challenging this year and we are proud of what we have been able to achieve”. Ellen Gordon of Adirondack Community Action Programs, Inc. was the co-chair of this year’s drive and has also volunteered on the campaign team for several years. She said, “It was a valiant team effort among campaign team volunteers, United Way staff and employee campaign representatives, but most of all, it was the generosity of businesses, organizations and individuals that made it successful. I am always so impressed to see how people in our region come together for their friends and neighbors.” Other campaign team members included: Julie Kramer, Tony Searing, Jamie Basiliere, Lisa VanNatten, Jerry Morrow, Bruce Gray, Deena McCullough, Marge Garcia, Gayle Alexander, Dan Alexander, Betsy Senkowski, Doug Chaves and staff members Marion Daniels, Kathy Snow, Katie Benway and John Bernardi.

The mission of the United Way, which serves Clinton, Essex and Franklin Counties, is to be a leader in community partnership building and to increase the organized capacity of people to care for one another. The funds raised from this campaign will be allocated to local community partner agencies based on donor designations and agency applications for additional funds. A committee of community members will review requests for undesignated funds and recommend to the board of directors the awarding of grants based upon prioritized community needs throughout the region. Officials of the organization anticipate that they will be able to fund critical programs at similar levels to past years due to planned and unplanned consolidations throughout the United Way health and human service network. Jerry Morrow, President of the United Way Board of Directors said, “All the funds stay local and go toward supporting critical services for our friends and neighbors here in the North Country”.  In addition to funding 40 health and human service organizations in the region, the local United Way also coordinates a wide variety of programs including, Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), 2-1-1 Information and Referral, Disaster Recovery, Volunteerism and other community based initiatives. Last year, the health and human service network supported by the United Way provided service to nearly eighty thousand people throughout Clinton, Essex and Franklin Counties.