The Board of Directors of the United Way of Clark, Champaign & Madison Counties announced the creation of the Clark Champaign Madison COVID-19 Community Fund to support individuals and families affected by the impact of the corona-virus. United Way of Clark, Champaign & Madison Counties will immediately start accepting donations to be directed toward meeting the increased needs our communities face as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
Steven McCready, president of the United Way Board of Directors, states that “COVID-19 is not only a health crisis, but an economic crisis as well. The steps our communities have and will take for the foreseeable future in response to the health crisis will undoubtedly leave a significant number of our most vulnerable population unable to meet their basic needs. This unprecedented need for services will leave many of our nonprofit agencies without the financial resources to meet the anticipated demand.”
Historically, our communities are at our best during times of crisis, and we expect that same grit and generosity to shine through in this time of great need. Many want to help and have inquired as to how they can do so. There are many national and global opportunities to donate, but the trickle-down effect of such donations is often slow or fails to significantly impact our communities. The Clark Champaign Madison COVID-19 Community Fund has been established to ensure that every dollar donated to the Fund remains in our three counties for the benefit of our neighbors. As with every gift to United Way of Clark, Champaign & Madison Counties, every dollar given stays within the county from which the donation was received or designated by the donor.
Kerry Lee Pedraza, Executive Director, explains that “It is unclear as to what the needs for our communities will be over the course of the next few months, but what we do know is that our first priority is to assist our Foodbanks/Food Pantries in feeding the hungry and to ensure that the homeless have appropriate shelter. For this reason, as dollars are donated and received by the Fund, they will be distributed to such agencies as Second Harvest Foodbank, Interfaith Hospitality, Caring Kitchen (Clark, Champaign), Help House, Good Samaritan Food Pantry and Bridges Community Action (Madison.)”
Della Selsor Trust is making a lead gift of $10,000 to the Fund. Any organization or business interested in joining the Della Selsor Trust should contact Kerry Pedraza at (937) 324 -5551. Others interested in making an online donation may do so through
https://www.uwccmc.org/covid-19-community-fund
or send a check to Clark Champaign Madison COVID-19 Community Fund, c/o United Way, PO Box 59, Springfield, OH 45501-0059. If desired, you may designate the county to whom you wish to designate your gift. All donations are tax-deductible. All funds received by the Fund will be distributed to the counties without any allocation for administrative overhead.
Ms. Pedraza also states that “It is not just financial resources that are needed at this time, but our communities are in desperate need of volunteers. With increased financial needs and the direction for vulnerable populations to refrain from being out in the public, a significant void has been left. For those in our community that are able and willing to give of their time, volunteer opportunities for all three counties are listed at
https://www.uwccmc.org/volunteer
.”
