Help improve the lives of every person in our community by becoming UNITED in Purpose.

The Susquehanna Valley United Way held its inaugural Ambassador Breakfast on Thursday at the Pine Barn Inn in Danville where they kicked off this year’s campaign and announced a goal of raising $550,000.

With this target, SVUW aims to strengthen its ongoing efforts to create positive change and support communities where everyone can access a quality education, build economic mobility, and live a healthy life.

“I am hoping the 2023 campaign will unite our communities at a high level of support for the valuable programs the SVUW facilitates,” said Steve Keifer, SVUW board member and retired superintendent for the Danville Area School District. The event was sponsored by the Board of Directors which is comprised of local individuals who care deeply about their community.

Chris Markle, board member and Senior Advancement Officer at Susquehanna University, said “Each and every day, the Susquehanna Valley United Way works to improve the quality of life in our community by convening resources that create sustainable change in people’s lives. I am happy to support the 2023 SVUW campaign.”

The United Way focuses on “ALICE” which stands for Asset Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed, households. Statewide, 27 percent of households qualify as ALICE. Within the organization’s five-county region, 32 percent of households are ALICE. If you combine our region’s 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.

“These are households that are living just above the poverty line, so they don’t get a lot of help,” said Coleen Snover, SVUW Board President and VP of Training and Development at Service 1st Federal Credit Union. “They still don’t have the money for basic needs. A sudden hospital bill or car repair will often set ALICE individuals or households behind as they are never really stable enough to make ends meet.”

The two goals of this year’s campaign are to increase awareness about the work United Way does in the community and implement a stronger emphasis on sustainable gifts, according to Adrienne Mael, president/CEO of the Susquehanna Valley United Way.

As part of their annual campaign, Susquehanna Valley United Way raises money for 57 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.

“Funds raised in our community stay in our community to help people right here at home,” Mael said.

During the event, United Way leaders also spotlighted the organization’s Community Impact work. As part of their ongoing youth and mental health initiatives, they are working on the expansion of Berwick’s For the Cause Teen Center into the Bloomsburg area and their new Director of Behavioral and Mental Health will offer community trainings along with program consultation and implementation support. They are also advancing education for kids through their STEAM and Mobile MakerSpace programs.

Those who attended the kickoff had a chance to participate in a FUNdraising activity that connected their passion to the work United Way is doing in the community so that together, they could be United in Purpose.

“This is more than a campaign – it is a call to action for us to come together with thoughtful intention to support local solutions in the communities where we live and work,” Snover said. “To be United in Purpose is to recognize and amplify our power to make a meaningful difference, together.”

The bulk of the fundraising happens between now and the end of February. The campaign cycle will conclude on March 31, 2024, and is supplemented by their annual Day of Giving, a 24-hour virtual fundraising event every October 20th.

As the campaign begins, SVUW encourages businesses, organizations, and individuals to come together, show their support, and contribute to the cause. You can learn more or donate at svuw.org or by texting ‘UNITEDINPURPOSE’ to 41444. You can also send a check or money order to PO Box 559, Sunbury, PA 17801.