September 2016

Dear Friends and Neighbors:

On behalf of the Board of Directors, we wish to thank you for helping us reach our Goal for the last three years. Fully funding all of the local programs that help our residents every day is essential. We gratefully ask for your support again this year to continue to build on our success.

Better Together is our new tag line for this Campaign. It speaks to joining forces as a community to tackle identified local issues and put creative solutions and initiatives into action. Of course, all of that is not new to us…we have been uniting our neighbors in this great philanthropic effort for 140 Years. Happy Birthday to Us!

Funding an array of programs that address identified community issues makes it is hard to wrap your arms around what we do and fund. It’s all about Community as a whole, not a singular focus. Our funded agencies provide a wealth of local programs and come to us for funding and support because they need a joint community effort to make positive strides with our families who need us.

It is why we raise over $1 million dollars every three years and invest it right back into our community. 

• Funding is not decided on casually. We evaluate our community, use assessment tools and fund programs that can help us reach solutions and fulfill community needs such as:
• Age Exchange matches 3rd graders with senior mentors to do homework and talk about life
• Kidney Foundation & Cancer Services patients are helped daily with medical assistance
• 2-1-1 Huron County is a free service available 24 hours a day to connect callers with the program they need
• The United Fund will continue to tackle poverty using our Move Forward/Move Ahead Initiative: Bridges Out of Poverty * Getting Ahead * 2-1-1 * Charity Tracker because poverty statistics that show an increase to 14.6% in 2013 from 8.3% in 2000. That’s staggering.

After 140 years we plan to continue grown and build on our legacy. Be assured that we – our donors and board – can lead our community through good times and bad and achieve positive goals, right here, where we live, work and go to school. Your gift will help everyday through our 37 funded programs and grants for 2017.

Join forces with us, and along with our Board, we will strive every day to help our neighbors…Better Together. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Michael L. Moore, President
Linda Bersche, Executive Director

The United Fund has provided programs and funded community programs in the communities of Monroeville, Norwalk, Collins, Wakeman and surrounding area for 140 years. 419-668-0269