MOUNT VERNON — Tuesday marked United Way’s official kickoff for its annual campaign, highlighted by Community Care Day, a United Way project.
This year’s campaign goal is $670,000, a 6.3 percent increase over 2007.
Gene Jackson, campaign vice chairman, announced that Gift In-Kind Program donations of goods and services totaled more than $6,000.
Charlie Brenneman, who, along with his wife, Kelly, is campaign co-chairman, announced that the Individual and Corporate Pacesetters early-bird contributors groups and the Red Feather Society Leadership Giving Program had collectively raised $293,215, lifting United Way to 43.7 percent of its 2008 goal.
“That is $40,000 above where we were at the same time last year,” he said.
“We’re definitely starting out in the right direction with this campaign,” said United Way Executive Director Jen Odenweller. “If I had a penny for everyone who has told me it’s going to be harder this year ... but workplace contributions are up. I’ve heard every ‘downer’ prediction, but it isn’t happening.”
A record-setting 200-plus Knox County volunteers enjoyed lunch at Riverside Park, then set off to work at 17 community service project sites.
More than 100 of the volunteers were students of the Mount Vernon Academy, where the entire student body was involved on Tuesday in many different projects.
“We’re all spread around Mount Vernon, and some even went to Mansfield,” said Joe Lee, MVA’s student services advisor. “Service has always been a part of our teaching. We’ve incorporated service days into the academic calendar, one day each month. We feel that since we’re a Christian academy, our two main objectives are to have the kids develop the character of Christ and to develop selfless service. That’s really what God asks of us. We hope to develop a love of community service in our students.”
Michaela Stevenson, 15, and Ashley Evans, 16, said they were enjoying their project. They and many other MVA students were spreading and raking soil along the Riverside Park sidewalk, leveling the gap between concrete and turf, so, they explained, the lawn mowers could drive right over the sidewalks.
“They’re going to install a young learning station here,” said Stevenson. “So they want the sidewalk even with the ground so no one falls.”
“Our entire school is out for service day today,” said Evans.
Wearing “Live United” T-shirts, the volunteers cleaned at Centerburg Senior Services, distributed new 2-1-1 door hangers for Pathways of Central Ohio, did yard work at Head Start sites, power-washed the siding on Fredericktown’s Interchurch Social Services building, built picnic tables for Boy Scouts, cleared brush at Camp Cornish, helped paint at the 4-H Center, and gave a special cleaning to the United Way office, among other projects.
Mike Haughton, facilities director at Rolls-Royce, and 39 of his colleagues posed for a group photo at the park’s gazebo before splitting into groups to help assemble a playground, clean up the Equine Assisted Therapy building and do landscaping at the Freedom Center.
“We’ve participated in this for a number of years now,” said Haughton. “Our employees, as well as Rolls-Royce, have supported this for a long time.”
He looked around as volunteers headed for their project sites and the sun came out.
“Looks like it’s going to be a good day,” he said.
“When times get tough, this community really does come together,” Odenweller added.
