United Way of the Midlands has set an ambitious goal to support “The Power of Change,” their fundraising drive over the next two months. They announced the nearly $23.5 million goal and some special, one-time grants at a kickoff event August 29th.
“Now more than ever, our neighbors in need are counting on our support, for their urgent necessities, and for the safety net of programs that help them move toward independence,” said Dan O’Neill, president of First National Bank of Omaha. O’Neill and his wife Alison kicked off the 2012 United Way of the Midlands Campaign; they’re leading the fundraising drive over the next two months.
Karen Bricklemyer is the organization’s president and CEO. She says due to a successful campaign in 2011, United Way of the Midlands was also able to set aside $700,000 in special, one-time grants. To help determine how those grants would best be used, they interviewed members of the community over the past year.
29 grant proposals were submitted, with funding requests topping $1.7 million. 12 were selected for funding. In addition to the primary recipient organizations, those projects will involve more than 30 other local partner organizations. These collaborations will sharpen the focus on persistent poverty east of 60th Street, deliver local services more efficiently, and build the capacity of the local safety net to help turn lives around.
Information on the grants will be posted at uwmidlands.org in the near future.
