The Greenville News: People in Greenville need your help

Originally published 09/17/2010 here at GreenvilleOnline.com

The Greenville County United Way’s 2010 fundraising campaign is off to a good start, and that will be welcome news to thousands of our neighbors who are suffering in this crushing economy. These are hard times, and this is the third year in a row that the local United Way campaign has had its kickoff during economic times that at first took people’s breath away, then knocked many of them to their knees and finally left some wondering if they would ever see a brighter tomorrow.

Your help is needed now more than ever. Many people who once were faithful givers to the United Way and many other local charitable efforts now find themselves needing the services provided by these agencies.

“Two years of economic stress have caused the need to be greater than ever,” Dick Wilkerson, 2010 campaign chairman and president and chairman of Michelin North America, said at this week’s kickoff celebration.“Two years of economic stress have made the difficulty of raising money a challenge, but it is a challenge I’m convinced we can meet.”

In the face of such tough times, the United Way campaign adopted last year’s goal of $14.6 million. That is an ambitious goal, and one that was not met last year even though the $14.1 million raised was the third-highest total ever for the United Way of Greenville County. The 2009 campaign reached more than 700 workplaces, and it relied on more than 1,300 volunteers and 40,000 donors.

Last year’s effort was commendable in light of a devastating economy that has left about one in 10 workers without a job, many others forced to take part-time jobs when they lost full-time work, and still others who had paychecks reduced through furloughs or reduced hours.

This year’s campaign is off to a promising start with the 23 Pacesetter companies showing an 8 percent increase in employee giving over last year’s Pacesetter numbers, according to Campaign Vice Chair Annette Allen, general manager of Fluor Corp.’s Greenville office. Those employees have pledged more than $3.8 million, and that doesn’t include another $1 million expected from those companies in corporate gifts and matches.

The impressive results from employees range from large companies such as Fluor ($823,833) and Michelin North America ($847,588), to mid-size companies such as Bon Secours St. Francis Health System ($168,489) and World Acceptance Corporation ($193,850), to smaller companies such as Find Great People ($12,636) and South Carolina Bank & Trust ($22,575).

The United Way has a two-pronged approach to addressing problems in Greenville County: It funds programs that meet immediate needs and it funds programs that address the underlying causes of problems. Money raised this year will fund 86 local programs that address basic needs, health and crisis services for children, youth and families, according to United Way officials. Funds also will go to programs that look for lasting solutions in the areas of early child care, early literacy, poverty and teen pregnancy.

Measurable goals exist for three important areas:

School readiness, where the goal is to decrease the percentage of Greenville County students who aren’t ready for school from 22.9 percent to 12.9 percent by 2018.

High school graduation, where the goal is to increase the high school graduation rate from 73.3 percent to 85 percent by 2018.

Financial stability, where the goal is to decrease the number of Greenville County households that spend more than 40 percent of total household income on housing costs from 32,000 to 22,000 by 2018.

The United Way needs your help this year, because people in this community need your help. A successful United Way campaign will help people better endure these horrible economic conditions, become better educated for a changing world and significantly improve their lives.