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Tamaqua campaign aims for $138K this year
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jdino@standardspeaker.com
TAMAQUA — Raising $138,000 in two months seems like a daunting task, but the chairmen of the Tamaqua portion of the 2009 Schuylkill United Way’s annual campaign are confident it can get done.
Campaign chairman Charlie Dodson said during a kick-off breakfast at the Tamaqua Area Middle School on Monday that the same challenge was faced last year, and the challenge was met.
“I know $138,000 seems like an awful lot of money,” Dodson said. “We did it last year, and we’ll work hard to do it again this year.”
Dodson, an employee of Air Products and Chemicals Inc., said he had the opportunity to go to Korea to help open a plant. There, he had an experience with a Korean engineer that reminded him of the theme of the campaign, “Giving Makes You Feel So Good!”
“We were working long hours,” Dodson said. “One night, we were right in the middle of something, when he stopped, and pulled out his cell phone. He called his wife, and told her he loved her.”
Dodson asked why the engineer why he made the call.
“He said it made her feel good to know he was thinking of her, and it made him feel good that he made her day a little brighter,” Dodson told the volunteers at the breakfast. “All of us in this room today should all feel good because we are giving something — our time and our love to our neighbors. It should make us feel good our gift of time will help someone in some way, and it makes them feel good because they can live and be better.”
Dodson and Tamaqua assistant chairman Allen Keich, of Bob Weaver Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac and GMC, said the volunteer are up to the challenge. The Tamaqua area campaign kicked-off the campaign with $33,948, or 25 percent of the goal in pledges.
“And all of the money collected here, stays here,” Dodson noted.
United Way funds services that include health care, family counseling, youth programming and disaster aid.
The Tamaqua portion of the drive is a little over 10 percent of the Schuylkill United Way’s goal of $1.05 million. The drive will conclude with an appreciation breakfast at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, at the middle school, two days before the conclusion of the general campaign.
Jeanne Boyer Porter, chairwoman of the Schuylkill United Way general campaign drive, said $238,000, or 23 percent of the $1.05 million goal, had been pledged by the start the county-wide campaign.
Dodson said the Pacesetters Club, a major part of each year’s campaign, was offered a $25,000 matching grant by the John E. Morgan Foundation. The foundation will match all new dollars up to $25,000 donated to the Pacesetters Club during the 2009 campaign. New Pacesetters will have their donation matched 100 percent while current Pacesetters must increase their donation over last year for that increase to be matched.
To become a Pacesetter, the donor must pledge at least $500 to the campaign during one year.
Schuylkill United Way’s Executive Director Kelly Malone said United Way serves a large portion of the county’s population, with about 25 percent of those services going to people in the Tamaqua area in the last year.
“Our 16 member agencies serve over 64,000 people,” Malone said. “That means one out of every two county residents will get services from United Way.”
Jeanne Boyer Porter of Boyer’s Food Market is the Schuylkill United Way 2009 campaign chairman, and Mike Tobash of Tobash Insurance Agency is the assistant chairman.
United Way representatives are available to make presentation to employees at companies planning their own employee campaigns or just to encourage their workers to participate. The presentations last no longer than 15 minutes and include valuable information about both the Schuylkill United Way and member agencies, along with a showing of the campaign video. Companies can also request to have the grand prize giveaway at their facility for employees to see. Companies interested scheduling employee presentation should call the United Way office at 622-6421.
Local companies and individuals are encouraged to donate. Contributors are eligible for prizes based on the amount of the donation. For a minimum of $1 per week, or $52 per year, contributors will receive one ticket stub for a $500 Weber gas grill from Hadesty’s or a $500 Gravely lawn mower from M&S True Value Hardware.
For a minimum of $3 per week, or $156 per year, donors are eligible to fill out two ticket stubs. The first stub goes for either the gas grill or lawn mower drawing and the second stub goes into the drawing for the remaining seven prizes listed below.
For a minimum of $5 per week or $260 per year, contributors are eligible to fill out three ticket stubs. The first stub goes into the gas grill or lawn mower drawing, the second stub goes into the drawing for the remaining seven prizes and the third stub gives you a second chance for the seven remaining prizes. Prizes are drawn at the close of campaign at the Appreciation Breakfast, scheduled for 8 a.m. Friday, Nov. 14, at Penn State Schuylkill Campus.
This year’s grand prize giveaway is a new 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt valued at $17,000, courtesy of Rinaldi Family Dealership. Other participating dealers include Bob Weaver Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac and GMC, J. Bertolet Volkswagen, Sands Ford/Suzuki of Pottsville, Freedom Toyota and Hyundai, and the law firm of Williamson, Friedberg and Jones, LLC.
In addition to the car, gas grill and lawn mower, the complete prize list includes a $2,500 and $1,500 gift certificate from Boyer’s Food Market, a $2,000 gift certificate from Wal-Mart Distribution Center 7030, a $1,600 home improvement package from Lowe’s Regional Distribution Center, a $1,600 vacation package from AAA Travel, a $1,000 gift certificate from Big Lots Inc.
For more information about the United Way campaign, its partner agencies, to schedule a company presentation, or any other questions, call Tarah Dove at 622-6421 or e-mail to tdove@schuylkillunitedway.org. The Web site is www.schuylkillunitedway.org.
TAMAQUA — Raising $138,000 in two months seems like a daunting task, but the chairmen of the Tamaqua portion of the 2009 Schuylkill United Way’s annual campaign are confident it can get done.
Campaign chairman Charlie Dodson said during a kick-off breakfast at the Tamaqua Area Middle School on Monday that the same challenge was faced last year, and the challenge was met.
“I know $138,000 seems like an awful lot of money,” Dodson said. “We did it last year, and we’ll work hard to do it again this year.”
Dodson, an employee of Air Products and Chemicals Inc., said he had the opportunity to go to Korea to help open a plant. There, he had an experience with a Korean engineer that reminded him of the theme of the campaign, “Giving Makes You Feel So Good!”
“We were working long hours,” Dodson said. “One night, we were right in the middle of something, when he stopped, and pulled out his cell phone. He called his wife, and told her he loved her.”
Dodson asked why the engineer why he made the call.
“He said it made her feel good to know he was thinking of her, and it made him feel good that he made her day a little brighter,” Dodson told the volunteers at the breakfast. “All of us in this room today should all feel good because we are giving something — our time and our love to our neighbors. It should make us feel good our gift of time will help someone in some way, and it makes them feel good because they can live and be better.”
Dodson and Tamaqua assistant chairman Allen Keich, of Bob Weaver Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac and GMC, said the volunteer are up to the challenge. The Tamaqua area campaign kicked-off the campaign with $33,948, or 25 percent of the goal in pledges.
“And all of the money collected here, stays here,” Dodson noted.
United Way funds services that include health care, family counseling, youth programming and disaster aid.
The Tamaqua portion of the drive is a little over 10 percent of the Schuylkill United Way’s goal of $1.05 million. The drive will conclude with an appreciation breakfast at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, at the middle school, two days before the conclusion of the general campaign.
Jeanne Boyer Porter, chairwoman of the Schuylkill United Way general campaign drive, said $238,000, or 23 percent of the $1.05 million goal, had been pledged by the start the county-wide campaign.
Dodson said the Pacesetters Club, a major part of each year’s campaign, was offered a $25,000 matching grant by the John E. Morgan Foundation. The foundation will match all new dollars up to $25,000 donated to the Pacesetters Club during the 2009 campaign. New Pacesetters will have their donation matched 100 percent while current Pacesetters must increase their donation over last year for that increase to be matched.
To become a Pacesetter, the donor must pledge at least $500 to the campaign during one year.
Schuylkill United Way’s Executive Director Kelly Malone said United Way serves a large portion of the county’s population, with about 25 percent of those services going to people in the Tamaqua area in the last year.
“Our 16 member agencies serve over 64,000 people,” Malone said. “That means one out of every two county residents will get services from United Way.”
Jeanne Boyer Porter of Boyer’s Food Market is the Schuylkill United Way 2009 campaign chairman, and Mike Tobash of Tobash Insurance Agency is the assistant chairman.
United Way representatives are available to make presentation to employees at companies planning their own employee campaigns or just to encourage their workers to participate. The presentations last no longer than 15 minutes and include valuable information about both the Schuylkill United Way and member agencies, along with a showing of the campaign video. Companies can also request to have the grand prize giveaway at their facility for employees to see. Companies interested scheduling employee presentation should call the United Way office at 622-6421.
Local companies and individuals are encouraged to donate. Contributors are eligible for prizes based on the amount of the donation. For a minimum of $1 per week, or $52 per year, contributors will receive one ticket stub for a $500 Weber gas grill from Hadesty’s or a $500 Gravely lawn mower from M&S True Value Hardware.
For a minimum of $3 per week, or $156 per year, donors are eligible to fill out two ticket stubs. The first stub goes for either the gas grill or lawn mower drawing and the second stub goes into the drawing for the remaining seven prizes listed below.
For a minimum of $5 per week or $260 per year, contributors are eligible to fill out three ticket stubs. The first stub goes into the gas grill or lawn mower drawing, the second stub goes into the drawing for the remaining seven prizes and the third stub gives you a second chance for the seven remaining prizes. Prizes are drawn at the close of campaign at the Appreciation Breakfast, scheduled for 8 a.m. Friday, Nov. 14, at Penn State Schuylkill Campus.
This year’s grand prize giveaway is a new 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt valued at $17,000, courtesy of Rinaldi Family Dealership. Other participating dealers include Bob Weaver Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac and GMC, J. Bertolet Volkswagen, Sands Ford/Suzuki of Pottsville, Freedom Toyota and Hyundai, and the law firm of Williamson, Friedberg and Jones, LLC.
In addition to the car, gas grill and lawn mower, the complete prize list includes a $2,500 and $1,500 gift certificate from Boyer’s Food Market, a $2,000 gift certificate from Wal-Mart Distribution Center 7030, a $1,600 home improvement package from Lowe’s Regional Distribution Center, a $1,600 vacation package from AAA Travel, a $1,000 gift certificate from Big Lots Inc.
For more information about the United Way campaign, its partner agencies, to schedule a company presentation, or any other questions, call Tarah Dove at 622-6421 or e-mail to tdove@schuylkillunitedway.org. The Web site is www.schuylkillunitedway.org.
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