Lenawee United Way says ‘Thank You!’

By Amy PalmerExecutive Director, Lenawee United WayOn behalf of the board and staff at Lenawee United Way, I extend our deepest appreciation to everyone in Lenawee County who has truly LIVED UNITED to help the less fortunate in our community.Our readers may remember that in February, Ernie and Susan Groeb of Onsted challenged the community to help United Way reach our campaign goal by offering a dollar for dollar match of new donations, up to $20,000. I am proud to announce that, thanks to our generous community, we have raised more than $20,000 through this challenge! Thank you to Ernie and Susan for their generous contribution! From anonymous gifts of cash that were received in the mail to large donations from donors who had already given a substantial amount, every single gift helped us to meet this $20,000 goal. We recently celebrated National Volunteer Week, April 10-16, and we want to thank our volunteers for all they do to help advance the common good in our community. Lenawee United Way has more than 100 volunteers that help us with our annual fundraising campaign, provide office help, and serve on committees that all help to make our community stronger. Thank you to all of you! Also, a huge thanks to the more than 200 volunteers that participated in last September’s Day of Action!As we say “thank you,” we also congratulate our top ten companies — those organizations who rose to the top in terms of giving to this year’s campaign. ProMedica North Region, United Bank & Trust, Brazeway Incorporated, Gleaner Life Insurance Society, Lenawee Intermediate School District, Kapnick Insurance Group, Citizens Gas Fuel Company, Wacker Chemical Corporation, Consumers Energy, and First Federal Bank. These companies and their employees continue to support our community through an investment in Lenawee United Way. Thank you!We also thank the nearly 400 new donors we have this year! Thanks to everyone who gave to United Way for the first time through our annual campaign. We appreciate your support!A special thank you to our campaign chairs, Jim and Susie Kapnick. Jim and Susie led the 2010-11 campaign with enthusiasm and for their leadership, we are grateful. A thank you also to Joe Williams, our Pillars Club chair, and Doug Gray, our Young Leaders Society chair. Joe and Doug continue to inspire all of us to give more, advocate more, and volunteer more. Thank you, Joe and Doug!John F. Kennedy reminds us, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” The board and staff of Lenawee United Way truly appreciate the entire community for their continued support of the work of United Way. Our gratitude runs deep and we simply cannot say “thank you” enough.We do hope you will plan on attending our Annual Meeting on Tuesday, June 7, 5 p.m. at Siena Heights University as we continue to show our gratitude and appreciation.“LIVE UNITED makes clear that all of us have a stake in each other’s success and that all people, no matter their position or means, have a role to play in advancing the common good,” notes Brian Gallagher, CEO, United Way Worldwide.Form the bottom of our hearts, we thank you Lenawee County, for bringing LIVE UNITED to life.