2008 United Way of Greenville County Campaign Hits the Home Stretch

“Members of the community continue to deal with the additional financial strain caused by today’s economic climate,” said Judy Alexander, 2008 Campaign Chairman. "But, despite those challenges, they are continuing to rise to the occasion in their commitment to helping people in need and helping their community. Thanks to their generosity, United Way has reached 55% of its goal thus far, setting a pace that makes achieving our goal very possible.”

The 2008 United Way of Greenville County Campaign kicked off in September amidst a cloud of economic uncertainty. Despite this, United Way volunteers set an aggressive $15 million goal. They knew it wouldn’t be an easy goal to reach, but were ready to face the challenge head on because they believed that they have a responsibility to do as much as possible for our community.

“Reaching out to people who have immediate, basic needs—like shelter or a meal for a homeless family—is vital,” continued Alexander. “A successful campaign is critical in the efforts to support local programs which work within the critical areas of Children, Families, Health, Youth and Crisis. It provides an important foundation for a caring community. But, even beyond those basic services, a successful campaign will help to advance the common good for our community by improving issues like school readiness, high school graduation rates, access to quality health/dental care, and the availability of more affordable workforce housing for hard-working, low-wage families. Getting results in these key issues positively impacts all of us.”

Many companies have completed their campaigns and their results have been encouraging. For example, Fluor Corporation, through its combined employee contributions and corporate gift, has become the first company ever in Greenville County to surpass $1 million dollars in contributions to United Way. Additionally, strong campaigns from Michelin North America, Greenville Hospital System, General Electric, Carolina First Bank, Ahold Information Services, Sealed Air Corporation, World Acceptance Corporation and many others have added to the sense of optimism for meeting this year’s $15 million goal. 

“Results of the campaign thus far have been extremely encouraging,” said Alexander. “We still have a ways to go, but we are hopeful that the campaigns wrapping up in the next couple of weeks will put us over the top. If your company is interested in participating in a workplace campaign, it’s not too late. Please call 467-3333 to learn more about how you can get involved and donate. Or, you can make a secure contribution online at www.unitedwaygc.org/donate.”

The United Way of Greenville County campaign will announce its final campaign results on November 10, 2008.