Fundraising
If we had a dollar for every time we or our funded partners say, “The need in this community is much greater than most people realize,” we might put ourselves out of work! Until that happens, thanks to generous donors and outstanding collaboration with funded partners, we make progress every day to make life better for everyone in Southeast Missouri.
Did you know that Boys and Girls Club of Southeast Missouri has officially opened their new facility in Scott City? They’re already serving 23 students that attend Scott City R-I Elementary, and they’ve only been in operation less than a month. We’re ecstatic to provide more educational mentoring in the Scott City area and can’t wait to see the impact this program has on these students and this community.
One of our new partners, Little Whitewater Baptist Church Food Pantry, is located near Patton and serves around 40 families in Bollinger County every month. In the last six months, they have obtained ownership of a former volunteer firehouse and are installing shelving units, air conditioning and refrigerators. Their hope is to provide cold/chilled items to the families they support.
Like the two above, all of our partners depend on United Way dollars to strengthen our community. Without the support of our donors and volunteers, their work would not be possible.
The good news is, we aren’t the only ones expanding our reach. Every year there are more people and agencies trying to help others. The bad news is it means more of us are sharing donor dollars. Now more than ever we need our loyal donors to give more, advocate louder, and encourage others to volunteer.
To help generate more funds and awareness, we are asking our community to Give from the Heart through the month of February. This ‘mini campaign’ allows smaller businesses that don’t run a workplace drive to participate, while enabling our regular partners to raise more funds through events and fundraisers. We also hope seeing red paper hearts around town will help raise awareness for both the need and the collaborative work we and our partners do.
Throughout the month of February, a variety of area businesses and organizations, including Alliance Bank, Cup n’ Cork, Kuts Plus and Broadway Prescription Shop, will sell hearts to customers for a minimum donation of $1. The Bank of Missouri will sell hearts and also host a trivia night on February 24th at the Jackson Civic Center. Area restaurants that have committed to sharing a percentage of profits include Buffalo Wild Wings in Cape, Wings, Etc. in Cape and Jackson, Beef O’ Brady’s in Cape and Perryville, Bella Italia and Katy O’Ferrell’s Publick House in downtown Cape. Additional share nights and fundraisers are still being planned.
Please think about how you or your organization can get involved. Even if you do not own a business, how about asking your stylist or mechanic to sell hearts and encourage customers to “Give from the Heart?” We have many creative ways organizations of all sizes can get involved. Please contact me either via email or by calling our office at 573-334-9634 and Give from the Heart!
