WILLMAR - The United Way of West Central Minnesota reached out to 31,000 locals last year and has a goal of reaching even more people in need this year, according to Renee Nolting, executive director of United Way of West Central Minnesota.
Its annual Community Campaign was launched with a goal of matching last year’s donations of $920,000.
“We’re not a just a building,” Nolting said. “When you talk about investing in United Way, it’s about improving lives.”
She said the United Way of West Central Minnesota funds a variety of causes, but its main focuses are on education and health because the organization believes those are the areas of the most immediate need in the area.
“We’re a one-stop that addresses immediate needs,” said Nolting. “Everything we do is transparent, thoroughly thought out and reviewed.”
The United Way of West Central Minnesota has almost 600 volunteers and follows the national organization’s motto to give, volunteer and advocate for those in need.
Almost all donations to the United Way fund local programs and services. Less than 1 percent of donations go to the national United Way organization.
Since local needs change each year, the organization goes through a yearly process to decide who will receive funds. United Way of West Central Minnesota invested $410,000 in 40 different local nonprofits as a result of the 2013-2014 campaign.
Heartland Community Action Agency is one of the recipients. The nonprofit received $37,000 from United Way to fund programs designed to help families get out and stay out of poverty.
The organization used a portion of its United Way funds for its Helping People Get There program that provides vehicles for people to get to work.
“Transportation can be a huge barrier for families,” said Jason Haug, outreach manager for Heartland Community Action Agency. “There aren’t a lot of public transportation opportunities in the area.”
West Central Industries, another local nonprofit, received $16,200 in funds from United Way.
Funds are used for The Resource Center Programs that help those suffering from mental health disorders or illnesses in a variety of ways.
“We could not serve all these families without the support given from so many donations from the United Way,” said Jamin Johnson, program manager of The Resource Center Programs at West Central Industries.
Besides funding other local nonprofits, the United Way of West Central Minnesota also has its own programs, an example of which is its United Way Growmobile free preschool program for children of low-income families.
The United Way Growmobile visits local daycares to bring preschool lessons and assessments to daycares.
“The biggest success for our future is making sure our kids are prepared to succeed,” Nolting said. “We need to give those kids a fighting chance to be whatever they want to be and to be self-sufficient.”
Those interested in donating or volunteering for the United Way of West Central Minnesota can visit liveunitedwcm.org to get connected.
