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Greene United Way could use some help

3 min read

The Greene County United Way does a lot of good for a number of other agencies and individuals.

Every year, employers who contribute to the United Way ask for contributions from their employees, from fair-share payroll deductions to leadership giving. The money collected by the United Way is allocated to a host of organizations that come to depend on this money to provide services and programs to its various clients.

So it concerns us greatly that the Greene County United Way, whose mission has always been to provide assistance to those in need, finds itself in need – financial need.

And without an infusion of cash, the 17 agencies that count on a yearly allocation from the United Way could find they will have to do with less – much less.

Major donors to the United Way must examine their budgets, and, as is often the case, cuts can sometimes be necessary. Granted, these companies are asked over and over again to make significant contributions to a host of organizations and worthy causes. But the ramifications of reduced United Way funding would be widely felt across Greene County.

For instance, both Bowlby Library in Waynesburg and Flenniken Library in Carmichaels receive some financial assistance from the United Way. The county can ill-afford to have either one hobbled. There is also Corner Cupboard Food Bank, which receives a yearly allocation, and we would be wiling to bet the executive director spends as much time looking for financial assistance as she does making sure the county’s hungry are fed.

Barbara Wise, the Greene County United Way’s executive director, has put out a plea to businesses, corporations and individuals, asking 25 of them to give $1,000 apiece, and five to give $5,000 or more. The United Way’s goal for 2015 is $225,000, and so far the agency has netted $167,000, leaving a $58,000 shortfall. She also said the employee campaign was down by $10,000 this year.

What happened? Alpha Resources’ Emerald Mine, historically the second-largest contributor to Greene’s United Way, gave nothing this year because the mine is planning to close. That resulted in a loss of $38,000 to the United Way. Contributions from Waynesburg University and Southwest Regional Medical Center also have been reduced.

Wise said, “The executive board knows donations are down and it is possible some or all of the agencies may not receive any contributions for 2015” if the plea for additional contributions does not bring results.

Despite tight budgets, there remains a core of businesses within Greene County that surely have the resources to make a difference. The oil and gas industry, for instance, could lend a hand at this critical juncture for the United Way.

Wise noted these agencies are not 100 percent dependent on United Way contributions to function. But if they have budgeted for services predicated on a particular amount from the United Way, some of those services or programs may have to be cut.

No one in Greene County wants to see that happen.

We don’t, Barb Wise doesn’t, and the directors and leaders of the 17 agencies that receive a yearly United Way allocation, surely don’t.

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