PLATTSBURGH — The United Way of the Adirondack Region kicked off its annual fund-raising campaign facing more community needs than ever.
“What we are seeing is a broadening of the vulnerability,” United Way President and CEO John Bernardi said at a news conference Friday.
“If you rewind two or three years ago, there was plenty of people that were vulnerable to hardship of some kind… but what we’ve seen in the past year and a half or two years is that that has broadened. More families than ever find themselves in a vulnerable situation.”
CAMPAIGN GOAL
The United Way is seeking to raise $725,000 in their campaign, which runs through the end of January 2025.
The funding goes toward assisting a network of 34 partner agencies in Clinton, Essex and Franklin Counties, providing service to about 80,000 people.
So far in the organization’s pacesetter campaign of early fund-raising, $180,500 or 24% of the goal, has been raised.
“Our work is never more important than it is now,” Bernardi said.
“We do this tremendous work in multiple ways through the generosity of many donors and supporters across the region… but also through a network of tremendous partner agencies.”
The news conference was held Friday at Family Connections-Child Care Coordinating Council of the North Country on the U.S. Oval, which runs three family resource centers, including two in Franklin County.
Juliette Lynch, Prevention Services project director at the Child Care Coordinating Council of the North Country, said they do what they can although funding is limited, so any support makes a difference for families, especially those who are categorized as Asset Limited Income Constrained, Employed or ALICE families.
“These are working families that actually are just one big bill away from possibly not being able to pay their rent or mortgage or they won’t be able to get to work,” Lynch said.
“So when we can partner with the United Way to help these families, it makes a tremendous difference for them.”
Todd McCarthy, a co chair of the campaign for Clinton County, said there are great needs in all three counties.
“I would urge anybody to get out and get involved and donate if you possibly can, and help us with our goal,” he said.
“It stays right here locally, and everything you do just affects everybody that you’re affiliated with here in these three counties. Thanks.”
Amy Collin of the North Country Center for Independence who is also a campaign co-chair, said the support the United Way gives the center’s Vision Services Program for those who are blind or visually impaired, makes a big impact.
Last year, the center helped about 6,000 people with disabilities with about 9,000 services over a wide area in four counties.
“It makes a huge difference,” she said.
“So many of our programs have funding, but the funding is limited in how you can spend it. So there’s a huge gap in the needs, and that’s where the United Way steps in.”
STATE HELP
State Assemblyman D. Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake) who is a member of the United Way Board of Directors, said the public needs to know that the agency is critical to fill needs in the region.
“I always say that government can’t fill all the voids that we have in our society and the United Way steps in to fill those voids,” Jones said.
Jones said many families struggling to make it are just one financial episode like a flat tire or some other small thing that most people take for granted and can cover, away from real trouble.
“That’s a real struggle for them, and that’s where the United Way of the Adirondacks steps up to fill that void for those families,” he said.
“They do tremendous work in the United Way and they make sure that the money goes to the people that need it, or just need a little little hand, a helping hand in certain times.”
Last year, the United Way of the Adirondacks raised $680,000. Bernardi said he is confident that they can reach their goal of $725,000 this year.
“We finished at $680,000 plus a little more, and what we realized was when we started to allocate those funds, we realized we need more funds,” Bernardi said.
“That’s no easy task to raise additional funds, but our team is tremendous.”
Bernardi said the staff has been strategizing and looking for new and innovative ways to generate more revenue so they can invest more dollars into important services.
“We did a lot of analysis and realized that we think we can raise $725,000 this time around. Again, no easy feat, but sometimes you just have to go for it. The needs are there, and our efforts are going to be there.”