United Way receives $30,000 donation

PULLMAN - Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) donated $30,000 to the United Way of Whitman County (UWWC), which recently launched its 2023 to 2024 campaign "United in Purpose."

Board President of the UWWC Christine Oakley said that people care about the issues the United Way of Whitman County invests in: "We work daily towards united efforts to advance education, financial stability, and access to health services for those often unseen among us."

"Just as SEL has been a cornerstone of the community as innovators with stellar products and an employee-centered business model, the organization has been a concentric advocate for the work of the UWWC through its annual contributions," Oakley said.

A network of 11 partner agencies benefit from the funds raised through the campaign. These funds have provided services to 16,601 individuals and 349 households over the 2022-2023 season. The community partners this year are Boost Collaborative, Circles of Caring, Community Child Care Center, Council on Aging and Human Services, Family Promise of the Palouse, Girl Scouts of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho, Palouse Discovery Science Center, Palouse River Counseling, Pullman Community Garden at Koppel Farm Pullman Schools Food Pantry Program and YMCA of the Palouse.

The partner agencies are united in purpose and provide essential services for early childhood development, initiatives that support parents, and programs that foster social/emotional learning, food, and transportation services, substance abuse recovery, and mental and physical health.

As part of the United in Purpose Campaign, the UWWC has set a goal of raining an additional $100,000 in funding and attracting 100 new supporters to the organization.

The UWWC provides non-restricted funding, allowing partner agencies to provide essential services they would not be able to provide otherwise. The UWWC's increased goal is to create a strong community grant process for next year's partner agencies in the spring, which UWWC hopes to expand.

"We need everyone in Whitman County to unite and provide for these local agencies working hard for the most vulnerable members of our community," Oakley said.

For those interested in helping the UWWC reach its campaign goal, visit http://www.whitmanunited.org to donate. All donations are tax-deductible.

The UWWC is a voluntary non-profit organization supporting a local network of social services, youth, and agencies focused on improving access to health-related issues, education, and financial stability for all people who live and work in Pullman and Whitman County.