City employees united in their giving

City employees were given the option to donate to the United Way through payroll deductions. This is the first time in several years the city has participated.

‘In every place I’ve worked, the total community participated,’ said city administrator David Rutherford. ‘That’s all the employers. We certainly need some help here in the community because the United Way program is not what it needs to be.’

Amazingly, the voluntary program had 100 percent participation in eight departments with every employee from those departments donating something.

‘I was pleased with the level of participation,’ said Rutherford. ‘I asked them to give what they felt comfortable in doing. Now we have a base set and next year we can challenge ourselves.’

Employees were instructed to pick one of the local non-profit organizations that United Way supports and designate their donation to that organization, or make a general donation. United Way takes general donations and distributes those as needed among all the nonprofit organizations.

Local organizations that receive United Way funding are CHEER Mental Health, the Boy Scouts, American Red Cross, Meals on Wheels, Families in Crisis, Kids of the Community, LBJ&C Head Start, the McMinnville-Warren County Senior Center, the Girl Scouts, and Opportunities, Inc.

Over half of the donations received were in general donations totaling $1,410. Receiving the most when it comes to specific donations was the Meals on Wheels program with $1,006. The remaining $359 was donated to various other organizations.

According to Rutherford, he is trying to get things reinvigorated in the community. Next year, the city’s payroll donation program will be held again.

‘As long as I’m here, we are going to do this,’ said Rutherford. ‘Others hold the fundraiser from August, early September, and the campaign is over the first of December. We will probably run ours from Labor Day until the end of November. That’s what I’m going to do if I have anything to say about the city-wide effort.

United Way is a registered charitable organization that raises most of its funds through workplace campaigns and through corporate donations. It encourages donations by payroll deduction.

‘We really do appreciate David Rutherford working with us and doing the payroll deduction,’ said United Way of Warren County secretary Susie Griffith. ‘We are so grateful. We hope this will be the first of many supportive efforts made by the city on behalf of United Way and nonprofit organizations in Warren County.’

Last year, United Way of Warren County launched an ambitious campaign to generate $107,000 by Dec. 15 in an effort to support local organizations. According to Griffith, about 25 percent was raised thanks to generous donations.

For more information, contact Griffith at Three Star Mall at 473-1515. Donations can be mailed to United Way of Warren County, P.O. Box 7238, McMinnville, 37111. The Web site is unitedwayofwarrentn.com.