| United Way considers multiple funding requests | | Posted: Wednesday, April 18, 2012 9:04 pm
| By KEVIN BOWDEN
Staff Reporter
Funding hearings were held Tuesday for 11 agencies requesting support from the local United Way.
The day-long hearings were held at the Obion County Public Library.
In all, the 11 organizations requested a total of $134,800 from the local United Way. The funding requests from the organizations ranged from $2,500 to $56,300.
The organizations that have requested funding include Northwest Safeline, the Salvation Army, the local Office on Aging, the Infant Stimulation Program, the Obion County Adult Literacy Program, American Red Cross, Obion County Ministerial Association, Crime Stoppers, Northwest Tennessee Disaster Ser-vices, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Ten-nessee/Union City and the Obion County Rescue Squad.
Last year, the local United Way awarded nearly $120,000 to 28 organizations that serve Obion County.
Tuesday’s hearings be-gan about mid-morning and lasted well into the afternoon. Representatives of each of the organizations met with the United Way board and outlined how their programs benefit Obion County. For several of the organizations, the United Way is their only source of funding.
The local United Way is in the 11th hour of its annual fund-raising campaign. The agency’s goal of raising $75,000 has been reached.
Considering that the former Goodyear plant in Union City made up just over 70 percent of the local United Way budget, it’s been considerably more difficult to come up with the money to fund the local agencies that rely on the United Way. The local agency has been forced to make some major cutbacks in its funding of local organizations.
The local United Way continues to rely on payroll deductions and donations to meet its fund-raising goals. The agency also holds a variety of fund-raising events throughout the year.
This Friday is the agency’s “Jeans Day for United Way” promotion, in which local businesses have been asked to allow their employees to wear jeans to work for a $1 donation to United Way.
A fall tennis tournament is also being planned, as well as a fall skeet shoot and a New Year’s Eve gala.
Published in The Messenger 4.18.12 | | | | |
