Seward County United Way Surpasses Goal Of $330,000

The 2013 Seward County United Way Campaign is currently more than $33,000 over its $330,000 goal but that is not the final total for the campaign, according to Kay Burtzloff, executive director. The local United Way currently has donations and pledges totaling $363,265.24.

“We still don’t have final results on a couple of campaigns but I am hoping to have everything in by our Campaign Celebration in January, so I can announce it then,” she said.

“We have had a very successful campaign this year thanks to some hardworking volunteers. Deb Pridie, my 2013 Chair, was great at helping at all the special events and presentations,” said Burtzloff. “However, the bulk of the work is really done by our campaign coordinators at the individual businesses and organizations. They are the unsung heroes that truly make a campaign successful.”

Burtzloff said that this year’s campaign really benefited from some significant increases in key payroll deduction campaigns. One of the campaigns that showed the biggest increase this year was the employees at the National Beef Packing Plant.

“ National Beef employees have increased their giving by $5,632.64 from the previous year and enabled us to meet goal early. They have really worked hard on their campaign this year. They’ve just contributed 67 percent of our original goal. I would hate to imagine what we would do without the National Beef employees,” said Kay Burtzloff, executive director, Seward County United Way. "We appreciate the hard work that it takes to run such a large campaign. A strong National Beef campaign makes all the difference.”

“I’m really proud to announce that First National Bank has set a record of 100 percent participation for 22 years as of this campaign and they also reached a new high in giving with $16,181 in donation and pledges,” Burtzloff said.

“I also have campaigns that have really grown in the 11 years I’ve been the director. I think the Seward County employee campaign run by Charlotte Hill has gone from $1,000 in its first year to hitting a high of $9,000 this year. We’ve also seen dramatic increases in the campaigns at Southern Office Supply, USD 480, Dillons and Sunflower Electric.”

“We won’t announce our final total until our campaign celebration in January because we have not received final figures on a couple of our payroll campaigns,” Burtzloff said. “We want people to know that it’s not too late to still give and have it count on this year’s campaign.”

Burtzloff also credits the special events that the United Way has had this year with getting people involved with United Way as well as raising significant funds for the campaign. “We really have to thank McDonald’s, Vargas Restaurant, Ruffino’s Italian Restaurant, Spencer Browne’s Coffee House and Pizza Hut for kicking things off with the Eat Out for United Way special event. It gave people a fun way to help out the United Way.”

Other special events have included the Winetasting at Ruffino’s Restaurant, ExxonMobil Golf Tournament for United Way, the EPIC PCS Goofy Golf Tournament, National Beef hamburger sales at the Duck Race and Trick or Treat for United Way at the Southgate Mall. “The ExxonMobil Golf Tournament raised more than $4,000 than the previous year which helped get the campaign off to a strong start. All of these special events not only raised money but I think it helped to remind people what a vital role United Way and its agencies plays in our community,” said Burtzloff.

“Every year, the Seward County United Way board has raised my goal and I’ve always had to have faith that our community will come through for me,” said Burtzloff. “So far, they have never let me down.”

In 2013, the Seward County United Way will fund 27 agencies, including American Red Cross, Arthritis Foundation, Big Brother/Big Sister, Boy Scouts, Crossroads, Girl Scouts, Homecare, Inc. (Liberal Food Cupboard), Kansas Children’s Service League, KIDS Inc., Liberal Area Rape Crisis & Domestic Violence Services, LINK, Liberal Care Center, Liberal Latchkey, Liberal Weissel Boxing Club, Parents and Children Together (PACT), Salvation Army, Senior Citizen Friendship Meals, Seward County Safety Council, Seward County Senior Care, Seward County Veterans Services, SKADAF (Drug and Alcohol Treatment), Smart Start Grant, Stepping Stone Shelter, Southwest Aquatics Team, Southwest Guidance Center, United Cerebral Palsy and the Whirlwind Career Counseling and Guidance Center for Veteran’s and First Responders.

For more information about the Seward County United Way, contact Burtzloff at 624-5400 or email [email protected]. Donations may be mailed to PO Box 273, Liberal KS, 67905.