United Way of Mahaska County Asking for More than Money
United Way of Mahaska County
Every fall, United Way of Mahaska County hosts a fundraising campaign to raise money to support its programs, as well as its partner agencies. But this year, they’re asking for something more as well.
“More than anything, we want every citizen of Mahaska County to be engaged in our community through volunteering,” said Amy Meyer, executive director of United Way of Mahaska County. “I really believe that if everyone gave a little bit of their time to serve others, we could make some huge changes.”
United Way of Mahaska County funds 13 nonprofits in the county, including Habitat for Humanity, Hospice and Mahaska YMCA. In addition to the $255,000 granted to other nonprofits, the organization focuses on education, financial stability, and health through programs like Iowa Reading Corps and Oskaloosa Summer Lunch. Their volunteer website, VolunteerMahaska.org, allows people to connect to nonprofits through volunteer opportunities.
“United Way and our partner agencies have a hand in so many services in our community,” said Meyer. “From working with new mothers and babies at New Hope Community, through support for students with programs like 4-H, all the way to helping serve meals at the Oskaloosa Senior Center. A gift to United Way really covers all your bases.”
This year’s United Way video tells the stories of three people impacted through volunteerism. One became a volunteer, another was matched with a volunteer mentor, and the last one was served by volunteers who helped her build her home.
“The three women in the video were all so inspiring because they were really empowered to change their lives for the better. It required stepping outside their comfort zone, taking a leap of faith, but in the end, their lives will never be the same.”
Meyer said it was hard to pick which stories to tell during campaign.
“There are so many lives touched by United Way and our partner agencies. All together we had more than 30,000 impact moments in 2015. So that could mean a meal served, some counseling provided or a child tutored. It’s really hard to sum that all up in a few minutes.”
While volunteering is so important, Meyer said they need your dollars as well.
“All these programs require money to run them. We’re expecting our donations to go down this year with some corporate changes so it’s more important than ever to get involved in the United Way campaign so we can continue to do this vital work,” said Meyer.
To watch this year’s video, be a part of United Way’s campaign, or find out about volunteering, go to unitedwaymahaska.org or call Amy Meyer at 641.673.6043.
