At the John Deere Supervisors' Club this morning, Campaign Co-Chairs Mayor Tim Hurley and Kathy McCoy announced the 2008 Cedar Valley United Way Campaign raised $2,830,765.91.

 

"At a time when it would have been easy to say 'not this year' the people of the Cedar Valley dug a little deeper and gave more than ever before," said Sheila Baird, president of Cedar Valley United Way. "We are very thankful for the volunteers, led by Mayor Hurley and Kathy McCoy, and the thousands of donors who made this possible. United Ways across the country are reporting decreases in their campaigns and we have a two percent increase."

  

Now the work begins for the volunteers who take part in Community Impact Teams that review grant applications to make recommendations on how your contributions can most effectively be distributed. For the 2009-10 funding cycle, 104 grant applications have been received. Grant recipients will be announced in May. In 2008, Cedar Valley United Way provided funding to 91 programs throughout the Cedar Valley that focus on helping children and youth succeed, supporting the elderly and disabled, and poverty reduction.