Archive: Around Town

United Way of Tompkins County announced that it has exceeded the 2013-14 Community Campaign goal of $2,088,000 by receiving donations totaling $2,100,652 to date from over 5,400 businesses and individuals. This is approximately $30,000 more than was raised last year.

Volunteers, donors, and community supporters gathered on Friday, April 25 for the Community Campaign Celebration and Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast at the Country Club of Ithaca to celebrate the 10th consecutive year the community campaign has exceeded goal. These dollars will strengthen programs focused on education, income, and health.

The 2013-14 UWTC Community Campaign was led by mother-daughter team Kathy Garner Darneider and Kara Garner Taylor. The campaign kicked off with a highly successful Stephen E. Garner Day of Caring in September 2013 named in honor of their late husband and father. Garner Darneider and Garner Taylor chaired a Community Campaign Committee of over 30 business, nonprofit, and community volunteer leaders. This team worked tirelessly since July in newly formed Divisions with Chairs and Co-Chairs to engage local businesses and individuals in the campaign. The over 50 campaign presentations on UWTC’s community impact resulted in a significant increase of revenue and participation.

The Pacesetter Division, led by Lisa Whitaker, CFCU Community Credit Union, and Fran Secondo, Wegmans, added eight new Pacesetter organizations and raised over $524,000. This is a group of organizations that set the pace of the campaign by completing their employee campaigns prior the start of the campaign in September.

UWTC welcomed nine new Corporate Cornerstone Partners including Agava, Alternatives Federal Credit Union, Collegetown Bagels, Coughlin & Gerhardt LLP, Dominion Transmission, HOLT Architects, Ithaca Bakery, Maguire Family of Dealerships, and one Anonymous donor. Thanks to the generosity of Corporate Cornerstone Partners, 100% of donors' gifts build and support health and human services and programs in our communities.

Additionally, a New Business Initiatives Division welcomed seven new businesses to the campaign.

Cornell University’s United Way Campaign, led by KyuJung Whang and a group of over 50 Ambassadors, exceeded their goal and raised approximately 40% of the total campaign revenue. Tompkins Cortland Community College’s United Way campaign, led by Sharon Dovi and Vicki Dann, exceeded their goal by approximately 15%. Ithaca College generously raised $56,000 with an additional fundraiser scheduled for tonight by the Ithaca College Student United Way, led by Moriah Petty ‘14.

The Cornell Student United Way, led by Christina Roberti ’14 and Sam Coleman ‘15, has raised $29,000 this year through various campus events. Their largest fundraiser of the year is the annual Duff Ball scheduled for May 20 which sold out in one minute raising $35,000 in gross sales. The Cornell Women’s Hockey team and National Society of Minorities in Hospitality students participated in the campaign by hosting Big Red United and the Hilltop Jamboree respectively. Also, two students from the Johnson School of Management, Mallory Martino and Max Spivak, developed a marketing evaluation tool while serving as UWTC Johnson School Board Fellows.

The presence of United Way in the community was elevated during this year’s campaign due to media partners Cayuga Radio Group, The Ithaca Journal, Ithaca Times, Tompkins Weekly, Cornell Chronicle, Pawprint, The Daily Sun, 1160 ESPN/WPIE, Fingerlakes Radio Group, The Ithacan, WVBR, and Ithaca14850.

A number of special events led by volunteers reinvigorated the campaign and helped raise additional dollars. These included the Cabin Fever Surf-and-Turf dinner at Jack’s Collegetown Grill; Fat Tuesday celebration at Lot 10; Hunger Hero sandwich competition at Ithaca Bakery and Collegetown Bagels; Hunger and Food Security effort at Agava; and the Downtown Ithaca Chili Cook-off with support from Ithaca Bakery.

At the Campaign Celebration, Campaign Co-Chairs Garner Darneider and Garner Taylor presented the 2013-14 Key Contributor and Patricia E. Stage Outstanding Volunteer of the Year awards.

Key Contributor Award – This year’s Key Contributor Award was presented to Cayuga Radio Group for their generosity in promoting the UWTC campaign and community programs. Cayuga Radio Group, led by Chet Osadchey, provided 5,798 PSA’s since August 2013 for promoting the campaign and thanking campaign contributors. Additionally, Osadchey serves on the UWTC Board of Directors and is the Chair of the Marketing Committee. Cayuga Radio Group supports the Day of Caring, Day of Action, and initiated the very successful Cans Along Cayuga food drive that supports local food pantries. The impact of Cayuga Radio Group is enormous.

Patricia E. Stage Outstanding Volunteer of the Year – This award was established in 2004 to recognize a United Way of Tompkins County volunteer who has gone above and beyond with their time, efforts, and support. The award was named in honor of Patricia Stage for her outstanding work as a United Way volunteer. This year the award was presented to Roger Sibley for his extraordinary service to United Way. Over the last 13 years, Sibley has served on virtually every UWTC Committee including the Board of Directors, acting Chair in 2007-08; the Executive Committee; the Planning and Community Impact Committee, acting Chair in 2013-14; the Campaign Task Force in 2004; the Personnel and Finance Committee; the Stewardship Committee; and the Campaign Committee in various positions including Campaign Chair in 2001.

Sharon Murphy from Congressman Tom Reed’s office presented certificates to all the award winners. Attendees were entertained with music from Cornell a cappella group Nothing But Treble and a showing of the Cornell Student United Way Duff Ball video.

The meeting started with a report from Community Investment Committee Co-Chairs Elaine Quaroni and Scott Keenan. The Community Investment Committee, consisting of over 50 volunteers on various teams, is currently reviewing applications from 43 UWTC partner organizations and will award $955,000 through the Community Care Fund. This year, the Community Care Fund moved back to a 2-year funding cycle. This will allow United Way to make longer-term strategic investments and place an even stronger focus on outcomes and performance. This committee is responsible for seeking to understand community conditions and invest in programs, initiatives, community change and capacity building efforts that focus on education, income, and health. Additional funds include Hunger and Food Security; T. Merrell Shipherd Flexible Fund; Youth and Philanthropy; Ithaca College Student United Way; and Focus on Community Understanding Service.

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