What can you buy with one dollar? Several things come to mind: a can of pop, a bottle of water, 10 licorice sticks, a big candy bar, a pack of breath mints, a newspaper, one minute at a do-it-yourself car wash; you get the picture. One dollar by itself pays for little things. But if you put more of those dollars together, say one dollar a week, then the value grows considerably.
So if you put that dollar a week to work through United Way, what can you buy? Here is a short list of what local United Way agencies can do for someone in need with a dollar a week or $52 a year:
• Three days of food for a family of four.
• Three vaccinations for a child.
• Daily meals for a week delivered to the elderly.
• A prescription for a year at a discounted rate.
• A night of shelter for a family whose house was destroyed by fire.
At the $52 level, the investment and its return make a measurable impact on someone’s life. Imagine, hundreds or thousands of people putting away one dollar a week to help those in need. All those 52 dollars a week would really add up.
It’s happening here, right now, in our community through the United Way Annual Campaign. Many of United Way’s Pacesetter companies and their associates are embracing this “dollar-a-week” initiative. Some Pacesetters have introduced “Club 52,” which recognizes brand new donors pledging 52 dollars and those who increase their pledge by one dollar a week. We applaud those companies who have developed the “Club 52” attitude.
The concept of one dollar a week is not new to the United Way Annual Campaign. For those who remember past campaigns, asking people to give up a coffee or pop a week will be a familiar concept. However, a “dollar a week” does have a new and very special value in today’s economic times. We are all asked more than once during the course of the year to support an agency, community initiative or special project. Often we may ask ourselves, how much is enough? Will my donation make a difference? Will it be put to good use?
Our answers to those questions are: One dollar a week will make a difference. If you can give more, please do. Your donation will be put to good use. That’s our United Way guarantee. If you want to see how your dollars have been invested, please log on to the United Way web site at www.unitedwayheroes.com and review our annual report or call the office and request a copy. We believe you will be impressed with the work that our affiliated agencies in Clark, Champaign and Madison Counties are doing.
The strength of United Way and the agencies we support has always been the people of our community, thousands caring for each other in various ways. Volunteering for an agency on the front lines, participation on non-profit boards, making funding decisions, helping with fund raising, responding to local emergencies and being a “Club 52” member are just a few of the ways we care for one another.
Please help us this year in continuing our mission, “to improve the capacity of people to care for one another.” That’s the United Way.
Brian K. Nicol is chair of the Champaign County campaign. Phil Teusink is chair of the Clark County campaign. Chip Spinning is chair of the Madison County campaign.