Community Leaders Implored to Give as United Way Sets $600,000 Goal

Umbrella Organization Looking to Raise Monday to Help Fight Social Ills

The umbrella agency kicked off its annual fundraising effort by gathering about 225 community leaders Thursday for lunch at the Great Wolf Lodge and making the call for people to open their hearts and wallets.

United Way of Lewis County Board President Chris Heck called it “a bold request — these times ask for bold efforts.” Heck, with First Citizens Bank, is asking the community to attempt to go 110 percent beyond the goal of $600,000, which is the amount the agency raised last year.

“If we give more, we can do more,” Heck said.

United Way of Lewis County is the backbone for many local help agencies, from shelter programs to food banks to literacy efforts.

The luncheon is the beginning of the fundraising. Members of United Way of Lewis County will meet with area businesses in the coming months and ask employees to contribute. Many businesses then match what employees give. For many, the automatic draw from a paycheck is a painless way to give a substantial amount over the year.

United Way of Lewis County Executive Director Debbie Campbell has put in place, and continues to reform, the way the various help agencies are approved for support, as well as the level of funding. The emphasis is on help agencies that make a difference for the most vulnerable in our county. The focus is on the hungry, the homeless and improving the life of those struggling.

“What we are judged on are results,” Campbell said.

The keynote speaker was Bob Aylward, an executive vice president with the Seattle Mariners. Aylward noted the deep involvement of the Mariners with United Way of King County, and the importance of businesses and community leaders to light the way for support of social services. Aylward said the effort starts at the top for the Mariners. The first meeting with players each spring, for example, isn’t about wins and losses, but encouragement to players to contribute to the community — to get involved.

The Mariners, for example, have raised $12 million in direct funds to the community since 2000; have contributed about 5,000 items for auctions; and given about 58,000 free tickets directly to kids in need.

“Corporate citizenship is something we take very seriously at the Mariners,” Aylward said, and challenged those gathered to join in that philosophy. He said for those unsure, they should take a visit to the various programs that receive support from the United Way of Lewis County and see firsthand how they make “a huge difference.”

Todd Chaput, the campaign chair for this year’s effort and manager of Holiday Inn Express and Suites, said “This time of year is when we need you to be generous. ... A lot of new cases are looking for first-time help, a lot of businesses are struggling.”

At a time when state and federal funding is shrinking, Chaput said, “The onus has been placed on us to make sure people don’t fall through the cracks.”

State House Minority Leader Richard DeBolt, the leadership chair for the United Way of Lewis County and the external affairs director for TransAlta, ended the kickoff luncheon with a call for giving. He said by supporting the various help agencies by giving to the United Way, you can make a difference in people’s lives, which is a personal blessing. And it doesn’t have to be money.

“Sometimes it’s time, sometimes it’s treasure,” DeBolt said.