By Jim Lisk, Editor
Thursday, September 4, 2008 — After raising $457,000 in last year’s campaign, United Way of Stanly County has again set the bar higher at $500,000 for 2008-2009.
“We’re very aware that these are tough economic times as Wall Street has definitely met Main Street,” said Dr. Mike Taylor, chairman of the local United Way board.
“In addition, we’ve had the negative press from the situation in Charlotte that is another strike against us.”
In contrasting the Charlotte situation with Stanly County, Taylor said: “We need to appreciate who governs our local United Way. These are your neighbors and friends who are deciding where the money is given.”
With the tough times comes even greater needs, thus Taylor and the United Way of Stanly County, under the direction of Janet Sistare, are accepting the challenge of raising the bar with a theme of “Let’s Live United.”
“By being united, we can create hope,” Sistare told the Pacesetter kick-off gathering earlier this month.
“That’s our goal at the Stanly County United Way.”
Sistare and her campaign director, Kim Mullis, will host a kick-off luncheon for all the participating companies at Stanly Regional Medical Center on Sept. 9 to see how the Pacesetter campaign has gone to date.
The local United Way gives to 16 different local agencies, with only 11.5 percent of revenues going to overhead and Sistare is consistently working to reduce overhead.
Just last week, the United Way moved to the Wachovia Bank building on East Main and will receive an office free of charge. That will cut $450 per month from the overhead.
In addition, rather than pay for a kick-off video, Sistare recruited children from a YMCA program as hosts for interviewing various agencies supported by United Way, Then with the help of a North Stanly student and the school’s equipment, a video was produced for minimal cost.
Also, Sistare is recruiting sponsors for kickoff events such as the Pacesetter event, which was paid for by the Alcoa Foundation, and the kick-off of Sept. 9 with Wachovia funding the event.
“We’re constantly looking for ways to cut expenses. Last year, a video would have cost us $6,000, but this year our cost was much, much less,” Sistare said.
In addition to assisting the 16 agencies, Sistare and a committee of local health and social service professionals have been investigating a 211 phone service that would benefit people in search of help.
“It is not an emergency number like 911 or 411, rather the caller is given directions on where to go in Stanly County for shelter, food or whatever their need might be,” Sistare said.
The call center is manned in Raleigh and has an initial cost of $10,000 for the first year and $5,000 thereafter.
While 211 may not be funded this year, Sistare sees great potential and has a goal of bringing it to Stanly County.
Meanwhile, Sistare is shooting to raise $500,000 this year to serve the 16 agencies that so need the funding from the United Way of Stanly County.
And as she works to meet that goal, Sistare is driven by a simple reality: “Just ask one of our agencies what they’d do without our funding.”
