United Way of Elizabethton/Carter County held a special event Thursday to kick off their 2016-17 fundraising campaign and announced the agency has made a good first step toward reaching their goal for the year.
The goal for the 2016-17 campaign is to raise $125,000 to support local agencies that provide services to the community.
“We’ve already reached $32,000,” UWECC Board President Candy Craig announced. “That is a wonderful way to introduce this campaign.”
As she introduced the campaign, Craig also introduced the local agencies which United Way partners with to meet the needs of the community. Among those are Adult Day Services, American Red Cross, Assistance Resource Ministries, the Boys and Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County, Carter County Neighborhood Service Center, Contact Ministries, Personal Support Services, the Elizabethton Senior Citizens Center, and the local Boy Scouts organization.
Craig said while people often praise the work of United Way for its work to support the community agencies, the staff and volunteers of those agencies are the real heroes.
“They are the ones in the community serving those children, those seniors, those individuals in need,” Craig said. “They are the true angels in the community.”
The theme for this year’s campaign is “Community United” and Campaign Chairman Corey Paulson said he feels that theme really touches home in Carter County.
“I love this community because it is a community united,” Paulson said. “We are united around the things we love. We are united around our kids, our natural resources, and our local heroes.”
“One of the greatest examples of unity we have in this community is how this community has united around Dr. Josh Wandell,” he added. “The outpouring of love and support shown to the Wandell family is incredible.”
Paulson asked the crowd that gathered for the kickoff event what was one of the things that makes the local community so great and the consensus was the people who live here. And while Paulson noted that while the people of the community do an amazing job helping to support each other and the local agencies who serve the community, he said he feels there is still room for improvement.
“I think we can do better,” Paulson said. “I don’t think we are fully united against those things we don’t see every day, against those things that don’t touch us personally, against some of the needs of this community.”
Paulson pointed to hunger as an example of a serious need in the community.
“It is estimated that 10,000 of our residents — roughly around 16 percent — go to bed hungry. That includes kids,” he said. “That is more than in any of our neighboring communities.”
Paulson then provided another statistic that Carter County tops the area in.
“Did you know that our county has more millionaires per capita than any of our neighboring counties?” he asked those in attendance. “We are one of the poorest counties but possibly one of the richest. There are $3.1 Billion in liquid assets in this community.”
For the 2016-17 United Way campaign, Paulson said he is challenging the community to not only meet the goal of $125,000 but to exceed it. He is also asking that people make a commitment of more than money to their community.
“I challenge you to volunteer with these agencies that serve our community,” Paulson said. “That is when change will happen, not just when you write a check.”
“This community needs our help and we have the resources to do it,” he added.