Cumberland Trails United Way raised $120,000 last year that goes directly to 25 agencies that serve residents of Bell County as well as Whitley, Knox and Harlan counties in Kentucky, Claiborne County in Tennessee, and Lee County in Virginia. "We live in an economically depressed area, and this means a lot of people are in need," Haggerty said. "So we work to help replace their despair with hope."
United Way does not work directly with the people in need; they provide the administrative services and fund-raising know-how for local groups that have the one-on-one contact with community members that is so vital to helping them. Those people are often the heads of the agencies to which United Way distributes the money it raises.
Here in Bell County, United Way funds are distributed to:
- The Appalachian Region Mission provides food boxes for people in need;
- The Bell County Homeless & Housing Council provides shelter for the homeless and assists in finding permanent housing;
- The Bell County Literacy Program assists adults with basic reading and writing skills in order to become self-supporting;
- The Bell County Senior Citizen Program assists the elderly with various programs, fostering their activity and independence;
- The Bell-Whitley Community Action Agency provides over a dozen programs for the people of Bell and Whitley counties;
- The Cooperative Christian Ministry meets family needs with food, rent, utility bills, clothing, medical-related expenses, transportation and literacy training;
- The Wilderness Road Girl Scout Council provides opportunities for girls in small groups to develop responsibility and master leadership skills;
- The Blue Grass Council Boy Scouts provides activities that develop citizenship, correct morals and attitudes, provide physical fitness and promote leadership abilities in youth.
Many people have heard of the United Way, but as the chapter's fund-raising total increases, so does public awareness of what it can mean in the lives of area residents. Equally important is the reason the United Way is many agencies' best option for meeting their fund-raising needs. National statistics show that, on average, a non-profit agency's administrative costs for fundraising efforts are 54 percent. The United Way is not allowed to spend more than 15 percent on administrative costs, and the Cumberland Trails chapter is so efficiently run that it is able to accomplish - and exceed - its goals by devoting only 7 to 9 percent of what it raises to administrative costs.
"Our volunteer board of local directors control the money," said Cumberland Trails United Way President Baylor Fulton. "And all of it stays local. We don't have to send any of it to a national headquarters or anywhere else, except to local agencies that serve local people."
Haggerty explained that it's more advantageous for non-profit agencies to work through the United Way because it has almost 100 years of fund-raising experience and that's its' primary responsibility. "By contrast, when a non-profit group that is dedicated to charitable works decides to conduct a fundraiser they have to either take someone away from doing the charitable work or hire someone to handle it. That's more costly and cuts into the good things that these agencies exist to do."
The staff at the Cumberland Trails United Way hopes that as awareness of what can be achieved through United Way grows, so will the participation of agencies and residents in Bell County.
If you are interested in contributing to the Cumberland Trails United Way, or are a non-profit agency interested in becoming involved in United Way, you are encouraged to contact the Cumberland Trails office at P.O. Box 2092, Middlesboro, KY 40965 or call (606) 248-5603. You can also reach the office by e-mailing UnitedWay@CTUW.org.
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