Support United Way; support the community
The annual fundraising campaign for the United Way of Lee County is under way. You may have already been asked to donate and heard that the United Way supports 28 local nonprofit agencies. I support the United Way for numerous reasons.
First and foremost, I support it because of the wonderful work of the agencies. It is the agencies that respond when needed – whether it is a house fire, the need for food, help to pay utilities, or the more silent crises that affect county residents daily.
I believe most of us will be touched by an agency at some point in life, either personally or through someone we care about.
Second, I support the United Way because it provides oversight on the use of our communities’ charitable dollars. Each year, our volunteer board splits into teams and meets with each agency to review their application. Each agency must also present in front of the full board every 3 years. This helps to ensure that our charitable dollars are being used by responsible agencies with a demonstrated need.
Finally, I support the United Way because of convenience. Like many, my life is hectic; I am constantly balancing the demands of work and home. The United Way allows me to make one donation that I know will support many worthy, local agencies.
To those who have donated, thank you for your generosity. Your donations result in a stronger community.
For those who haven’t, please reconsider.
Donations can be made at www.unitedwayofleecounty.org or mailed to United Way of Lee County, P.O. Box 382, Dixon, IL 61021.
For more information, the 2012 campaign video is available for viewing on You Tube at http://tinyurl.com/uwlc2012.
Note to readers – Chad Nicklaus is vice president of the United Way of Lee County.
