United Way Reaches $10.5 M Giving Milestone
By: Eugene Daniel
Updated: January 30, 2013
EAST PEORIA
- The local chapter of United Way reached a major goal in its giving campaign.
The Heart
of Illinois United Way announced that it raised $10.5 million in its 2012
Community Campaign.
That's the
most the organization has ever raised and nearly twenty percent more money than
last year.
United Way
made the announcement at Wednesday's Community Campaign Celebration at the
Embassy Suites in East Peoria.
Campaign
chair Steve Gosselin says the amount of money raised is special because of the
economy and recent
cut backs to government funding organizations.
"So while we're
announcing records the reality is we have to drive this amount of money from
the community because it's not coming from elsewhere. And the agencies that
take care of people in need, don't have as much as they did before to do that,"
said Gosselin.
More than
300 local organizations help raise the money. United Way says the money will
allow the organization to implement more local programs.
