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Photos provided
COLUMBUS — As said by Helen Keller, “alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” On Apil 17, Columbus Area United Way honored this quote by celebrating their 2024 impact on our local communities and acknowledging the partner agencies and volunteers who play a huge part in the impact at their annual meeting.
This meeting is an opportunity to celebrate the work done in their four-county service area of Platte, Nance, Boone, and Colfax counties with the help of partner agencies, business partners and incredible individual donors. Columbus Area United Way Board President Chip Kay said, “The Annual Meeting continues to be a big day for the Columbus Area United Way. Not only did we get to celebrate a record-breaking year with contributions, but we also recognize the great need in our community.”
Columbus Area United Way supported fifteen partner agencies and twenty-seven programs in 2024. With these organizational partnerships, almost 180,000 clients were served in the focus areas of education, health, and financial stability. United Way supported an additional nine organizations with Impact Grants that were funded from the Columbus Area United Way endowment. As of 2024, Impact Grants have provided over $1.5 million back to the local communities. Outgoing Columbus Area United Way Board President Al Starzec said, “The Columbus Area United Way staff and Board of Directors worked hard to implement many improvements in 2024 including formalization of several policies, organizational structural improvements, implementation of succession plans for key roles and development of new ideas regarding the structure and organization of the Board of Directors. In addition, the 2024 fundraising campaign reached a record-breaking $954,500, which demonstrates the hard work and generosity of the Columbus community in supporting those in need.”
Columbus Area United Way also used this time to recognize the volunteers that help make our community stronger. Each partner agency got a chance to nominate a volunteer (or two!) that impacts their organization. Kay added, “Without the strong support of our partner agencies and tremendous volunteers we would not even begin to make the difference necessary. Congratulations to the many volunteers recognized during the Annual Meeting and thank you to our contributors and partner agencies for making our community better.”
This year, the following individuals were honored for their time and commitment. A Place at the Table – Denene Owens and Jason Rosenkranz
Big Pals Little Pals – Kyle Sunderland CASA Connection – Julie Anderson Center for Survivors – Brittany Bader
Columbus Area United Way – Adam Urkoski
Columbus Family YMCA – Elaine Zoucha Girl Scouts – Elena De Arcos
Platte Valley Literacy Association – Bill Podraza Royal Family Kids Camp – Denon Feagin TeamMates – Miki Naylor
The Arc of Platte County – Ian Henry
Youth and Families for Christ – Matthew Brandenburg
The work of Columbus Area United Way continues to expand because of these organizations and their volunteers. To view more of United Way’s 2024 impact, please view their annual report on columbusunitedway.com.