United Way “Kicks off” its 80th Year with a $20,000 Shoe Donation

Posted on: September 16, 2023

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by United Way of Jefferson and North Walworth County.

Fort Atkinson, WI – September 13, 2023 –The United Way of Jefferson and North Walworth County is kicking off the 2023 campaign with a shoe donation valued at over $20,000. The shoe donation consists of 200 pairs of Nike Air shoes ranging in sizes from 5 toddlers up to size 7 youth. These shoes will be donated to local schools and organizations throughout the community. The goal of this program is to help break down barriers to learning, United Way Executive Director Elizabeth Ellis-Bols stated, “If a child is cold, hungry, or tired, they won’t be able to learn in the classroom, no matter how engaging the teacher is. So, if we can fulfill some of those basic needs, they will be ready to learn when they come to school.”

This year’s campaign theme is “United in Building a STRONGER Community TOGETHER”. The organization we know today as the United Way of Jefferson and North Walworth Counties was organized on August 9, 1943, as the War and Community Chest of Fort Atkinson. In 1963, it became known as the United Fund of Fort Atkinson and became the “United Way” in the early 1970’s. In 1992, The United Way expanded into the surrounding communities of Jefferson and Whitewater. Ten years later, The United Way of Watertown merged to create the United Way of Jefferson and North Walworth Counties. Today, the service area of our local United Way is comprised of the communities of Fort Atkinson, Johnson Creek, Helenville, Jefferson, Lake Mills, Palmyra, Sullivan, Waterloo, Watertown, and Whitewater where over 90,000 individuals reside. Furthermore, our United Way works with an average of thirty partner agencies which provide various health and human services to over 75,000 individuals in our community.

“We’re excited to be hosting several new events and outreach opportunities throughout our county,” states Ellis-Bols, “We are hoping to participate in signature events in each locale to spread awareness of the United Way’s mission and our continued dedication to serving the community.”

One such event will be the new BINGO nights offered at The Real MacCoys in Whitewater on the 3^rd and 5^th Tuesdays of the month, starting September 19^th, 6-8pm. There will be a number of great prizes and cash jackpots available for bingo winners, including Stanley tumblers, coolers, portable wine glasses, gift certificates and much more.

Ellis-Bols added “We know it has been a difficult year for many small businesses, so we are incredibly grateful that The Real MacCoys is generously offering this opportunity to our organization and donating some prizes beyond that. We feel fortunate to be involved and hope to have a great crowd join us on Tuesdays!”
More information can be found via the Facebook invite for “Bingo at The Real MacCoys” and anyone with any questions can contact Ellis (920.563.8880) or The Real MacCoys (920.568.8988) directly.

The United Way of Jefferson & North Walworth Counties’ mission is to fight for the health, education and financial stability of every person in our communities. We do that by providing support to community programs, projects and local agencies that provide critical health and human services to those in need. This network of helping services can be described as a “safety net” for those in our midst in need. Whether it is transitional housing, literacy education, after-school programs and education, health and dental care, end of life care, mentoring programs, job training or disaster relief, the United Way identifies the greatest needs in our community and helps to fund agencies that can meet those needs.

For more information about our local United Way, you may visit the website at www.uwjnwc.com or “like” the Facebook page at “United Way of Jefferson & North Walworth Counties.” For details regarding the United Way’s online volunteer tool, please visit www.volunteermain.com.