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One of South Mississippi's most generous donors has pledged a $75,000 Challenge Match to the United Way of South Mississippi's 2009 campaign. With this opportunity, the campaign could see an additional increase of $150,000 before March 31 the drop-dead date to contribute.
To help encourage community members to participate in this year's important campaign-or to dig deeper into their pockets, if they've already made a contribution-the United Way recently announced a dollar-for-dollar challenge match made available through a generous anonymous donor here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Specifically, the funds will match any new contributions-whether from new donors to the annual campaign or from past donors who increase their prior gift. In other words, every additional dollar contributed to this year's campaign will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $75,000 or until the challenge expires on March 31.
The donor remains anonymous, but the impact of this Challenge Match will be far-reaching. United Way of South Mississippi focuses on the pressing needs in our community that affect life for everyone. These needs include quality early education programs, affordable housing, access to mental healthcare, and more. The United Way works to create long-lasting changes by addressing the underlying causes of problems, not just addressing the symptoms.
The organization's 2009 campaign has experienced difficulty raising the funds necessary to meet the needs in Hancock, Harrison, and Pearl River Counties. The annual United Way campaign raises money from local individuals and their employers, which is then allocated through a competitive grant process to fund programs at local agencies and issue-based coalitions on a strategic basis.
Community members may give to the United Way in many different ways-by check sent to PO Box 2128, Gulfport, MS 39505, online at http://www.uw-sm.org/, or through many employers' payroll deduction program if their workplace is currently running a campaign.
"We all win when a teenager says no to alcohol, when families have a safe home and when people have access to health care. These results have benefits that ripple out to the community as a whole," says Sue Suter, United Way of South Mississippi CEO. "At United Way, we believe that when we reach out a hand to one, we influence the condition of all."
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