united way exceeds 2010 goal
Raises $553,358 in Walker, Catoosa & Dade

UNITED WAY RAISES $553,358 IN WALKER, CATOOSA AND DADE COUNTIES

Leonard Fant, 2010 Campaign Chair for United Way in Walker, Catoosa and Dade Counties, announced that the North Georgia Campaign exceeded last year’s results by nine percent and raised $553,358.

“Even though we set the bar higher, I knew the generosity of the good people of North Georgia would exceed the goal,” said Mr. Fant, “This money will make a difference in people’s lives in this community and it shows how important it is for everyone to collaborate and give together to build a stronger community.”

Mr. Fant also announced that Costco Warehouse, located on Cobb Parkway in Ringgold, Georgia, won the 2010 Best First Campaign Award for Catoosa, Dade and Walker Counties. Doris White, a member of the advisory committee for Walker, Catoosa and Dade Counties, was named Campaign Volunteer of the Year for her many hours of work on special events and other activities to help raise funds in this region.

Of the 2010 total, 100 percent in donations not designated will be used for services delivered in North Georgia. Unless donors designate their gift outside North Georgia, all funds raised by United Way in Walker, Catoosa and Dade Counties are used in North Georgia to ensure that Walker, Catoosa and Dade County residents directly benefit from the campaign.

Mr. Fant’s team, who helped him with his campaign work, were Mary Carpenter, Susan Gibson, Mark Hartline, Bob Naughton, Jeff Riddlebarger, and Doris White, all members of United Way’s North Georgia Advisory Committee. Mary Carpenter, who is employed at Gateway Bank in Ringgold, Georgia, has been selected to serve as the 2011 Campaign Chair for United Way in Walker, Catoosa and Dade Counties.

The following programs in Walker, Catoosa and Dade Counties are funded by contributions to United Way: 

• Adult/Child Mentoring (Big Brothers Big Sisters)
• Comprehensive Youth Services (Boy Scouts)
• Parents are Teachers (Catoosa Co. Communities in Schools)
• Legal Advocacy (Family Crisis Center)
• Supervised Visitation (Four Points)
• Comprehensive Youth Services (Girl Scouts)
• Puppetry Education (Kids on the Block)
• Christmas Assistance (Lafayette Empty Stocking Fund)
• Adult Services (Orange Grove Center)
• Deaf Services (Partnership FCA)
• Oral Health Services (Primary Health Care Center)
• Emergency Services (Salvation Army)
• Speech and Hearing Services (Speech and Hearing Center)
• Food Pantry (Tri-State Food Pantry)
• United Way Project Ready for School (Ferst Foundation)
• Walker County 4-H (Walker Extension Services)
• Before/After School Programs (YMCA)
• Summer Day Camp (YMCA)

United Way in Walker, Catoosa and Dade Counties funds local programs that create opportunities for people to care for themselves and each other, making our community the best at helping people achieve their potential. Thanks to an endowment fund that covers all overhead and administrative expenses, all contributions (100 percent) go directly to services that help individuals and families in Walker, Catoosa and Dade Counties. Unless the donor designates their gift outside North Georgia, all funds raised in North Georgia through United Way’s annual campaign are used in North Georgia to ensure that residents will directly benefit from local dollars contributed to the campaign.

Call United Way at 423-752-0300 or go to www.LiveUnitedWCD.org for more information or to get involved.