United Way sets record as residents contribute more than $500,000

The Sedalia-Pettis County United Way has concluded a record-breaking fundraising campaign, raising more than $500,000 for the first time.

The “Live United” campaign has closed with $507,476, which is more than $82,000 higher than its goal of $425,000. Exceeding the goal means the United Way will be able to give more money to agencies who serve people in Sedalia and Pettis County.

United Way officials made the announcement at a press conference Tuesday morning.

The United Way funds 22 agencies in Pettis County including Open Door, Boys and Girls Club of West Central Missouri, Child Safe, Show-Me Christian Youth Home, Salvation Army, Red Cross, Meals on Wheels, Sedalia Senior Center, Minniolia Day Nursery and Melita Day Nursery.

A slow start to the campaign had United Way officials nervous.

“It was looking pretty scary at first,” said Doug Benitz, campaign chairman. “... Once it started coming in; it really came in.”

Officials were panicked in September when contributions were at a trickle. They started to plan fundraisers to compensate for the lack of donations.

United Way Executive Director Elle Wasson said the catalyst to the fundraising boom was the $156,000 contribution by employees at ProEnergy. It was the largest single industrial donation in the Sedalia-Pettis County United Way history.

Contributions from the industry and education sectors began coming in at higher levels. Benitz believes people were able to recognize the demand for assistance in the community has grown.

“Not as many people gave, but everybody that gave, gave more,” he said.

Some workers contributed more because they were grateful to have secure jobs in an uncertain economic climate. ProEnergy encouraged their workers to donate by promoting the philosophy that “we are very blessed with job security. Maybe this is a time to see what we can do for the community,” Benitz said.

The extra money will be quickly dispersed to agencies, once an allocation process is established.

“We aren’t in the business of banking money,” Benitz said.

Each agency requested more money than what the United Way could allocate during the initial budget hearings. A committee is forming to allocate the excess money.

“Our goal is to get this money out in the community,” said Brent Bates, president of the Sedalia-Pettis County United Way.

Jack Menges, executive director of Open Door, said “it’s the people who are going to benefit from” the successful United Way campaign. Menges would be unable to raise on his own the $55,000 the United Way contributes to Open Door, which is about 28 percent of the agency’s budget. He attributed the success of the campaign to the people of Sedalia.

“If you have a need, and you lay it out the way it is, they’ll come through,” he said.