Video: United Way Surpasses Goal as it Garners $525,500

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OXFORD & LAFAYETTE, Miss. (Oxford Eagle) — The United Way of Oxford and Lafayette County began on Sept. 18 to pursue its goal of raising $525,000 to help local agencies help others in the community.

By the time the campaign ended, the United Way found that the members of this community had been especially generous with their donations because the United Way topped its financial goal by more than $500.

In fact, contributions this year represented a 4 percent increase over last year’s record total. As a result, the 2013 campaign raised more money than any campaign in the history of the United Way of Oxford & Lafayette County.

“We are thrilled that we have surpassed the goal this year,” United Way Executive Director Alice Ricks said. “We are so grateful to all of the volunteers who made this happen. We couldn’t do it without them.”

Ricks said those who could give a lot did, and those with fewer resources gave generously as well. All donations — big and small — contributed toward the overall effort to meet the nonprofit organization’s fundraising goal. Many workplace campaigns raised money from employers and employees, and individual community members also gave.

“It is wonderful to live in a place where there is such compassion, such dedication, and such generosity,” Ricks added in a prepared statement. “Unfortunately, the unmet needs in Lafayette County are very real, and United Way is proud to be able to play a leadership role in addressing them.”

Strong recovery

The success of this most recent United Way campaign shows that the organization is continuing to make a strong recovery from the Great Recession. When the local economy was struggling through the worst part of the recession, the community’s contributions to the United Way declined.

Donations have rebounded and last year’s fundraising campaign raised the donation bar when contributions topped $500,000 for the first time.

Karen Chain, president of the United Way Board of Directors, said the United Way ’s suc-cess in surpassing the halfmillion dollar mark for the second year in a row says a lot about the people who live and work in the Oxford-Lafayette County-University of Mississippi area.

“This is a community effort and our campaign success is our community’s success,” Chain said in a release issued by the United Way. “For more than 40 years, United Way has been working with our community to improve the day-to-day experience for every-one who lives here. We are proud to have so many partners, and we believe that working together is the only way to get real things done.”

The United Way operates as an umbrella organization that funds several local nonprofit agencies that provide valuable services to the community, such as the Lafayette County Literacy Council and Interfaith Compassion Ministry. Of all funds raised in Lafayette County, 99 percent will stay in the county to benefit the community. The other 1 percent will go to United Way worldwide as a mem-bership fee.

Phase two applications for the 201415 funding year will be due on April 15. Nonprofit agencies who have already completed their phase one applications are encouraged to sub mit the final phase as soon as possible.

The Community Investment Committee will then review all applications and make funding decisions based upon need.

For more information or to donate to United Way of Oxford and Lafayette, contact Ricks at 236-4265 or visit www.unitedwayoxfordms.org.