LaRue County Helps Deliver Record-Breaking Generosity Through United Way of Central Kentucky’s 2014 Campaign

Contact: Megan Stith
President & CEO
604 North Main Street Elizabethtown, KY 42701
270-737-6608
www.unitedwayck.org

3/17/2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
LaRue County Helps Deliver Record-Breaking Generosity Through United Way of Central Kentucky’s 2014 Campaign

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. – (March 11, 2015) United Way of Central Kentucky (UWCK) announced results of the 2014 annual campaign, which achieved its fourth consecutive year of $1 million+ fundraising thanks to the generous support of local businesses and individuals within the community. This year’s total of $1,277,687 will allow for nonprofit programs that serve within the five county service region of Hardin, Breckinridge, Grayson, LaRue and Meade Counties to achieve measurable results in the fight against poverty.
UWCK kicked off its fundraising campaign in early September 2014 and held over 200 campaign meetings and special events coordinated by 150 campaign volunteers at over 125 local companies through the end of February 2015. The 2014 campaign total includes an investment of $30,000 in developing an endowment to match donor contributions at the Tocqueville Society level, UWCK’s highest level of individual giving. The match will allow new Tocqueville donors to increase their level of giving gradually while still providing UWCK a consistent revenue stream through these major contributions of $10,000 per year.
During the 2014 campaign the nonprofit grew fundraising efforts while holding community-wide Summits to begin coordinating grassroots responses to the issues of Childhood Hunger, Early Childhood Education, and Financial Stability. UWCK has also expanded its own programming efforts by managing the region’s AmeriCorps VISTA program, worth over $1 million each year, and piloting the Partners 4 Progress initiative which provides wraparound support to families in poverty and connects them to a network of peer relationships.
In UWCK’s five-county service area, one in four children and one in six individuals currently live in poverty. United Way’s work creates opportunities for improved Education, Financial Stability, and Health while continuing to meet Basic Needs– the building blocks for a good quality of life for all. UWCK has mobilized over $5.6 million in local donations since 2010 and last year provided more than 112,000 services through a network of 31 programs and 22 partner agencies.
Many companies within LaRue County provided supported United Way of Central Kentucky’s network of local programs, including: Cumberland Products ($14,150); Wal-Mart ($8,232); Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance; Shopko; LaRue County Schools; and Lincoln National Bank. Last year $318,500 was invested in 9 programs that provided 19,304 services to LaRue County residents.

“Over the past several years, UWCK has become so much more than a fundraising organization,” said UWCK’s President & CEO Megan Stith. “While we no longer measure the success of our efforts simply by the dollars raised, the campaign still drives what programs we’re able to implement with these funds. With these investments we will be able to put in place new proactive measures that prevent the problems we are currently facing from occurring again in the future, while still providing a safety net of services to help people meet their own basic needs. The new Step-Up Tocqueville program will help ensure our ability to provide these vital programs in the future while building a strong foundation for UWCK’s growth for years to come.”
“As Leadership Chair for the 2014 campaign, I had the privilege of speaking to employees at numerous companies like Mouser’s Custom Cabinetry, iPay Technologies, and Elizabethtown Independent Schools,” said Terry Henry with Hardin Memorial Health. “While these workplaces are all very different, they were united in making giving back to our local community a priority.”
“I’ve seen so many local residents- my friends, neighbors, and colleagues- impacted by the programs that rely on funds with the campaign, so it was an easy decision to lend my time and voice to ask others to get involved,” said 2014 Campaign Chair Jim Rachlin. “United Way isn’t just an organization, it’s a belief in a way of getting things done together,” echoed Tocqueville Society Chair Carl Swope. “This community does not sit by and watch problems continue to persist, hoping that government or outside forces will step in to solve the challenges we face. Instead we come together to take care of each other and the community should be so proud of this tremendous result.”
Learn more about UWCK’s impact on LaRue County by visiting http://unitedwayck.org/pgm-download_media.php?name=LaRue_County_Fact_Sheet_Final.pdf.
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About United Way of Central Kentucky
UWCK brings together necessary resources — volunteer time and talent, money, advocacy, expertise — and local business and industry, with the goal of improving lives and creating hope for a better tomorrow. With an annual fundraising campaign, UWCK funds 22 human service agencies and 31 programs in the five-county service area of Hardin, Breckinridge, Grayson, LaRue and Meade. To learn more about how you can lend your voice to the movement to reduce poverty in our community, visit unitedwayck.org.