Hopkins County United Way campaign workers gathered for lunch Wednesday afternoon at Southwest Dairy Center to kick off the 2021-22 campaign to raise $150,000 for 18 local agencies.
Board President Mike Horne opened the program with a prayer, asking for a blessing for the safety and health all who have volunteered to hand out packets and collect donations for the campaign, and those in the businesses they visit.
“Thank you for taking time to be here. Thank you for volunteering again this year,” Horne said. “I’m going to be a little biased, anybody that volunteered last year I want to thank you. We had a very successful campaign last year and I know that this year is going to be even better.”
Campaign Chair Kristy Moseley, who noted that as owner of Landers Creek Outfitters, being part of the community is “super important to her.” She too offered thanks to those attending the workers kickoff luncheon for taking the time to be present and participate in the annual HCUW campaign.
Moseley too thanked the volunteers who faithfully each year visit local businesses with packets, asking them to contribute to HCUW, then going back to the businesses to follow up on and collect donations, including those working within their own workspace.
“It’s going to be a great campaign,” Moseley said. “I know I’m following this guy, Mike, who blew it out for being a COVID year – a tough year to be able to do that. So, he did a great job – big shoes to fill here.”
She thanked Diana Ramirez for allowing HCUW to hold the event at Southwest Dairy Center, Chris Voorhees of Edward Jones for feeding everyone, Sandi Wallace at Plain & Fancy, Mike Horne for the brochures and printed materials and local media representatives.
She encouraged everyone to get their packets handed out to the businesses they’ve been assigned to contact, then follow up with them regularly and try to get packets in as early as possible so the campaign can wrap up as scheduled by the first Wednesday in November, if not sooner.
Moseley noted that HCUW is about building a better community through the 18 agencies allocated funding in this year’s campaign.
“You’ve probably all been touched in some form or fashion either by a loved one who has needed help by some of these organizations or maybe you, yourself, have at one time been helped. So you all know how important it is for these funds and how it helps our community,” Moseley said. “I feel like at some time in your lifetime, you’ve been a little down on your luck in some form or fashion that these organizations we have in our community have either helped you or pulled someone through. We all know how important that is.”
Moseley said described serving on the HCUW Allocations Committee, hearing stories from different HCUW recipient representatives, as an eye-opening experience. Hearing representatives from different agencies tell their stories, describe what they are able to do for people in the community, made her want to work even harder to do more to help.
“I will say from the bottom of my heart, I am grateful to have this position and be here. I just thank all of you are about to do and all the work collecting the funds,” Moseley said.
A short video clip was then played, with Moseley introducing the campaign, and representatives from the different agency recipients briefly describing their organization, how HCUW helps and personally officering thanks to those who contribute to HCUW.
Executive Secretary Susan Berning said the video drives home the point that contributions received for Hopkins County United Way stay in Hopkins County, where the funding supports 18 nonprofit organizations that support people who live in Hopkins County.
All except 2 percent of the funding remain in Hopkins County. That 2 percent ($3,000) will go to United Way Worldwide so that HCUW can be associated with the greater United Way
Each volunteer, except those collecting at their workplace, received filled with items. A worksheet with each business the individual is asked to contact to help the campaign worker track donations received and contacts made, present and past year contributions, where applicable, and a suggested giving amount to serve as a guideline when requesting a donation. A campaign envelop filled with a campaign brochure and on which the volunteer should place their name (or names if working as a team), a contact number and date they anticipate returning to the business for the packet.
Each brochure contains not only the name of each recipient organization, but also the dollar amount, what they do and how many were served last year.
“We want contributors to know that their donation is going to be stewarded exactly how it’s listed here, and they can trust that it will be stewarded that way,” Berning said, holding up the campaign brochure.
The brochure also notes the $22,250 of the $150,000 goal that has been allocated for administrative expenses, including a salary for a part-time secretary, supplies, utilities, an annual audit, postage and campaign materials.
“We want what you do to be very transparent, and that’s the purpose of this,” Berning said of the campaign brochure.
She offered thanks to Sharla Campbell and Emily Glass for helping to set up for the workers lunch, and Carolyn McKinney who prior to her retirement helped host the workers lunch at the dairy museum and has opted this year to return in retirement to work the campaign as a volunteer.
Donations may also be mailed from individual contributors to HCUW Campaign Headquarters, at PO Box 735, Sulphur Springs, TX 75483. Donations may be made in cash or by check, or online via PayPal or debit/credit card by clicking the Shop Now button on the Hopkins County United Way Facebook page
To have Moseley stop by a business to speak at the workplace, Questions may be directed to Berning by phone call or text to 903-243-4066.
