ASHLAND — United Way of Ashland County’s annual campaign is underway, following more than half a century of campaign tradition.
While in-person fundraising remains sporadic due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the needs of United Way’s partner agencies — ranging from mental health to housing services — remain high, if not higher, than pre-pandemic years, said United Way of Ashland County executive director Stacy Schiemann.
“By far we hear people with utility disconnections, past utilities, overdue rents, past mortgages, cars that are in need of repair so they can’t get to work,” Schiemann said, “which just starts that cycle over and over again of, you know, ‘I want to get to work but I can’t because I don’t have a car, and I’m behind on utilities.’ So really, the basic needs are really still very high.”
The current campaign, with a goal of $850,000, will fund 15 partner agencies and 26 of their programs. As of Dec. 10, United Way had raised $559,000, about 65% of the goal, Schiemann said.
There is no hard stop to the ongoing campaign, although Schiemann expects (based on years past) that most funds will come in before the new year. Private donors Bob and Jan Archer added an additional incentive this year. If United Way secures $750,000 in pledges by Dec. 15, the Archer’s will donate $100,000.
The groups that will receive the funding in 2022 include: Ashland Parenting Plus, Associated Charities, Ashland County Cancer, ACCESS, Council on Aging, ACCADA, Children’s Advocacy Center, the Y, Salvation Army Kroc Center, Olive Tree Care, American Red Cross Heartland, Kidney Foundation of Ohio, Hospice of North Central Ohio, Ashland Christian Health Center and Appleseed Community Mental Health.
United Way funds are typically one of a few funding streams for the aforementioned groups.
Appleseed Mental Health, for example, will use the forthcoming funds to support three of its programs, executive director Jerry Strausbaugh said.
One of those programs is Safe Haven, which provides prevention, intervention, support and advocacy to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, intimate partner violence. United Way funds support approximately 10% of this program’s cost.
United Way helps fund half of Appleseed’s Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids Program, which is a training program for parents of preschool-aged youth. Through lessons and resources, parents learn how to develop their children’s social and emotional well-being, oral language skills and motor development.
The final program United Way funds go toward for Appleseed is Keeping Families Strong, a program that aids families with risk factors for having their children removed from the home due to histories of trauma, behavioral and/or mental health concerns.
“We’re seeing more and more needs in crisis kinds of services, that’s certainly growing,” Strausbaugh said, specifically mentioning childhood anxiety, anger issues and suicidal ideation.
With adult services, Strausbaugh said Appleseed has increasingly seen cases of concurrent substance abuse and mental health issues.
Appleseed Mental Health has a decades-long partnership with United Way, whereas others partner agencies have been added in recent years, such as the Children’s Advocacy Center, Schiemann said.
“If we see that there’s something that’s increasing in the community, something that’s really a high need, then we really try to pivot to meet that so things aren’t static,” Schiemann said. “Because if it was just static, it’s not really being innovative. It’s definitely not being strategic with dollars. And we want to make sure that we are placing donations in the highest and best use for people in the community.”
Each of United Way’s partner agencies have to submit applications detailing funding use, Schiemann said.
As a result of last year’s campaign, people in Ashland County were served 21,646 times by partner agencies, a 24% increase in service from 2019. People were living in poverty 13,381 of those times.
Last year’s funds had the highest usage in Ashland, Loudonville, Perrysville, Polk, and Sullivan, but were used across all zip codes in Ashland County. While every age was also served, adults ages 31-64 were served the most, followed closely by children (newborn to 18 years of age). Additionally, United Way’s partner agencies served 100 veterans.
United Way of Ashland is one of more than 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates among the United Way international network.
