This year’s United Way of the Coastal Empire - Effingham County Campaign ended with a bang, officials said. Donors exceeded the $325,000 goal, which was set honoring the 25 years United Way has had a presence in Effingham County.
Campaign Chair, Pastor Andy Lamon of Gateway Community Church, led the charge. Beginning back in July, pace-setters Georgia Power and the Effingham County Board of Education set the bar high for local donors. The Effingham offices of Georgia Power raised a combined $18,622, which is 12 percent higher than 2014 pledges. Sonya Garner and Lonnie Shaw served as onsite campaign coordinators at these locations.
In September, Georgia-Pacific’s Loaned Associates (LA’s) joined the team. Stephen Roddenberry, Senior LA, and Sheila Patterson, Junior LA traveled approximately 2,500 miles from Rincon to Clyo and everything in between. They personally called on close to 60 individuals and made more than 40 employee presentations.
The following local businesses and agencies deserve thanks for their pledges to this year’s campaign, Julie Dickey, co-director, Effingham Area United Way of the Coastal Empire said. They include: Effingham Health System ($15,134) Effingham County Government ($6,052), Rincon Walmart ($3,656), Rincon Kroger ($7,000+), and the cities of Guyton, Rincon and Springfield ($4,261).
Dickey gave special thanks to Georgia-Pacific’s Savannah River Mill for their employee campaign leaders Derrick Kessler and Cameron Galloway. She also thanked mill leadership, including Plant Manager Rob Shaw, Dan Pennings and Carrie Thompson. In addition to employee pledges and a corporate donation, special events were held including Chic-fil-a sandwich and Bojangle’s biscuit sales, grilled hamburger sales (including raffling the grills), college football competition, two product sales and a roving holiday sale. All of these efforts brought in a total of more than $190,000 from Georgia-Pacific’s Savannah River Mill, which is the highest amount ever pledged from this location.
“All of this calculates to a wonderful $340,750, or 105 percent of goal from Effingham County,” Dickey said.