United Way launching annual campaign

The United Way of Jay County Annual Campaign is underway.

The organization is launching its campaign — “Give Today, Change Tomorrow” — today with donation buckets available in the community and a series of interviews on WPGW Radio.

The campaign goal is $140,000.

Campaign chair Traci Gross said one of the targets of today’s launch — United Way of Jay County executive director Jane Ann Runyon, Gross, other board members and representatives of member agencies will share information about the organization during radio interviews — is to get the whole community involved.

“I also want to keep reminding everyone what United Way is,” she said. “It’s more than just giving us money and then we hand it out to somebody else. There’s lots of different aspects of United Way.”

On that list she mentioned assistance following natural disasters such as tornadoes and flooding.

Gross, who spent six years on the United Way of Jay County board of directors, noted that the organization is somewhere local residents often come to seek help or to offer help to others.

“We’re out here to help however we can,” she added. “We try to help the community in any way possible.”

In addition to today’s launch, United Way of Jay County will host its second annual glow ball golf tournament Oct. 14 at Portland Golf Club. (A dinner provided by Yergy’s BBQ will begin at 5:30 p.m. with the tournament to follow at 7 p.m.) Nine teams were signed up as of Tuesday, with coordinator Cindy Denney saying she hopes to get to 18.

The entry fee is $150 per two-person team. Registration forms are available on the United Way of Jay County Facebook page, at the office in the John Jay Center (101 S. Meridian St., Portland) and at the golf course.

Denney said the inaugural event was well-received last year.

She also touted the various ways United Way of Jay County makes an impact in the community.

“The United Way is a lot,” said Denney, who has chaired several annual campaigns. “It’s the tailgate. It’s the member agencies.

“Special Olympics is one of them. We had some funding dry up a few years ago. If it wasn’t for the United Way stepping up, I don’t know where Special Olympics would be.”

United Way of Jay County is also celebrating 65 years in 2023.

The organization that would become United Way of Jay County was founded as Jay United Fund For You — JUFFY — in 1958 with Hugh Ronald, Paul Thompson, Vaughn Ritter, John Jaqua, H.K. Rippey, Harold Campbell and Burmond Gaunt as its first officers. It launched with a coffee event for a group of 80 on Oct. 1 of that year, with seven partner organizations and a fund drive goal of $27,607.

Jay United Fund For You became United Way of Jay County in 1989. It has raised about $8 million over the course of its history.

Those interested in donating to this year’s campaign can click on “give” at unitedwayjaycounty.org or call (260) 726-7010.

United Way of Jay County member agencies include Anthony Wayne Council, A Better Life – Brianna's Hope, Bryant Community Center, Girl Scouts, Jay Community Center, Jay County Association for Crippled Children, Jay County Cancer Society, Jayland Homeless Shelter, Jayland Partners, Jay Randolph Developmental Services, Pennville Community Center, Second Harvest Food Bank, Jay County Special Olympics, West Jay Community Center and Youth Services Bureau.

Other programs that have received funding include scholarships for HSE students, medical training and industrial maintenance training. Local day cares and summer camps received financial assistance to reopen following the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns.

“We try to keep a finger on what the needs are in the community as they change,” said United Way of Jay County executive director Jane Ann Runyon. “If the food pantries are in trouble, we try to help them out. We’ve worked with the foundation very closely with the daycare issues. Not only do we do the campaign and help out the agencies that we usually help, we try to figure out what the community’s needs really are and what we can do about them.”

Campaign cabinet members in addition to Gross, who is serving as the service organization chair, and Denney, the special events chair, are board liaison Tami Vormohr, education chair Rex Pinkerton, professional chair Jeff Hall, small business chair Jeanna Ford, agriculture chair Mark Tillman, health care chair Monica Goble, government co-chairs Mike Weitzel and Patrick Wells, industrial chair Rick Gibson, leadership co-chairs Pat and Pam Bennett.

United Way board members are Vormohr (president), Wells (vice president), Goble (secretary), Emily Richards (treasurer), Annie Simmons, Gibson and Weitzel.