May 15, 2015 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – Earlier this year, Greene County United Way Executive Director Barbara Wise began pondering how to allocate grant money to local agencies as a shortfall in donations battered her organization.

Some of the 17 agencies in Greene County that the organization typically helps would likely receive less money than usual – or nothing at all – after the United Way learned last year it would have to go without the $38,000 stipend from its second-largest returning donor.

In response, the Greene County Memorial Hospital Foundation announced late last month it will give more than $33,000 to the United Way that will allow it to better fund health care-related agencies. The grant also boosts the organization closer to its stated fundraising goal of $250,000.

“We were just glad to have the opportunity to partner with them,” Greene County Memorial Hospital Foundation Executive Director Dave Jones said. “Any way we can touch more people and get our monies out to programs for the health and well-being of Greene County residents, we’re all for that.”

The money from the hospital’s foundation must be used to fund health care agencies, which Wise said will now allow them to allocate other money to various agencies that need it.

Even with the additional money, however, Wise admitted the organization and community will have to make changes on how they fundraise and what programs are funded.

She added they might have to include a funding cap for grants and tighten applications standards to encourage narrowly focused programs.

“We know we have to change their mindsets about how they apply for money through United Way because the money won’t be there,” Wise said. “They have to find a program that is small and fundable.”

She is confident the United Way will be able to tweak their funding system, but acknowledged it will be a difficult situation and one that can only be remedied by a boost in community support.

“We might not ever be able to replace it. That was a lot of money,” Wise said of losing contributions from Emerald Mine, which is expected to close. “We’re working on it. It’s scary and disheartening, but we’re thinking outside of the box.”

Last year, programs funded in part by Greene County United Way provided services to more than 15,000 local residents, from expectant mothers and newborns through the oldest members of the community.

The donation will specifically help the Senior Services Support Program that offers delivered meals and eldercare; Smile for Life Program that has a school-based oral health curriculum in all elementary schools; the Prescription Assistance Program to help patients in need of free or low cost prescriptions; Psychosocial Rehabilitation Program; and Emergency Direct Assistance.