2012 Campaign Highlights
The 2012 campaign results were announced at the United Way Victory Celebration on Thursday, December 6 at Memorial Hall, 72 Seventh Street. Dave Johnson, CFO of Johnson Outdoors and the 2012 United Way Campaign Chair, acknowledged the support from hundreds of organizations and more than 10,000 individuals in achieving a projected total* of $5.125 million.
The event, which drew more than 300 people, was a celebration of United Way’s 90 years of service in Racine County as well as the successes of the 2012 campaign. Chris Moreau, general manager of Racine Broadcasting, served as emcee for the 1920s-themed evening. City Administrator, Tom Friedel, started festivities with a proclamation declaring December 6, 2012 as United Way Day.
Dave Johnson led this year’s campaign with the help of 15 community leaders in his Campaign Cabinet, eight western Racine County Action Committee members and five Loaned Employees. In addition, hundreds of volunteers managed workplace campaigns, with many of them in attendance at the Celebration.
SC Johnson received special recognition for sponsoring the event and being a founding organization of United Way. Herbert Fisk Johnson, along with his peers, began United Way of Racine County with the concept of consolidated charitable giving. Andis Company also received special recognition for their 90th anniversary as well as continued growth in their campaign. Andis Company’s United Way campaign has grown over the last four years from $28,000 to more than $122,000. The following 14 companies were also recognized for raising more $50,000 or more. They make up $4 million of United Way’s annual campaign:
Andis Company
CNH America LLC
Cree
Diversey, Inc.
Educators Credit Union
InSinkErator
Johnson Financial Group
Johnson Outdoors, Inc.
Modine Manufacturing Company
Racine Federated, Inc.
SC Johnson & Son, Inc.
Twin Disc, Inc.
WE Energies
Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare/All Saints
Incentive packages from Sebastian’s Fine Food and Spirits, Johnson Park, Meadowbrook County Club, RAMAC, plus a donated iPad allowed United Way to approach Small Business Partners differently. For every $100 a small business donated to United Way of Racine County, they were entered to win an incentive. The winners CRB Insurance, Jenkins and Vojtisek, Bukacek Construction, and First Weber Group were announced at the event.
United Way’s newest initiative, Schools of Hope, was created in partnership with Racine Unified School District, local businesses and concerned community members, to provide young children with tutors on a regular basis to increase reading achievement in the early grades. The initiative was highlighted at the event with speakers from each of the two pilot schools; Father Richard Craig, a tutor at Wadewitz Elementary School and Joan Kuehl, principal at Olympia Brown Elementary School. Principal Joan Kuehl shared quotes from letters written by students, “Dear United Way, thank you for my tutor. She’s very nice and smiles a lot. I like it when she smiles because I see her teeth. Dear United Way, thank you for my tutor. She looks like my grandma and smells like cookies. I like my tutor.” She continued, “When I was bad at reading my mom was mad and we were all mad and now my mom is happy and I’m happy because I read better. Thank you United Way for my tutor.” Education coordinator, Jessica Safransky Schacht announced, “Schools of Hope will expand in the spring. North Park and Fratt elementary schools will begin welcoming Schools of Hope tutors in February. Our goal is to add an additional 60 tutors.”
At the close of the evening, United Way board chair Francisco Sanchez made a special announcement. He expressed his excitement over the Schools of Hope initiative and the impact that it can have on our community. He indicated that the Sanchez family will be making a special contribution of $5,000 for Schools of Hope and challenged the audience to match his donation. In addition, JP Morgan Chase Bank is matching the Sanchez family gift as well as donations made by attendees. A total of $14,000 has been raised thus far.
*The $5.125 million campaign total announced on December 6 includes projections on companies, individual donors, national accounts and designations from other regional United Ways that will be received locally throughout the first quarter of 2013.
See the article on United Way's 2012 campaign in the Journal Times
View video of the Schools of Hope speakers at the Victory Celebration
