United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County announced last night that it raised a record-breaking $60,130,484 during its annual community campaign and surpassed its first ever volunteer goal, recording 21,124 volunteer hours during its annual Season of Caring.
“It’s truly a testament to the generosity of the people in our four-county region that we surpassed our aggressive goal this year,” said Gregory S. Marcus, president of The Marcus Corporation and chairman of the United Way board of directors. “Last year’s record-setting Community Campaign was part of a transformative year as we celebrated the merger between United Way of Greater Milwaukee and United Way in Waukesha County.”
Officials from United Way say the campaign total is $5,484 over the goal of $60.125 million, an increase over the 2015 campaign total of $60,066,597.
The annual campaign was chaired this year by four dedicated community representatives who gave their time and talent to ensure the success of the campaign. Jackie Herd-Barber, community volunteer; Larry Blanton, senior vice president & general manager of MetalTek International; Richard Meeusen, chairman, president & CEO of Badger Meter; and Steven SaLoutos, executive vice president of U.S. Bank served as the co-chairs and gave their time and talent to encourage others to be a part of the campaign.
Mary Lou Young, president & CEO of United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County recognized the nearly 1,500 organizations and companies that participated in the campaign. She stated, “Reaching this goal is a shining example of our community coming together to create life-changing moments for individuals and families in our community. We are committed to ensuring children get off to a strong start and achieve success in school, helping families build financial stability, and providing people with the ability to live healthier lives. Whether you contributed a major gift or a dollar a week, we thank you.”
United Way also announced the results of its first ever volunteer goal. At the start of the Community Campaign United Way announced its volunteerism goal of 16,750 volunteer
hours completed during the Season of Caring, which ran from August through December. The total number of hours served by community volunteers was 21,124, surpassing the original goal by 4,374 hours.
“The volunteer goal enhances the resources mobilized through donations with sweat equity; helping United Way partner agencies and initiatives fulfill their missions and offer services they may not have the capacity to do without the extra time and talent that volunteers provide.” said Dr. Darienne Driver, Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent and volunteer engagement committee chair. “We are so thankful for all of the corporate groups, community organizations, and individuals who stepped up to give their time and talent to make a difference in our community.”
Community Highlights:
- Largest corporate supporter overall – Johnson Controls, Inc.
- Ten additional local companies contributed over one million dollars in employeegifts and corporate support. They are:
- Aurora Health Care
- Baird
- BMO Harris Bank
- Fiduciary Management, Inc.
- General Electric (GE)
- Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Inc.
- MillerCoors
- Northwestern Mutual
- Rockwell Automation
- We Energies
- Rockwell Automation was the 2016 Season of Caring sponsor and also topped the list for number of volunteer hours
- Six other community organizations exceeded 500 volunteers hours during Season of Caring. They are:
- Johnson Controls, Inc.
- Northwestern Mutual
- ManpowerGroup
- Milwaukee Public Schools
- ProHealth Care, Inc.
- U.S. Bank
- Other community successes:
- Aurora Health Care and Fiduciary Management, Inc. both broke through $3 Million in total giving.
- Adient ran a campaign for the first time since the spin-off from Johnson Controls, Inc. The company raised a grand total of almost $700,000 for United Way.
- Badger Meter gave almost $240,000 in combined support, an increase of $44,000 over last year.
- MGIC Investment Corporation increased its employee giving by more than $100,000.
- The employee campaign at Rexnord Industries, LLC brought in an additional $75,000 above last year.
- Baird brought in 22 brand new Tocqueville donors ($10,000 or more in giving), a record number. In total, the company has 64 Tocqueville donors. o U.S. Bank increased its United Way support to more than $800,000 in total giving.
- Milwaukee Public Schools participated in a single-day volunteer event that took place in 28 schools throughout the district. Over 3,200 students created 11,000 cards and 3,000 placemats that were distributed to over 30 United Way partner agencies.
- Landmark Credit Union increased its support for the fifth consecutive year, bringing the company’s total employee and corporate support to more than $166,000.
- ProHealth Care, Inc.’s employee campaign increased by 12% to surpass $172,000. They also featured volunteerism in their campaign mobilizing 175 employees who volunteered at 10 local nonprofits.
- MetalTek International demonstrated its commitment to United Way by directing more than 94% of its $120,000+ employee campaign to the Community Fund. Employees also held a school supply drive and packed backpacks valued at over $7,400 for students in Waukesha County.
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