A modest crowd turned out yesterday in front of Collis Center for the kickoff ceremony of the Dartmouth United Way campaign.
Starting the proceedings was Bill Hochstin, volunteer chair of the Dartmouth United Way campaign. He introduced the two speakers and described the role of the organization in the Upper Valley, which helps about a third of the area's 75,000 residents.
The first speaker was Vincent Vieten, the volunteer chair of the Upper Valley United Way campaign.
"My job is to stand here and say thank you," he said to the assembled faculty, students, and volunteers, adding that the Dartmouth community is a great one, "but there's also a large community out there that needs help."
He announced that his goal was to raise $1.1 million this year, and $225, 000 from Dartmouth students, faculty, and staff. Many of the donations from the school's employees will be in the form of voluntary payroll deductions, he said.
Susan Wright, wife of College President James Wright, member of the board of the United Way of the Upper Valley, and the honorary chair of the fundraising campaign, spoke next.
Asserting that the Dartmouth community should aid the effort, Wright pointed out that donations help a number of agencies keep operations going year-round. She also said that the United Way "is a wonderful vehicle to help our community."
"I am so glad to be part of your effort now and in the future," she concluded.
Following the speeches, Pamela Stamnas of the Human Relations Department sang "America the Beautiful." During the song, passers-by stopped, and cars on North Main Street slowed and rolled down their windows to listen.
The group then proceeded to the Green, where representatives of the campaign had erected signs representing and describing the 28 agencies funded by the Upper Valley United Way.
After the main events were completed, representatives of various organizations funded by the United Way gathered in the Collis Common Ground with informational flyers. Donation envelopes were also made available for faculty and staff.
"The United Way is a major funder of ours," said Brian Woods, development coordinator for the Visiting Nurses Alliance of Vermont and New Hampshire. His organization provides in-home care for the elderly, and arranges home visits by nurses for other medical needs.
"We are an agency that supports families with newborn babies," said Mary King of Good Beginnings of the Upper Valley. Her agency provides home visits and other services to new parents for three months, regardless of their income. Many of the group's volunteers are Dartmouth students, about 20 of which help each year.
The Grafton County Senior Citizens Council "serves older people in the Upper Valley," said Roberta Berner. The United Way-funded agency provides assistance to 2500 residents, including "meals on wheels" and transportation services, so the elderly "can continue to live independently."
The United Way of the Upper Valley, based in Lebanon, is the local branch of a national organization. It "identifies the needs of the community, and then goes out into the community to solicit funds for those needs," Vieten said.
According to Vieten, 99 percent of all funds raised in the region stay in the area. While 14 percent of the money goes to run the United Way offices, the remainder is used to fund the 28 local agencies and 65 human services groups that operate in the Upper Valley.
Twenty percent of all funds collected by the Upper Valley United Way come from the College, Hochstin said. This year's goal of $225,000 from the Dartmouth community is 12 percent higher than last year, when a record $192,600 was raised.
Such an increase is needed because the worsening economy has hit the Upper Valley hard, and "the needs are greater than in the past," he said.
Dartmouth student organizations such as Green Key and Gold Key contribute to the United Way, netting nearly $2000 for the charity last year. Students also volunteer through the Tucker Foundation and on their own, and form a large percentage of the charitable workers in the region.
"The success of the campaign is who leads it," Wright said. "It's all thanks to Bill Hochstin," she added.
