United Way of Bemidji Area Reaches 91% Of Its Campaign Goal

The United Way of Bemidji Area has raised 91 percent of their annual community campaign goal of $525,000 for the year, and with just three weeks left, they’re hoping to finish off strong.

The United Way campaign started in 1986, and the funds that are raised supports 24 non-profit agencies that work in the area that impact areas of health, education and basic needs.

“Our goal this year is $525,000, which is an increase over last year about 20 percent, and the reason for such the big increase is that our community has grown significantly and United Way hasn’t increased their funding in many years, so when our community grows like it has, our needs are growing, too, and we also know that in that growth there are also potentially donors to that we haven’t educated about what United Way does for our community,” said United Way of Bemidji Area Executive Director Denae Alamano.

Every fall, the United Way organizes events to raise money for their campaign. During their annual Chili Cook-Off, they announced that a total of $184,000 was raised by Pacesetter Businesses.

“The United Way Board of Directors have put together a goal to meet the ask through the request that our local nonprofit agencies are requesting, and right now, we are $100,000 short of that number, so with significant increases each year, we have the opportunity to be able to do more. Our community is one of the poorest communities in the state of Minnesota and with the lack of resources, this funding from the community is so important to those less fortunate than us,” said Alamano.

The United Way will be having a celebration luncheon on February 6^th to close out this year’s campaign.