In a campaign season that has seen both record highs and some concerning lows, the Montgomery United Fund For You remains committed to its goal of raising as much money as possible for its applicant agencies by mid-February.
The 2015 campaign began in fine form in the early autumn, with early donors, called PaceSetters, raising more than $135,000 before the official public kickoff Sept. 30. While
momentum remained high thanks to a $50,000 matching grant opportunity offered by the Indiana Association of United Ways, the campaign suffered in the later part of the year as some large industries in Montgomery County saw significant decreases in employee giving, with one company losing more than 30 percent in donations from the previous year. Smaller businesses and individual givers have struggled to pick up the slack.
“MUFFY thrives on payroll deductions,” said David
Johnson, MUFFY’s executive director. “Some of our bigger companies make a real difference when their associates commit to having a regular dollar amount — whatever they can afford — taken out of each paycheck. Those donations add up quickly and make a huge impact to our partner agencies. When employee giving goes down, the loss to these agencies is profound.”
This year, 18 nonprofit organizations serving Montgomery County have applied for MUFFY funds, asking for nearly $450,000 in all. These agencies, including the Youth Service Bureau, the Family Crisis Shelter, the Boys & Girls Club, Willson Family Literacy Preschool and the Salvation Army, served more than 13,000 Montgomery County men, women and children in 2015.
Some of the programs that MUFFY is being asked to support include Abilities Services Inc.’s Cooking Lab, where clients with developmental disabilities learn essential life skills like cooking, nutritious eating and healthy living; the 180-day structured sober living program at Half Way Home Inc. for women who struggle with substance abuse; and the New Beginnings Child Care, which supports as many working families as possible by providing qualified staff members and clean, engaging classrooms for children from 5:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. each weekday.
The Family Crisis
Shelter seeks MUFFY funds for its Direct Services program where victims, both adults and children, are given food, toiletries, clothing, educational groups, support groups, life skills groups, counseling and case management.
“If MUFFY money doesn’t come in,” said Anita Byers, executive director of the Family Crisis Shelter. “Some of the programs that are so badly needed will have to be eliminated.”
The MUFFY campaign currently stands at 83 percent of its $420,000 goal, and time is running out to make a difference in the lives of thousands of Montgomery County’s neighbors in need. The MUFFY campaign will close and final distributions will be made to local agencies Feb. 23. To make your donation count for this year’s MUFFY applicants, contact the MUFFY office at 765-362-5484, visit www.muffy.org or mail your donation to MUFFY, P.O. Box 247, Crawfordsville IN 47933.
