Coshocton United Way raises funds to help community

Coshocton County United Way brings people and resources together to produce a positive impact for the community.

"The United Way accepts monetary donations year round, so in many ways, the campaign never truly ends," said Erin Slaughter, executive director for United Way of Coshocton. "We are sitting right now at about 80% of our $300,000 goal, which speaks to the generosity of our community. The individuals whose needs we support don't stop."

United Way supports 14 local agencies.

"This year we added an additional two, Moving Mountains Ranch and Saint Vincent De Paul Charity, along with other agencies such as American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, First Step Family Violence Intervention Services and so on," Slaughter said.

United Way accepts donations year round.

"Most of the donations come from workplace campaigns where individuals can give cash, check or payroll deductions," Slaughter said. "We also have sponsorships from businesses. This year we have corporate sponsorships with Genesis Healthcare and Hathaway Inc. By having corporate sponsors yearly, that alleviates the cost of getting marketing materials, printing and things like that. It helps us to give more of the donor dollars back to the agencies. So that corporate sponsor is very important."

This year United Way plans to focus more on the fundraising aspect.

"In the past we depended more on the workplace campaigns, but it is getting harder to get donations that way," Slaughter said. "This year we plan to focus more on fundraising. We haven't had a planning meeting yet, but as far as fundraising this year, we will have a couple of toll roads on Main Street, one in April and one in September. We will have our third annual Trick or Trot, the Halloween 5k at Lake Park, in October. Right now we are looking at some additional fundraisers throughout this year.”

Slaughter said they couldn't do what they do without the help of local agencies and without the donor dollars.

"We really appreciate anyone and everyone that sponsors donations," she said. "We do our research for who we fund, so we really want to make sure that it is actually split between the 14 agencies. You're getting a bigger bang for your buck. If you donate to the United Way, we will make sure that happens. You can designate your donation to go to any one of the 501(c)(3) nonprofits that we have in our community. As long as you specify where you want your donation to go, we will make sure it goes to that nonprofit."

There are several ways to make a donation.

"We have a Facebook page, a website or you can call in to make a donation," Slaughter said. "We have many options as far as donating. You can also volunteer your time, which is invaluable. If you were to have a community event or if you would like to volunteer, you can do that. We are currently looking for a volunteer for internal help with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, another program that is very important to us."

If you would like to help, call the office at 740-622-4567, get in touch with Slaughter at Coshocton United Way or use the website at www.coshoctonunitedway.org.

"In the past we have had Taste of Coshocton, raffles, and with a lot of new people on board, we have a lot of new ideas as far as fundraising," Slaughter said. "We want to stay relevant and make sure we're getting out there so that more people are hearing about us throughout the year."

United Way is always interested in new sponsors. Smaller businesses also can be a part of it.

“If anyone has some new ideas as far as fundraisers, we would be glad to speak to them. As far as marketing, anyone interested in supporting the United Way can reach out," Slaughter said.

The annual Clean Up Coshocton Day will be Saturday, April 18 on Court Square at 8:30 a.m. They will have their traditional doughnuts and drinks.

"Anyone who wants to make Coshocton even more beautiful, we always appreciate it," Slaughter said.