Louanna Gwinn & Hattie Hunt, and the Blue Angels 4-H group
The Darke County United Way is in mid-campaign and has brought in 30% of goal through October. Fun events have been held throughout the community during the last few months including Stuff a Bus, Runway & Rhythm, 25th Annual Golf Outing, Lead the Way Tractor Cruise, Chicken BBQ, and Live United Softball Classic. “The Community does a wonderful job of supporting residents in their time of need throughout Darke County, and it is an honor to run this community’s campaign each year,” states Lauren Henry, executive director. Lauren goes on to add, “Many individuals and businesses have made donations and pledges toward the campaign, and many are currently working hard finishing special campaigns to support our mission of increasing the capacity to take care of one another in Darke County with health and human service organizations. With the community’s support, our 27 local programs are able to serve over 20,000 residents each year, well over 30% of our population in the county. Can you imagine? Imagine having parents that are incarcerated and trying to break that cycle and graduate high school with plans for college. Imagine becoming very ill and struggling to make ends meet by living in a tent and finding safe shelter to pay for medical needs. You can make the difference in these individuals’ lives. These are just a couple situations that we have faced for clients this year in our office at United Way and there are thousands more stories. We are looking for more donations, and if you are interested in donating to our campaign, please send donations to Darke County United Way, PO Box 716, Greenville, Ohio. No matter the size of a donation, it will make a positive difference in the life of another, and your gift will make a difference for Darke County.”
This summer the Stuff a Bus program donated close to $6,000 in school supplies to the local school districts for children in need. Ansonia, Arcanum, Bradford, Franklin Monroe, Greenville, Mississinawa Valley, Tri Village, Versailles, and the Board of Developmental Disabilities Anthony Wayne schools were all recipients. Special thanks go out from the United Way Board of Directors to the community, the Blue Angels 4-H group, Modern Mothers, and RSVP/Council on Rural Services volunteers for help with collecting and sorting these supplies and use of the school bus. Special drop off sites also helped promote this event throughout the month of July, and the United Way thanks the numerous businesses that collected as well as the large collection day sites located at JCPenney, Walmart, and John’s IGA. “All children should have the tools to begin the school year right, and aid in their success for their futures in our school systems. This will make them better learners and leaders for our future Darke County community,” states Lauren.
Last year, Darke County United Way served 2,984 children promoting proactive programs to build a positive future for the youth and future leaders of Darke County in the Education Initiative. Over 3,500 residents were provided with aid for health related issues, many long-term diseases and cancer, as well as proactive education, chronic disease classes, CPR, and prescription needs. In the Income Stability initiative over 15,000 have been served, many provided with food including distribution of over 130,000lbs of food by the local food pantries. Chronically hungry children have been served with the backpack programs throughout the county at schools. Over $22,000 in medical reimbursement has been given out for cancer patients. 450 children are enrolled in the early childhood literacy program -Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Over 2,000 meals were served to those with mental illness, as well as many classes provided for those trying to transition back into the workforce. These are a few of many community impact statistics going on each year in Darke County with the community’s support to Darke County United Way. The goal is $375,000. The need in the community is close to $500,000. To learn more about Darke County United Way and see a full list of the local non-profit programs benefiting from this campaign, visit www.darkecountyunitedway.org. The office is located at 207 E Fourth Street in Greenville.
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