Campaign Kick Off

wow!!!!!

I know, I apologize. It has been a while since I have updated the blog. I think this will be worth the wait.

The 3rd annual "Taste of Coshocton County" happened on August 30th. What a night! The turnout was unbelieveable. Dave Powers, one of the great committee members estimated that we had easily 500 people there that night. What a wonderful thing for Coshocton! For those of you who don't know, it was the campaign kick off event.

There were 16 food vendors from around the county , who offered tastes of their specialty. For only $10.00 a ticket you could choose 10 different samples. I don't think anyone walked away hungry. The restaurants did a great job of bringing a variety of things to try.

A huge thank you to everyone who planned, helped or attended this evening.

What a success!!

Canal Days Parade

The evening if August 18th was a perfect evening for the Canal Days parade. The United Way proudly marched and passed out candy. The streets were packed with kids of all ages. It was wonderful to see so many people out in Coshocton. A big Thank You to the volunteers who marched with us! Farrah Cunningham and her two handsome boys -representing First Step FVIS, Hannah Frank and Alli McCoy from Roscoe Recreation, and Anna Parkhill, Connie Lahna and Skylar and Jade Hasseman.

Two of our other great agencies, the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts followed us with great entries in the parade as well.

The Boy Scouts were camping on their float.

Mighty fine gentlemen!

The Girl Scouts, nicely dressed in their uniforms too, marched shortly behind. The daisies had a blast driving their power wheels down the street. What fun!

Thank you everyone who made this evening a special night for Coshocton County!

Business After Hours

What an exciting night! A big thank you to everyone who attended the Chamber After Hours last night. United Way and the Jeff Drennen Dealership hosted the event. A hot, humid day turned into a stormy evening, but that didn't stop us! The event was very well attended. Dave Powers from the Coshocton Hospital had a wonderful display of food. The Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and the American Red Cross set up nice displays to show off what great programs they have.

A big thank you to Dave and the Hospital and to Jeff & Stacey Drennen and staff who opened their doors to us for the evening.

July Volunteer of the Month

Congratualtions to Doris Howell, July's Volunteer of the Month!

Doris Howell, who volunteers for the RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program), has been named the United Way of Coshocton County Volunteer of the Month for July.

You can learn more about Doris and her volunteering on the website at www.coshoctonunitedway.org

August First Fridays

The August First Fridays was the biggest success yet! Despite the heat, hundreds lined the streets of Coshocton to take advantage of great sidewalk sales, lots of food, and tons of fun. The United Way proudly displayed the 14 Longaberger raffle baskets. The agencies did a wonderful job of filling them full of great gifts! In case you don't know, we are selling raffle tickets for these. -$1.00 each or 6 for $5.00. They will be raffled off at our Kick Off event on August 30th. (You don't have to be present to win.)

We also handed out water bottles. Certainly a bonus for that hot, humid evening. It was an awesome evening! I can't wait until September, where we can do it again! Any new ideas on what we can offer?

Above are pictures of the some of the great help from Friday and another shot of the baskets nicely displayed. Thanks to those board members and agencies who took the time to help with this event.

And don't forget to buy your tickets!

Upcoming Events

What a busy time of year! No one can say...there's nothing going on in this town! Here's some fun events coming up with the United Way...

• Aug. 3rd First Fridays 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm Main Street Coshocton Bring the whole family! Many food vendors, CVB and United Way are providing a "Kickin DJ", Kids Zone play areas, cotton candy, popsicles, and so much more. Don't miss it!
• Aug. 9th Chamber Business After Hours 5:00 pm -7:00 pm The United Way and Jeff Drennen Delearships are partnering to host this great event. Come enjoy refreshments catered by Coshocton Hospital. There will be door prize drawings and 50/50 tickets.
• Aug. 18th Canal Days Parade United Way and several of our agencies will be proudly walking in the Canal Days Parade. Make sure you wave hello!
• Aug. 30th 2007-08 Kick Off Event 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm Lake Park Pavilion Come enjoy..."A Taste of Coshocton County!" Great restaurants from all over the county will be providing generous samples of their favorite foods. There will also be entertainment and the raffling off of the 14 Longaberger baskets, creatively filled by each of the United Way agencies. Tickets for the event are just $10.00. This is a great opportunity to check out the wonderful agencies and staff of the United Way. You won't want to miss it!

Lots of fun things...for all ages!

June Volunteer of the Month

Congratulations to Bruce Reid for being named the June Volunteer of the Month! Bruce is a volunteer for the American Red Cross.

West Lafayette Homecoming Parade

Thursday evening was the West Lafayette Homecoming. The United Way ( several agencies represented) marched in the parade. It was an almost perfect evening (except for just a few raindrops at the start.) It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces along the route. A big thank you to all who walked with us.

Campaign Corporate Sponsor

I'm proud to let everyone know that Jeff Drennen Delearships of Coshocton and Zanesville is the Corporate sponsor this year. Please be sure to let them know how much we appreciate their commitment to our community.

Division Chair Luncheon

A big Thank You to all of those people who have dedicated their time to become a Division Chair for the upcoming campaign season. These individuals will be resposible for rallying the people in their respective divisions. My goal for this group is to motivate their peers to ensure a record breaking year! Our 2007-08 goal is $375,000. But...can you imagine the great things we could do if we raised a million? We could increase programs in the exisiting agencies....Add new agencies....Look for special projects to improve our community...I could go on for paragraphs! We can do it!!!!

The United Way took charge of the 400 block of Main Street last Friday night for the First Fridays Celebration on Main St. . If you haven't attended one of these events, you are missing out! Great food, fun things for kids of all ages and social hour for Coshocton County. The event is growing each month. This month we had a DJ playing music, corn hole games down the block, popcorn, cotton candy, popcicles and so much more. The United Way is proud to be a part of an activity that is so rewarding for our community. I can't wait to see what great additions we will have next month. Mark your calendars now...Aug. 3th.

Here is a picture of three of our wonderful volunteers popping popcorn.

Summer Recreation

Summer recreation has had another great season. Most leagues are finishing up and/or starting tournaments. The United Way is a partner with all of the area leagues. This year 1,225 are youths particiapted in these programs. What a great way to develop character and teamwork in the children of our community. They are the leaders of tomorrow! To check all of the pictures, click on the link below.

http://http://www.coshoctontribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=B9&Date=20070621&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=706210801&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=1

Do you have an executive to loan?

This upcoming campaign is going to be a record setting one! The traditional campaign has been good. However, what's the saying? Do what you done and you'll get the same results. Well this year we're going to think outside of the box and try some different things. But... I need your help! I'm looking for companies who would be willing to loan me an employee to help us with the campaign. Beggars can't be choosers, so we will be greatful for any help we can get! For an example....ideally it would be great to have an individual to help with the 12 week campaign. I realize that may not be feasible. But could you spare someone one day a week?

Depending on the individual, they could be helping assemble campaign packets, making follow up phone calls, or even helping me go door to door inviting businesses to contribute to this record breaking campaign. And of course, I'm always open to new ideas.

Have I peaked your interest? Please give me a call and we'll set up a time to talk. Together, we can make a difference!

May Volunteer of the Month

Jim Bresciani, who volunteers for the Boy Scouts of America, has been named the United Way of Coshocton County Volunteer of the Month for May.

Bresciani has been involved in the Scouting programs as a volunteer since 1996, starting as a Den Leader in Cub Scout Pack 402, chartered by Grace United Methodist Church, and has been their Cubmaster for the past 7 years. Boy Scout Troop 402, also chartered by Grace United Methodist Church, has received Jim’s services as an Assistant Scoutmaster for the past 7 years as well. During the past 9 years, he has been the Pack’s “Popcorn Kernel” or “Co-Kernel” for the annual popcorn sale, which has sold over $60,000 in popcorn. The money that the Pack earns goes directly to offering the boys a fantastic program at an affordable price. On a regional level, which consists of 2 ½ counties, Jim has coordinated the Pinewood Derby, Scavenger Hunt, and the Canal Days Parade. In January of 2007, Mr. Bresciani was presented with the “Cubmaster of the Year Award,” which goes to the volunteer who offers the most challenging and rewarding program to the youth of his or her Pack.
“Bresciani has been a vital part to the growth of Scouting and tomorrow’s leaders in Coshocton County. He is someone who donates his time and skills, all for the youth of the community, states Jeff Wickerham, Scouting District Executive.
In addition to scouting, Bresciani has been a blood donor for the American Red Cross, served on the Coshocton City School Levy Committee, coached his sons in soccer, baseball, wrestling, football and basketball for the past 10 years, and has volunteered his time at Echoing Hills and the Adopt a Highway program.
Bresciani wouldn’t be where he is today without his wife of 22 years, Carolyn, and his 3 sons, Jordan, Jacob, and Jeremy. Carolyn has been involved the past 7 years with Pack 402, and his boys are all members of the Boy Scouts of America in Pack and Troop 402.
The Muskingum Valley Council is a United Way Agency providing services to 3,000 youth in 7 ½ counties in central and southeastern Ohio. If interested in becoming a member of the Boy Scouts of America, contact the Muskingum Valley Council at 1-800-934-2128.

Community Matters

We have created this blog in order to continually update our community about the constant impact Coshocton County sees from the United Way. We will use this forum to share photos, stories, and ideas from our 20 fantastic United Way agencies!

So if you are an agency, send me information to post! And if you are one of our many fantastic supporters, this will be a place to see your dollars at work!

Thank you for checking in! And thank you for making sure Community Matters!