United Way tops donation record for 6th straight year

The United Way of Cascade County had more than a million reasons to celebrate at the conclusion of its record-setting annual fundraising campaign Thursday evening.

Officials announced that Pacesetters and individuals raised $1,217,147 for the nonprofit, which addresses human-service needs in Cascade County.

This is the sixth consecutive year the campaign has surpassed the previous campaign's total, which United Way leaders credit to the generous Great Falls community and their peers within the organization who organized and ran the campaign.

"We live in a great community with very generous people," campaign chairwoman Lynda Morin noted. "I personally think Great Falls is the best place in the world to live and United Way is one of the reasons."

Any local nonprofit organization can apply for funds in the spring. Peace Place, a specialty no-cost child care service for children with disabilities is one of the 26 nonprofits that received funding this year. Director Elaine Hundley credits United Way and the funding provided with helping her organization get started more than three years ago.

"It keeps our doors open," added Peace Place board chairwoman Anna Skinner.

Hundley said United Way staff pay close attention to the outcomes of the organizations that receive funding.

"They make sure we're doing what we promise," she said.

At Peace Place, they promise families of children with special needs some respite and the chance to recharge and be better parents. The facility falls under the health arm of United Way's three pillars of focus: education, financial stability and health. Those pillars were determined through research within the community through discussions with the organizations receiving funds and people using services from those groups, United Way President Gary Owen said.

According to the United Way, the majority of the money raised during the annual campaign come from 34 Pacesetters, employers who commit their support to the cause. Many of those companies have increased their donation totals in recent years, contributing to the continued growth of the campaign.

"We keep thinking the way we're going to grow is to get more businesses and individuals to contribute and that's certainly true," Owen said. "But our Pacesetters continue to grow as well. Those same businesses continue to be the leaders of our campaign."

United Way listed the following companies as those with the largest Pacesetter campaigns this year: Davidson Cos., Scheels, General Mills, Benefis Health System, Centene Corp., UPS, The Great Falls Tribune, Bison Ford, First Interstate Bank and Wells Fargo Bank. Morin said, those and the other participating companies, provided corporate donations and held fundraising events to encourage employees to give.

At the celebration at the Davidson Building Skywalk on Thursday, board members grabbed number-shaped balloons and lined up in order to reveal the total amount raised to volunteers and other supporters.

Organizers say it's not too late to contribute to United Way. Donations can be sent to P.O. Box 1343, Great Falls, MT 59403, or made through its secure website at www.uwccmt.org.