It’s been a year of challenges for the Centre County United Way.
CCUW executive director Tammy Gentzel says the non-profit organization had to adjust changing revenue sources, the loss of longtime agency supporters and a new office location – but these challenges pale before the United Way’s successes.
That’s $2,093,611 worth of successes, to be precise.
That’s the total amount raised by donations from the community for the United Way’s latest campaign, which started in August of last year. Gentzel was happy share to share that number on Monday night to a crowded hall of supporters and beneficiaries at the Penn Stater hotel for the United Way’s annual campaign conclusion celebration.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see this community come together like this. It makes my job a lot easier,” Gentzel jokes. “But we have hundreds of dedicated volunteers, and everyone who’s involved with us knows someone who has been helped by the United Way.”
With over 30 partner agencies under the United Way umbrella, Gentzel says the agency is able to impact the lives of one out of every three people in Centre County. But despite its vital work in fields ranging from medical care to legal services, the United Way fell short of its goal of $2,125,000 for this latest campaign.
Gentzel says she that monetary goal was a lofty one that was complicated by the loss of previously available grant money. However, she says the members of the community still rallied together to raise a truly impressive amount of money for those in need in Centre County.
“It was an ambitious goal, and by setting the bar high we were really driven to achieve,” Gentzel says. “I’m still very proud and very pleased with what we’ve accomplished, and we’re already working to make next year even bigger and stronger.”
Barbara Sherlock of the Women’s Leadership Group, a charitable organization that works with the United Way, was also pleased to announce a new grant that will benefit two area non-profit organizations.
The YMCA of Centre County and the Mid-State Literacy Council will both receive grants for several thousand dollars that will support the WLG’s goal to “support, serve and improve the lives of women and children in Centre County.”
Liz Toukonen of the Centre County YMCA says the Bellefonte branch will now be able to install cameras in their daycare and classrooms, which will increase safety for the children in their care. This is something the Bellefonte YMCA has been after for quite some time – as the State College branch already has similar systems installed – but Toukonen says they’ve lacked the funds until now.
Mid-State Literacy Council executive director Amy Wilson says the grant will improve the organization’s commitment to health literacy education. For many international families and English-as-a-second-language learners, going to a doctor or even reading the instructions on a pill bottle can be difficult and intimidating.
The grant will fund the purchase of new health literacy educational materials, as well as new computers and projectors for the classroom to make teaching more effective and efficient.
“This will impact the hundreds of students that we serve,” Wilson says. “We’re very thankful to receive this grant.”
Popular Stories:
Colleagues Mourn the Loss of State College Police Officer Robert Bradley
Judge Covey ‘Not Recommended’ to Supreme Court, Says Penn State Trustee Caused Conflict of Interest
Route 322 Reopens After Tractor-Trailer Fire, No Injuries Reported
Different Kind of Mexican Restaurant to Open in May
Harris Township Accepts Christopher Lee’s Resignation, Approves Recreational Resorts
State College To Become ‘City of THON’
Valentine’s Day: What’s it Good For?
Penn State Athletics: Stipends A Benefit, But In The End Players Want To Win
Penn State Football: Dates To Remember As Winter Workouts Begin
Penn State Hockey: How Has It Gone So Well So Fast?
Penn State Football: Five Nittany Lions Headed To NFL Combine
Penn State Wrestling Falls To Iowa In The Bryce Jordan Center
Penn State Football: Reihner is Latest in Long Lion of Legacies
