Indian River County was fortunate enough to essentially dodge a bullet with Hurricane Matthew, but the storm did wreak havoc with events that had been scheduled that week, including the United Way of Indian River County Day of Caring and Campaign Kick-off Breakfast. Undeterred, United Way staff and a volunteer committee led by Katie Kirk rapidly rescheduled the event, originally scheduled for Oct. 8, rearranging as many volunteers and projects as possible and kicking things off this past Saturday at the Freshman Learning Center.
“We have about 30 teams today and mixed in are also individuals who signed up,” said UW CEO Michael Kint. “All told we have about 200; we had about 480 signed up for the 8th, so we really took it on the chin. We may be smaller but we are still out there making an impact.”
He noted that several teams that couldn’t make it last Saturday were still planning on completing their projects at a later date, including Croom Construction working on a project at SunCoast Primary School, and the Youth in Action crew who are scheduled to paint the St. Francis Manor boardwalk.
“So it’s all good. We’re still helping a lot of folks,” added Kint.
“Not even a hurricane will stop us,” said Vero Beach City Councilwoman Pilar Turner. “These volunteers are offering two days for this Day of Caring. It’s exceptional.”
Before the determined volunteers scattered throughout the county to help out at nonprofits, schools, churches and wherever else their talents were needed, they fueled up on breakfast from McDonald’s donated by Joe and Mary Ann Conrado. They also learned that the goal for this year’s UWIRC 2016-17 Annual Campaign is a lofty $3.035 million.
“We’ve got 14 shoes to fill,” said Kyle Morgan, campaign co-chair with wife Debbie, referencing that there were seven co-chairs last year. “We’re excited about the challenge.”
“I would really like to see the community become more aware of what the United Way does and support the campaign, because no gift is too small,” said Debbie Morgan. “We want folks to realize that they can become part of this community effort.”
“It’s a generational campaign; the impacts are huge,” added Kyle Morgan. “The work that these organizations do can change generations.”
“It’s easy to focus on an annual funding goal, but I like to focus on the lives that it can change for generations to come,” agreed his wife. “Everybody can help be part of that.”
Kyle Morgan later noted that Charity Navigator, which ranks nonprofit organizations for their fiscal responsibility and transparency, has given United Way of Indian River County four stars, the highest possible.