"It's like the United Way Oscars," quipped Dave Bezusko, United Way Executive Director, as the annual LIVE UNITED Awards recognizing United Way's top corporate partners was held Tuesday morning at the historic Holland Theatre. The organization celebrated a record-setting 2021 campaign where $1,069,007 was pledged to support its fight for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in Logan County.
45 local businesses were presented with awards for their philanthropic achievement. Logan County remains the smallest community in Ohio to ever have a $1 million campaign for its local United Way, and it's now happened four years in a row. The amount pledged this fall was five percent more than last year and about $10,000 higher than the previous record, set in 2019.
United Way's two Traveling Trophies aren't going anywhere, as Marker, Inc. and PCPI Plastics retain the Large and Small Businesss Awards respectively. The Traveling Trophies, United Way's most prestigious recognition of corporate philanthropic achievement, are awarded to Logan County workplaces with the highest giving per capita. Marker, Inc. has claimed the award for third consecutive year in the Large Business Division. Marker set a new bar in that category for the Large Business Division, with a $624 per capita gift. Their staff of 130 raised a whopping $81,212 when combined with a 100% corporate match. PCPI Plastics raised a workplace record $40,650 with just 29 staff, a corporate gift exceeding a 100 percent match of employee giving, and a county-best $1,401 per capita gift.
"When we started a workplace campaign six years ago, it was really inspired by coming to one of these events and listening to all the good that United Way does for the community," said Alison Marker, President of Marker, Inc. "It makes it really easy to give, and then United Way does all the work and we know that the money is going to really great programming around the county. And then serving on the Allocations Committee (that works to spend donor dollars) over the last year I can really see how hard the group works to make sure the money is going to the right places, that the agencies are doing what they say that they're going to do. So a lot of trust in United Way."
More than 2,500 individual donors and 150 local businesses supported the 2021 United Way Campaign. Money raised is supporting 46 programs of 28 Funded Agencies. A complete line-by-line breakdown of allocations is available online at www.uwlogan.org.
NEX Transport is the overall top-giving workplace for the fourth year in a row, checking in with a combined associate and corporate gifts of $184,302. The American Honda Motor Company provided the largest corporate gift ($133,045) in the history of United Way of Logan County. Mary Rutan Hospital came in fourth this year, raising $45,440. AGC Automotive is fifth, with giving at $41,525.
The following workplaces earned Gold Campaign Awards, achieving at least 60 percent employee participation, a $200 or higher average employee gift, or a 100 percent corporate match: AGC Automotive; Aunalytics; Bellefontaine City Schools; Belletech Corporation; CenterPoint Energy; Choice Properties Real Estate; Citizens Federal Savings & Loan; City of Bellefontaine; Civista Bank; Community Health & Wellness Partners; CoverLink Insurance; Daido Metal; Indian Lake Schools; Liberty National Bank; Logan County Chamber of Commerce; Logan County Electric Cooperative; Logan County Government Offices; Lutheran Community Services; Marker, Inc.; Mary Rutan Hospital; NEX Transport; Ohio Hi-Point Career Center; PCPI Plastics; PowerBuilt; Riverside Local Schools; RTC Services; Smith Smith Montgomery & Chamberlain; Steve Austin's Auto Group; TDH Law; V-Teck Communications; and Zimmerman Realty.
The following workplace earned a Silver Campaign Award, achieving at least 50 percent employee participation or a $150 or higher average employee gift: Midwest Regional Educational Service Center.
The following workplaces earned Bronze Campaign Awards, achieving at least 40 percent employee participation or a $100 or higher average employee gift: Green Hills Community and West Liberty-Salem Schools.
The following workplaces earned Good Neighbor Awards, given to select entities that participate with United Way but do not qualify for a Campaign Award: Agiliti; American Honda Motor Company; Love's Truck Stop; Peak Propane; Robinson Investments; RV Wholesalers; Scott Family McDonald's; Transportation Research Center; and World Class Plastics.
Since 1955, United Way of Logan County has raised more than $26 million to support the specific social service needs of our community.
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