Sept. 5, 2006 – The United Way of St. Thomas-St. John has announced the allocation of $532,500 to its 13 member agencies in 2007. According to the United Way release, the allocated funds will help address critical community needs in the areas of youth development, food and shelter, health crisis and intervention, accessible transportation, advocacy and legal services, and summer youth programs. The release added that United Way's ability to provide these funds to the agencies depends on the success of its 2007 fund-raising campaign, which officially begins Oct. 1st.
A committee made up of community volunteers recently completed the allocation process. These volunteers were responsible for an 11-week process that involved evaluating member agencies' goals, programs and budgets. "The process was a real eye opener," said Cheryl Charleswell, Allocations Committee co-chair. "In addition to reviewing the member agencies' applications, each committee member selected one or two agencies to visit firsthand to see the United Way dollars at work. These observations allowed the committee members to determine which agencies were most in need and which programs best met the United Way's criteria for funding," Charleswell added.
In addition to providing funding to its member agencies, United Way also makes $24,000 available to community organizations through its Venture Grant program. These one-year grants are to support innovative programs that address specific community needs.
Final confirmation of these allocated funds will be made at the completion of the 2007 fund-raising campaign, which runs from Oct. 1 through Jan. 31, 2007.
United Way of St. Thomas-St. John has set an aggressive goal to raise $800,000, almost $50,000 more than the 2006 campaign generated. According to the release, this increase in funding will allow United Way to continue to provide consistent levels of support in spite of inflation.
The $532,500 represents a 4 percent increase over the funding allocated in 2006. The agencies to receive 2007 funding are:
American Red Cross $75,000
V.I. Council, Boy Scouts of America $60,000
Catholic Charities of the V.I. $80,000
Civil Air Patrol $19,500
Dial-A-Ride – St. John $12,500
Dial-A-Ride – St. Thomas $75,000
Ebenezer Gardens $30,000
Habitat for Humanity of the V.I. $50,000 (Newest United Way Agency)
Legal Services of the V.I. $50,000
Yellow Cedar Group Home $27,500
V.I. Institute for Teaching and Learning $40,000
Lutheran Reformation Summer Program $8,000
St. Thomas Reformed Church Summer Program $5,000
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