United Way ‘bruised’ but ‘confident’ as fundraising drive ends

United Way of the Plains emerged from its annual fundraising drive “bruised” and yet “confident.”

The agency didn’t set a financial target for the first time this year, so there wasn’t an easy way to measure the success of the campaign. Instead, Friday’s closing luncheon focused on the achievements of some activities supported by the United Way.

Third-graders participating in a “Read to Succeed” program gained an average of 1.6 words a week in their vocabulary, compared with the realistic goal of one word per week.

As part of the VITA tax preparation program, 204 volunteers helped file nearly 4,500 federal tax returns, resulting in $4.3 million in tax refunds.

Free flu vaccinations were given to 1,500 people who were unemployed, uninsured or unable to pay, as part of Operation Immunization.

Because more and more companies have expanded or moved their United Way campaigns outside the traditional two-month period, United Way president Pat Hanrahan said it’s not easy to offer a campaign total at the end of November in traditional fashion.

Hanrahan called the fall campaign “a mixed bag.”

“It’s still a challenging environment in Wichita,” Hanrahan said. “The economy still needs to get stronger.”

He used words such as “bruised” and “confident” in assessing how United Way officials feel about where things are.

“It’s going to be a challenging year,” Hanrahan said. “I look forward to the next campaign.”

This story was originally published November 18, 2016 at 7:11 PM with the headline "United Way ‘bruised’ but ‘confident’ as fundraising drive ends."