United Way of Lebanon County surpasses $1.8M goal

Jan. 31--The United Way of Lebanon County surpassed its goal of $1.8 million for the 2013-14 campaign.

The Pledge to Live United campaign collected $1,866,334 in the past five months, United Way volunteers learned at a victory celebration Thursday night at the Alden Club at Alden Place in West Cornwall Township.

Kenny Montijo, United Way CEO and chairman for the 2013-14 campaign, atrributed the success of the campaign to the 4,000 employees who contributed donations through their employers.

In 2013, the United Way allocated more than $1.3 million to 24 agencies in Lebanon County.

The effort to help others has a long history in Lebanon County, Montijo said. The forerunner to the United Way was the Citizens Emergency Relief Committee, which first met on Sept. 28, 1938, as the nation was in the midst of the Great Depression, he said.

"For 2 1/2 hours on a Monday, the community came to together to address some pressing needs," he said.

Montigo said the group went through several name changes. In 1947, it became the United Chest. Its name became the United way in 1975, he said.

Dan Reese, a spokesperson for United Way this year, told volunteers that he is a living example of what the United Way donations accomplish.

Reese said he was sexually abused repeatedly over a number of years when he was a child.

"From there on, my life just became a shambles," he said. He did not do well in school and had few friends.

Reese said he was 12 years old when he first heard voices in his head.

"I thought I was crazy, so I didn't tell anybody," he said. At age 19, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He was hospitalized 42 times during his life. Reese, who collected disability benefits, said he was told he would never hold down a full-time job.

When he moved back to Lebanon County, Reese said, he became involved a program at the Halcyon Center in Lebanon, an organization funded by the United Way. He learned coping skills to deal with hallucinations and learned

there are other people who are just like him.

The program helped turn his life around, he said.

Reese began volunteering at Philhaven. After four years, Philhaven offered him a part-time job for 20 hours a week. Then Philhaven offered to send him to school to become a certified peer specialist, Reese said. With the help of his mother, he said, he successfully completed his schooling. Philhaven then offered him a full-time job, which he took.

"Because of the United Way, because of my mother, because of my father, because of Philhaven .... I now work full-time," Reese said. "I support myself, I pay my mother rent money, I help out with the rent and the groceries, I pay my insurance, I pay for my gas. To me, that is success."

Also at the celebration, Montijo introduced Dan Ehrgood as the 2014-15 campaign chairman.

The United Way also presented a number of awards during the victory celebration.

Receiving Step Up awards were Klick-Lewis of Palmyra, which had a 202 percent increase of participation; the accounting firm Garcia, Garman and Shea, Lebanon, which had an 83 percent increase; and PRL Industries, Cornwall, which had a 65 percent increase.

Commitment awards were presented to the Schaefferstown branch of Northwest Savings, which had a 100 percent participation in the United Way campaign; Marsulex Environmental Technologies, Lebanon, which had 96 percent participation; and Cargil of Lebanon, 74 percent participation.

Foundation awards were presented to the Hershey Co., for $460,000 in contributions; Hershey Entertainment and Resorts, which had $90,000 in contributions; and Bayer Corp., Myerstown, $55,000. This year, the Hershey Co. matched its employees contributions.

The Star Award, given to a United Way cabinet member, was presented to Jamie Cecil. Alletta Schadler was awarded the Board Member of the Year award. Ruthie Westaway, an employee of the Lebanon VA Medical Center, received the employee campaign coordinator award.

The Dixon Foundation was recognized for contributing $25,000 that was used as matching grant funds for the campaign.

Jere Gish, a WGAL morning news anchor, was emcee for the event.

The a cappella singing group The Singsations, who performed in the United Way's "Glee Challenge" earlier this month, performed at the victory celebration.

___

(c)2014 the Lebanon Daily News (Lebanon, Pa.)

Visit the Lebanon Daily News (Lebanon, Pa.) at www.ldnews.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services