Susquehanna Valley United Way Celebrates 2023-24 Campaign Wins.
Overachieves goal and gives special thanks to those who made the campaign a success.
The Susquehanna Valley United Way (SVUW) held its 2023-24 Campaign Celebration at The Venue at Liberty Valley in Danville last Thursday. At the celebration, they recognized the many businesses, volunteers, and community members who made this year's campaign successful.
United Way raised $648,867, surpassing their $550,000 goal. $56,000 will go to other service areas, leaving $592,867 to advance the United Way mission and provide for their 56 funded partners.
“We are here to celebrate hitting our campaign goal, but also to honor this amazing community we are a part of,” said Susquehanna Valley United Way CEO Adrienne Mael. “We genuinely appreciate the individuals who are able to donate not only their dollars but also their time. We feel very thankful and know that we can do even better.”
Among those recognized during the evening's event were the different workplaces and employee campaign coordinators who contributed to the campaign's success. Journey Bank, SEKISUI KYDEX, LLC, and UGI Utilities, Inc. all had significant increases in employee participation, while Service 1st FCU, The Women's Center, Bloomsburg Area School District, First Commonwealth Bank, and PPL Electric Utilities all had significant increases in both employee participation and giving.
United Way also honored Steven Keifer and Samantha Boucek with the annual Advancing the Common Good Award, which celebrates an individual who demonstrates extraordinary dedication and sustained commitment to the United Way Mission in the interest and for the benefit of our communities.
“I am honored to receive this recognition. It is gratifying to volunteer with SVUW because we live in communities that care about our friends and neighbors. It makes this effort enjoyable and rewarding,” said Steven Keifer, volunteer and Board President. I urge others to investigate the opportunity to volunteer with SVUW and other nonprofits in the five-county area. UNITED, we are better than alone.”
Some other campaign highlights include increasing the residential campaign by $28,972.56, a 30% increase, and 187 new or returning donors.
United Way also manages over $2.2 million in grants that directly support initiatives like their Parents as Teachers, Positive Parenting, and Active Parenting programs, along with United in Recovery, Youth Mental Health, and our MakerSpace work.
“Our staff rely on generous grant support from local, state, and federal funding sources to amplify the impact of the campaign across the region,” said Susquehanna Valley United Way Director of Community Impact Christine Orlando. “One example is a recent grant awarded through the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) which will support STEAM programming and mobile makerspaces across our service area over the next two years.”
As part of their annual campaign, Susquehanna Valley United Way raises money for 56 nonprofit partners across Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, and Union counties. Each year, residents receive assistance through SVUW and its funded partners. This underscores the vital role that SVUW plays in the local community and highlights the need for widespread community support.
“We started this campaign off with the goal to raise awareness about the work of United Way and specifically the work we do with our ALICE individuals and families,” Mael said.
Statewide, 27 percent of households qualify as ALICE. Within the organization’s five-county region, 32 percent of households are ALICE. If you combine the regions’ households earning below the ALICE threshold with those living below the Federal Poverty Line, that’s 44 percent of households facing financial hardship every day.
“We are excited that thanks to our campaign’s success, we will be able to provide real, tangible solutions to the challenges our communities face. It really does take each of us doing our part to make a difference in the lives of the people we serve.”
United Way concluded its event by thanking its annual sponsors: Weis Markets, Sunbury Broadcasting Corporation, The Daily Item, Evangelical Community Hospital, Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit, McCann School of Business, UPMC, Press Enterprise, David C. James, Attorney at Law, UGI Utilities, Inc., and the law offices of Diehl, Dluge, Michetti & Michetti. These businesses support the campaign and other special events throughout the year, both financially and through in-kind donations, and were key to this year’s success.
Media Contact:
Danielle M. Velkoff
Senior Director of Marketing and Communications
e: marketing@svuw.org | t: (570) 360-5009
