The Heart of Illinois United Way kicked off our 2019 Community Campaign on Friday, September 6 with a breakfast, volunteer event and food drive. Our thanks to PNC for underwriting our kickoff events.
This summer, more than 40 Pacesetters celebrated the United Way and its impact on central Illinois. With lots of special events and fun and games, this year’s Pacesetters worked hard raising more than $1.3 million to-date.
“Thank you to everyone for joining us to kick off the 2019 Campaign. Brooke and I feel so fortunate to partner with you to raise funds for the Heart of Illinois United Way and its partner agencies that work tirelessly to ensure everyone in our community has the opportunity to thrive and has a place to call home,” Patrick Urich, 2019 Campaign Co-Chair, said.
The community’s generous support of the United Way is vital to positively changing lives. Each year, one in three people in our community rely on United Way funded programs and initiatives to improve their education, financial stability and health. Through a data driven process, our United Way evaluates local, critical health and human care trends and applies this ongoing research to our Community Impact Fund grant process. This invests your donations to the Heart of Illinois United Way strategically while providing the best philanthropic return on investment.
“We are so thankful for the generosity of the people, businesses and organizations in central Illinois. Year after year, members of our community support the Heart of Illinois United Way so that, together, we make a lasting, positive impact on the lives of people in need. We began our personal involvement with United Way, both as investors and volunteers, soon after we moved to central Illinois because we could immediately see the value the United Way adds to our community,” Brooke Spellman, 2019 Campaign Co-Chair, added.
The Heart of Illinois United Way has tremendous support not only from campaign cabinet volunteers, but also from the companies that sponsor our campaign ambassadors each fall. In 2019, our five full-time ambassadors include Charla Buchanan, Becky Doubleday, Ron Hale, Ryan Hale, and Art Oakford. Our thanks to CEFCU, UnityPoint Health and OSF HealthCare for sponsoring this year’s ambassador program.
The annual Challenge Grant has also returned for 2019. Sponsored by Caterpillar, CEFCU and Unity Point Health, the grant provides $285,000 to match new or increased giving to the Heart of Illinois United Way Community Impact Fund.