Findlay, OH (Jan. 28, 2019) - The 2018 United Way of Hancock County campaign has raised $3,280,635 dollars to measurably improve people’s lives in Hancock County in the areas of health, education and financial stability.
“The campaign committee and the community should be proud of the results we have collectively achieved over the course of the past nine months,” said Ginger Jones, retired Chief Financial Officer with Cooper Tire. “It has been an honor to participate in this campaign and to witness the compassion and responsiveness of our community when it comes to meeting the needs of our neighbors.”
“United Way board and staff are very grateful to Ginger, her campaign cabinet and team. They hit the ground running and renewed many great relationships while getting new companies to involve themselves in the 2018 campaign,” said John Urbanski, president and CEO of United Way of Hancock County.
“We are truly blessed to be a part of a community which is generous in so many ways. We exist as an organization to serve the community based on the generosity of the volunteers, the service providers and especially the donors,” Urbanksi said.
The fundraising results are as follows:
- The commercial division, chaired by Kevin MacDonald, raised $63,866. This division includes car dealerships, contractors, grocery stores and more.
- The corporate division, chaired by Eric Hausserman, raised $2,717,679. This division includes all major corporations in Hancock County.
- The education division, chaired by Brent Sleasman, raised $57,574. The division includes city schools, county schools, private schools and higher education institutions.
- The FIRE division, which includes financial institutions, insurance companies and real estate companies, raised $86,656. This division was chaired by Karen Taschler.
- The health division, chaired by Chris Keller, raised $104,780. The health division includes doctors, dentists, Blanchard Valley Health System, and health services companies like long-term care facilities.
- The mercantile division, chaired by David Lazar, raised $33,022. This division includes small storefronts, restaurants and other small businesses in the county.
- The professional division, co-chairs Nicole Busey and Kathleen Cindric, raised $25,759. The professional division includes attorneys, accountants, ministers, veterinarians and more.
- The public division includes nonprofit organizations, city and county employees. This division raised $49,789 and was chaired by Kathy Launder.
- The independent division, chaired by David Cassidy, includes retirees and individuals who work from their home or are independent companies. The division raised $136,835.
- The rural division raised $4,675. The division was chaired by Zac Maag.
- This year’s Gaslight Society membership co-chairs were Cary and Sally Cox. Gaslight Society members are donors who give at a level of $750 or above annually.
Funds raised during the 2018 campaign will be used for programs, services, initiatives and United Way operations during 2019. Since its inception in 1955, United Way of Hancock County has gone from fundraising for a handful of organizations to partnering with hundreds of local nonprofit programs and services. Cumulatively, the organization has raised nearly $90 million to accomplish its mission to measurably improve people’s lives in Hancock County.
Fund distribution to approved programs and services is determined by local community members who serve on volunteer impact teams and are trained to review grant requests. For more information or to serve on an impact team, which approves grants to qualifying organizations, contact the United Way office at 419-423-1432 or email beverly.phillips@uwhancock.org.