News & Photos
United Way announces fundraising results at campaign rally
March 11, 2010Traditional celebration transformed into Day of Action for second year
NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 10, 2010 - United Way of Metropolitan Nashville announced today that its 2009 fundraising campaign has raised approximately $15 million to invest in the community. The announcement was made at a campaign celebration rally at the United Way office.
“The good news today is we raised a lot of money in a very challenging economy,” said Gregg Morton, president of AT&T Tennessee and 2009 campaign chair for United Way of Metropolitan Nashville. “This $15 million, which is roughly equal to last year’s campaign, will create results in our community that are worth far more than $15 million today and in the years to come. The building blocks for a better life — a quality education that leads to a stable job, a paycheck to support a family, good health and safe neighborhoods — are being laid thanks to the generosity of our donors.”
Because of the economic downturn, demand for services increased at most of United Way’s 133 funded programs.
“Because of increased demand, many of our nonprofit partners still face challenges in meeting requests for help. This sobering reality is what has driven us during this campaign. That’s why United Way will be working diligently after all the campaigns are in to ensure that we can offer stable funding to our partners,” said Morton.
In the three weeks leading up to the Campaign Celebration Rally, more than 80 companies and individuals were visited by teams of United Way staff and honored with awards for their exceptional United Way support. Winners of these awards represent “the best of the best” fundraising campaigns. (See separate release for complete list of award winners.)
These award-winning campaigns help United Way continue to build on its impact in this community. Some examples are:
•99.4% school reading readiness among children entering kindergarten
•28,000 individuals served through United Way’s network of Family Resource Centers
•Generation of $11.4 million in federal tax refunds back into hands of working families and an exponentially larger benefit to our local economy
•57,000 people directly helped annually through United Way-funded programs
The campaign results were announced at a rally celebrating United Way of Metropolitan Nashville’s 2009 fundraising campaign. In response to the challenges many in the community still face because of the economic downturn, the traditional campaign celebration had been transformed from a sit-down luncheon to a Volunteer Day of Action for the second year in a row. This year’s theme was “Board Books for Babies.” The rally occurred between morning and afternoon shifts where more than 140 volunteers sorted, packed and delivered backpacks stuffed with books and other resources for parents.
The “Board Books for Babies” book drive and Day of Action benefited 1,200 children served through nine United Way-supported child care centers offering Read to Succeed, United Way’s early learning initiative. The centers serve primarily poverty-level families.
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