Wegmans employees present donations from Purse Bingo event to United Way

The United Way of Southern Chautauqua County is recognizing the local Wegmans store for coming in first in the region for an April campaign.

Wegmans held its annual scan campaign for the United Way at its registers in April.

With a goal of raising $15,500; Jamestown’s local Fairmount Avenue Wegmans location came in number one of 13 stores in the region for overall donation dollars by raising $19,957. The next closest Wegmans location of the 13 raised $12,000

In addition to the dollars raised at the register in April, Wegmans staff raised a total of $8,000 for the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County on Thursday, May 4th during an evening “Purse Bingo” fundraising event.

United Way Executive Director Amy Rohler expressed her appreciation for Wegmans and its staff, nothing how inspired she was with the community’s generosity in donating at the Wegmans registers.

EDITOR’S NOTE: As a point of transparency and disclosure to our audience, United Way of Southern Chautauqua County is a corporate underwriter for WRFA and has provided a financial contribution for the general operations of the station within the past year. Funding we receive for General Operations is not used to fund our coverage of local news in the community. That is only made possible through a Community Service Grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 

ERA Team VP presents donation to United Way

Local United Ways have accepted a donation from ERA Team VP.

ERA Team VP raised $8,955.62 to support United Way agencies in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus Counties as well as several United Ways in Pennsylvania. To raise this amount, ERA Team VP had participation from 49 donors that included both staff and real estate agents in their eight offices. They held a contest to see which office had the highest percentage of participation, which helped drive involvement.

United Way of Southern Chautauqua County Executive Director Amy Rohler said donations by ERA as well as other other workplaces and individuals helped the agency meet its campaign goal for the year of $1.3 million dollars. All money raised stays locally in the community, supporting 42 programs at 29 agencies.

The United Way of Southern Chautauqua County announced $45,132 was awarded by the Emergency Food & Shelter Program’s National Board, which is chaired by FEMA.

Locally, the United Way leads the Emergency Food and Shelter Program and is responsible for distributing these awards. The purpose of these dollars is to expand the capacity of food and shelter programs in high-need areas.

Organizations interested in applying for funds must do so by Wednesday, March 1, 2023.

Contact United Way Executive Director Amy Rohler at (716) 483-1561 for application instructions.

EDITOR’S NOTE: As a point of transparency and disclosure to our audience, United Way of Southern Chautauqua County is a corporate underwriter for WRFA and has provided a financial contribution for the general operations of the station within the past year. Funding we receive for General Operations is not used to fund our coverage of local news in the community. That is only made possible through a Community Service Grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 

United Way of Southern Chautauqua County Executive Director Amy Rohler speaks during Campaign Celebration (January 24, 2023)

The United Way of Southern Chautauqua County has announced it has had one of its most successful fundraising campaigns in more than a decade.

Executive Director Amy Rohler said the $1.3 million campaign goal was exceeded with a total of $1,370,232 raised.

She attributed the success to the campaign’s volunteers and three campaign chairs, Denise Heppeler, Danielle Stone, and Heather Turner.

Rohler said United Way staff and volunteers reached over 1,500 people during the campaign season through 75 workplace presentations at various businesses and organizations.

The second Annual Impact Awards were also presented at the Campaign Celebration. These awards go to individuals nominated by United Way community partners who truly embody what it means to be impacted by a United Way program, and who make their own impact in their community.

Each award recipient received a commemorative award, $100 to give to the community organization of their choice, and the opportunity to serve as a United Way allocations volunteer for the year. Awardees this year were Jessica Crooks of the Mental Health Association of Chautauqua County, Paige Grekulak of the TEAM program through the Jamestown Community Learning Council and YWCA; and Sarina Lynn Rivera of Community Helping Hands.

All funds raised in the United Way campaign remain in the community.

To learn more about United Way, visit www.uwayscc.org.

EDITOR’S NOTE: As a point of transparency and disclosure to our audience, United Way of Southern Chautauqua County is a corporate underwriter for WRFA and has provided a financial contribution for the general operations of the station within the past year. Funding we receive for General Operations is not used to fund our coverage of local news in the community. That is only made possible through a Community Service Grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 

Ahlstrom-Schaeffer CEO Dave Painter and IBEW Local 106 Business Manager Kent Joesel present UWAY SCC Executive Director Amy Rohler with annual campaign donation.

The United Way of Southern Chautauqua County‘s annual campaign is at 65% of its goal of $1.3 million.

Executive Director Amy Rohler said more than 150 employers participate in United Way’s annual fundraising campaign by allowing their employees to give through payroll deduction. United Way staff and volunteers recently visited Shults Auto Group, IBEW Local 106, Spectrum Eyecare, Weber-Knapp, and Alliance Advisory Group. Rohler noted that they had surpassed the number of campaign presentations they’ve given to local employers within the past year and welcomed new campaigns at various workplaces.

The United Way campaign benefits 42 local programs and all donations stay in Chautauqua County.
Employers interested in running a campaign at their workplace can still schedule presentations by contacting the United Way office at 716-483-1561 or emailing Marketing and Resource Development Manager Nicole Gustafson at ngustafson@uwayscc.org.

Individual donations can be made online at uwayscc.org, by texting UNITEDWECAN to 91999, via Venmo at @uwayscc, or by mailing a check to 208 Pine Street, Jamestown, NY 14701.

EDITOR’S NOTE: As a point of transparency and disclosure to our audience, the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County is a corporate underwriter for WRFA and has provided a financial contribution for the general operations of the station within the past year. Funding we receive for General Operations is not used to fund our coverage of local news in the community. That is only made possible through a Community Service Grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

United Way of Southern Chautauqua County Executive Director Amy Rohler and Director of Community Impact Lindsey Goold provide an update on their annual campaign as well provide more information about their Community Impact Report.

United Way of Southern Chautauqua County Executive Director Amy Rohler kicks off annual campaign at the YWCA Lodge in Lakewood (September 22, 2022)

The United Way of Southern Chautauqua County has kicked off its campaign to raise $1.3 million to support local agencies.

United Way Executive Director Amy Rohler said there’s an energy she has not felt in a couple of years, “So much related to the Pandemic and people having to navigate those things in their workplaces and being able to come out of that, you can just feel it in the air. So, we’re just excited about this year. I think it’s going to be a great year even though the economy is a little up and down right now. Inflation is something we’re just waiting to see what happens with it, but we have a generous community and we really think that we’ll be able to raise the money and reach our goal.”

Rohler said one of the things they learned during the pandemic was the many tools that can be used for people to give, “We do a text-to-give campaign now. We use QR codes all over the place. On our brochure is a QR code. You can right now pull out your phone and text ‘United We Can’ to 9-1-9-9-9 and pull up our donation page but you can watch the video when you use that code. You’ll know that 100% (of donations) stays local when you use that code. And then you can donate right then and there.”

United Way donations benefit 42 programs located at 29 agencies in Chautauqua County. The campaign runs until the end of the year with the results announced in January 2023.

EDITOR’S NOTE: As a point of transparency and disclosure to our audience, the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County is a corporate underwriter for WRFA and has provided a financial contribution for the general operations of the station within the past year. Funding we receive for General Operations is not used to fund our coverage of local news in the community. That is only made possible through a Community Service Grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 

Bishop Leecroft Clarke

The formation of the Chautauqua County I.D.E.A. Coalition was announced at this weekend’s Juneteenth celebrations.

The coalition is made up of 17 organizations and businesses and is aimed at pursuing Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (I.D.E.A.) strategies in the community. The I.D.E.A. Coalition’s goal is to make Chautauqua County a place where everyone belongs and has opportunities to thrive, especially those who have been historically marginalized. They are committed to addressing, prioritizing, and giving voice to those directly impacted by racism and social injustice in the community.

United Way of Southern Chautauqua County Executive Director Amy Rohler said in a press release, “After the George Floyd murder in 2020, we knew there was a need to proactively address racism in our community”

Rohler added that the incident prompted several informal conversations with individuals from educational institutions, law enforcement, local businesses, and nonprofits across the county.

The United Way is serving as the backbone agency for the I.D.E.A. Coalition. In May 2022, the United Way hired Bishop Leecroft Clarke to be the Project Director for the I.D.E.A. Coalition. He is currently the lead pastor of Healing Word Ministries. His extensive community service includes his roles as the chairperson of the Addiction Response Ministry of Chautauqua County, co-chairperson of the Racial Reconciliation Taskforce of Chautauqua County, past board member for the HOPE Chautauqua Coalition, and a past member of the ESPRI Taskforce.

The Coalition’s initial efforts would start with engaging the African American/Black and Hispanic/Latino communities, expanding efforts and conversations to other historically marginalized populations in the county.

Membership in the I.D.E.A. Coalition is open to any organization interested in supporting its initiatives and signing the membership agreement.

In addition to United Way of Southern Chautauqua County’s investment, the I.D.E.A. Coalition has received grants to fund its work through Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation, Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, and the Cummins Foundation.

More information about the Coalition can be found at www.uwayscc.org/ideacoalition. Organizations and businesses interested in becoming a member can contact Leecroft Clarke at IDEA-Director@uwayscc.org.

The award was made by the Emergency Food and Shelter Program’s National Board. The purpose of these dollars is to expand the capacity of food and shelter programs in high-need areas, especially in this phase due to the impact of COVID.

United Way Executive Director Amy Rohler said, “Any organization that operates in our county is eligible and they can contact United Way to better understand how the program works. These are federal grant dollars so there are some reporting requirements to consider before applying. However, it is our goal to see that they are distributed equitably across the entire county.”

Applications are due Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Those interested should contact United Way immediately for the application instructions at (716) 483-1561.

WRFA’s Julia Ciesla-Hanley spoke with United Way of Southern Chautauqua County Executive Director Amy Rohler and United Way Finance and Administration Manager Lisa Sunday about the VITA program.