County United Way campaigns yield results in workplace

Montgomery — Orange County United Way highlighted four campaigns for their effort in its community report. United Way recognized its pacesetter campaigns at Taylor Recycling and Fellenzer Engineering, LLP for their outstanding enthusiasm and support of the 2008 Campaign. A Pacesetter is an organization that agrees to run a United Way workplace fundraising campaign before the campaign has been officially kicked-off in September. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County received accolades for running an outstanding campaign. As a non-profit organization, Big Brothers Big Sisters had 100 percent participation among their employees, and an impressive forty-eight percent increase in funds raised for United Way. Metal Container Corporation demonstrated exceptional leadership with an eight-fold increase in its campaign. Thomas Weddell, United Way’s 2008 campaign chair and managing partner of Vanacore, DeBenedictus, DiGovanni and Weddell, paid tribute to Katharine Fitzgerald from Provident Bank for her leadership of United Way’s Loaned Executives — volunteer-based campaigners who assist in workplace campaigns and make presentations on United Way’s behalf. Her can-do attitude and willingness to pitch and do whatever is asked of her has earned her United Way’s first-ever Campaign Cornerstone Award. “In this time of great uncertainty, both in the economy and job security, every one of us has the option to be cynical or charitable,” Wendell said. “The citizens of Orange County continue to show us what their choice is by, not only choosing to donate to United Way, but by increasing donations from the previous year. The workplace campaigns that have been completed, have increased 15 percent overall.” The announcement of the amount raised in this year’s campaign will take place March 13 at United Way’s Celebration of Dedication and Service at Anthony’s Pier 9 in New Windsor. Orange County United Way is a not-for-profit organization that funds 52 programs through 32 health and human service agencies throughout Orange County. For information, call 457-4774 or visit www.uwoc.org.