January 1st, 2019. The first official day of the new campaign season. Though our annual kickoff isn’t held until September, the work began back with the turning of the calendar, setting everything in motion to ensure that the weeks and months after September run smoothly.
This year, our “story”, is about you. Because our work wouldn’t be possible without you. Lives are changed because of you. Programs are created, monitored, and kept alive because of you. You change the story in Story County. You are the reason seniors are cared for, bellies are kept full, and young brains are built for success.
When we LIVE UNITED, everyone in our community is better for it. We are digging deep this year to ensure that we involve as many individuals in this goal as possible. For the past five years straight, our campaign has raised over $2 million in financial contributions alone. Combine that with the value of volunteer hours, matching funds, grant opportunities and more, our community received almost $4.5 million in return for your investment in 2018. This year, we want you to continue to be a part of this movement.
Why do we LIVE UNITED? Because we are changing the story in Story County. Together, we are ensuring that all third graders can read at grade level by the end of the school year. We are providing nutrition assistance to our elderly neighbors so they can remain self-sufficient in their homes. We are enabling families with low incomes to afford daycare so they can work full-time and provide for their children. The campaign runs hard for a few months, but the work happens all year long.
Many of you will join us on September 13 to celebrate the spirit of our annual Day of Caring volunteers, highlight our early contributions, and to kick off another year of campaigning for the greater good. Though we’ll definitely be turning up the volume this fall, we’ve been working since January 1 to ensure that the 2019 campaign is one for the record books.