Prairieland United Way’s Final Push Helps 2021 Campaign Reach Goal

By Jeremy Coumbes on March 21, 2022 at 8:44am

The Prairieland United Way pulled a March Madness upset of its own as the clock ran out during the 2021 campaign.

Executive Director Karen Walker announced today the Prairieland United Way has surpassed its goal of raising $460,000 for the 2021 annual campaign. Walker says a big push during the last days of the campaign helped the United Way to reach a level that seemed almost impossible to get to.

In mid-February when we were looking at the last couple of weeks we were $100,000 away from our goal, and it just really seemed like it was going to be out of reach. But thanks to a lot of dedicated board members and campaign chairs reaching out to the community. Obviously, the radio station was instrumental in that, helping us with the radio remote out at County Market who donated a five hundred dollar gift card to help us.

We were able to raise seventy-five hundred dollars out there, but it just kind of spurred I think the community interest and community awareness of where we were at, and a lot of people stepped up. So we were extremely happy and glad to see that it happened and grateful for the community for all that they did.”

In total, the campaign raised $462,700.00 to help health and human service needs in the Cass, Greene, Morgan, and Scott county areas. Walker says the next step is the allocation of funding for partner agencies which starts Monday evening.

We have panels of volunteers who are donors who have volunteered to come in and hear from the different programs that have asked for funding. Every year we ask any 501-C3 that is interested in applying to do that. Then we have them come in a present their program to our volunteer panelists and they hear about the program and the results that they are getting.

Is it something that they have done in the past? How did it work out? How much money are they needing to continue that work? Then those volunteers at the end of each night will sit down and take a look at what money we have available for that panel and decide the best way to invest it in the community.”

The 2021 Prairieland United Way’s “Be Someone’s Hero” Campaign wraps up with the annual awards and recognitions celebration on April 13th from 4:30 to 6;00 pm at The Warehouse located at 200 East Douglas Avenue in Jacksonville.

Tickets are $10 and must be purchased by April 6th. To reserve tickets, call 217-245-4557 or email to info at prairielandunitedway.org.