Annual United Way campaign tops $331,0000

United Way of Northern Ozaukee helped 16,500 residents of the county and raised  more than $331,000 during its annual fundraising campaign, which ended earlier this year.

Of those people, nearly 14,000 received help with basic needs such as food, security and rent assistance, Executive Director Barbara Bates-Nelson said recently.

“It takes all of us working together to fight for our working families, our children and seniors to ensure that they live their best lives possible and that our community is making positive progress,” she said.

The fundraising fell just short of the campaign goal, but is the second highest amount ever raised by the organization, Bates-Nelson said.

The year when it reached the record amount, United Way had received a one-time legacy gift of about $80,000, she noted.

“We have been largely successful at making up for that legacy gift,” Bates-Nelson said, noting United Way is only a few thousand dollars short of that record. 

“We’re giving away more and more money every year.”

The money raised by United Way came from more than 42 businesses and 950 individuals through workplace campaigns, recurring gifts and one-time donations.

United Way funds 13 programs offered by 12 non-profit agencies — Advocates, Balance, Interfaith Caregivers, Starting Point, Adult Literacy, Family Sharing of Ozaukee, Portal Inc., Big Brothers Big Sisters, Scouting, Ozaukee Family Services, the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Ozaukee County and Ozaukee Jail Literacy.

In addition to these programs, United Way has traditionally awarded community impact grants to help fund new programs.

But this year, United Way is partnering with Ozaukee County, which has a fall golf outing that typically raises between $10,000 and $20,000, and will provide these funds to Ozaukee Family Services for mental health counseling in schools, Bates-Nelson said.

“It’s a different kind of community impact grant,” she said. “It’s a new and exciting event for us. We want to be able to respond to the community’s needs.”

United Way has recently adopted mental health and homelessness prevention as focus points for its programs.

“We want to make a difference,” Bates-Nelson said.

In addition to its community fundraising campaign, United Way has been working on other ways to earn money.

It has sponsored a beer garden — this year’s will be on Sept. 7 — and held a fundraising event at Twisted Willow, which this year will be held on Sept. 20.

This year, it is also going to offer Fish Day parking in the lots between Port Washington State Bank and the Port Harbor Center, Bates-Nelson said. Spots will go for $10 each.

In addition to the drive, United Way continues to seek volunteers for its programs and its fundraising efforts, Bates-Nelson said.