Write a commentThe United Way of Greater Oswego County (UWGOC) is a non-profit agency that raises money to fund 24 programs offered by other human services agencies.
The programs fall into three core areas of community service: ending hunger, health, and well-being, and building successful youth.
The United Way was started in 1887, and there are currently more than 1,100 local United Ways in the United States and over 700 chapters in other countries. In recent years, the number of non-profit agencies that an individual can donate to has grown significantly. A contribution to the UWGOC has an immediate impact on the communities where we live, raise our children, work, serve our customers, and pay taxes. All monies raised here stay 100 percent in Oswego County.
We would like to thank the individuals who have already donated to the 2023-24 UWGOC Annual Campaign. Thanks to the generosity of people like you, last year 7,195 people in Oswego County received food or meals from your donations via UWGOC-funded programs, including the Salvation Army of Oswego County, Catholic Charities, Pulaski Community Cupboard, and Oswego County Opportunities (OCO) Nutrition Services. Inflation is real, and food prices have increased by over 50 percent since the pandemic. That means over 7,000 people weren’t hungry due to contributions made to the United Way of Greater Oswego County.
Your generosity helped over 3,400 Oswego County residents through 13 programs focused on health and well-being. Your donations helped 626 victims of child abuse and their families through a funded program at the Child Advocacy Center. Another 1,200 people were helped by Farnham Family Services, which provides prevention education in local schools and outpatient treatment for chemical addictions. Nationally and locally, these problems have increased significantly since COVID-19. Oswego County Opportunities Service to Aid Families (OCO SAF) is a program that provides victims, including children, of domestic violence a safe and secure place to stay while also providing the tools to support physical and emotional healing.
As a result, your generosity assisted 890 Oswego County residents in the area of building successful youth. Two hundred thirty-six of those were boys and girls who participated in Catholic Charities CYO, which provides sports and youth programs to children after school. Childcare is a major deterrent to both single parents and couples due to the scarcity of services and costs. Because of your donations to the UWGOC, 654 children and their families benefited from safe, affordable childcare programs in Fulton, Oswego, and Phoenix.
Donations made by individuals like yourselves, and the many workplace campaigns that help fund the UWGOC, have a significant impact on families who may be related to you, live in your neighborhood, or work at or patronize your business. With the increasing number of ways to make charitable donations, an alarming trend is developing. Before COVID-19, the UWGOC raised over $700,000 annually to fund human services programs in Oswego County. Since then, annual contributions have declined to less than $300,000. These are local problems that need local funding solutions. In Cayuga County, which has a very similar socio-economic environment, the United Way of Cayuga County has averaged nearly $720,000 each year over the past three years. We need to create the same enthusiasm here.
We have created a new committee for special events. That committee has made significant progress in creating recurring events that raise money for our general campaign. The UWGOC annual Gale ntine’s celebration has become quite popular, raising several thousand dollars in the past three years. Our annual golf tournament raises an average of over $30,000 each year. In recent years, the ability to create legacy gifts through financial and estate planning has become more popular. To help our community, we are establishing a legacy committee that will help answer questions about leaving a gift to the UWGOC upon death. This might include individuals naming the UWGOC as a partial beneficiary of an IRA, life insurance, or annuity contract. Furthermore, U.S. citizens required to take required minimum distributions (RMD) on their retirement accounts are now entitled to donate some of them to a charitable organization.
We are actively seeking volunteers to help us with a new Small Business Membership Program, which is part of our Campaign Cabinet. The activity generated through the Campaign Cabinet helps major employers hold successful UWGOC annual campaigns, which make up a majority of the funds we raise during our annual campaign.
However, we live in a county that is largely served by small businesses with fewer than 100 employees. We are seeking volunteers from all professions to help establish this exciting new program.
For more information about how to make a donation, start a workplace campaign, or become a volunteer for the United Way of Greater Oswego County, please call (315) 593-1900 ext. 2, or visit our website at www.oswegounitedway.org. Don’t forget to like and follow the United Way of Greater Oswego County on social media.
