Even $1.50 — the price of a large soda — can make a difference in a little girl’s life, said Stephen P. Zwolak, executive director of the University City Children’s Center (UCCC).
The UCCC, with support from the United Way of Greater St. Louis, provides care for nearly 200 young children, Zwolak said. That includes kids from families like Tamika’s, whose mother had to scrounge for coins in her car cushions to pay Tamika’s reduced $20-per-week tuition.
And then there are middle-class families like Elizabeth’s, Zwolak said. Facing a pay reduction at his engineering job, Elizabeth’s father was unable to afford the UCCC’s full tuition.
In both cases, United Way pitched in to provide scholarship assistance to each family.
“Contributions to the United Way really do funnel to us,” Zwolak said. “We see it on a monthly basis.
“It’s remarkable what they do,” he said.
With the goal of supporting the UCCC and many other community organizations, Washington University’s 2009 United Way campaign began Sept. 2 with a kickoff breakfast at Whittemore House. The University’s goal is to raise $600,000 for the United Way.
The United Way of Greater St. Louis provides more than $1 million in support each week to nearly 200 local agencies that offer an array of services, including job counseling and training, affordable child care, disaster relief, opportunities for exercise and recreation, and much more.
“If you have been following the events of the last year, you know we’ve faced some challenging times,” Wrighton said. “While we face constraints, those in our community are facing even greater constraints than we have. The needs are greater than ever.”
The key to success in the 2009 campaign, Wrighton said, is increased participation in the WUSTL community. Participation in past campaigns has hovered around 14 percent, and the University is looking to grow that number in 2009.
WUSTL offers employees two ways to contribute: via pledge cards, which are being sent through campus mail, and online using the HRMS system.
More than 90 cents of each dollar the United Way receives is given to a United Way agency to benefit the community. United Way-supported agencies serve a large, diverse population of more than one million people each year — approximately one of every three in the St. Louis area.
“I share a conviction with many that the United Way is one of the most effective organizations that help people in our community,” Wrighton said. “A great fraction of the financial support that goes to the United Way makes its way into the services that help the people in our community, including a significant fraction of our own Washington University community.”
A gift of $250 to the United Way, for example, can provide after-school care for one child in need for six weeks, or four days in a shelter with meals and counseling for an individual suffering from alcohol or chemical dependency.
A gift of $50 can provide swim lessons for 10 children from low-income families, or a complete outfit and school supplies for a child in need.
WUSTL’s drive coincides with the United Way’s own $66.5 million campaign, which is chaired by Hugh Grant, president and chief executive officer of Monsanto Co.
The WUSTL campaign officially ends in late October, but the Office of Human Resources will accept pledge cards up until the end of the calendar year and beyond.
To make a pledge online, visit hr.wustl.edu and use your WUSTL KEY to sign into HRMS Self Service. Click on Employee Self Service and select United Way Pledges. For assistance with passwords, call the Help Desk at 935-5707.
For more information about the United Way of Greater St. Louis, visit stl.unitedway.org. The Web site also features a video about the United Way, and those who watch the video can enter to win gift cards, St. Louis Cardinals tickets or a 2009 Ford Focus.