THUNDER BAY – Joanne Kembel was stunned when she saw the city’s municipal division had raised more than $250,000 for this year’s United Way campaign.
“We know the needs in our community are great and we’ve been working so hard to try to raise the money to meet those needs. We never expected to have this kind of money raised,” said Kembel, the executive director of the United Way of Thunder Bay.
“It’s exceeded all of my expectations and we’re thrilled. We’re just thrilled. We’re very grateful.”
City employees unveiled their campaign totals at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium Thursday afternoon.
City of Thunder Bay employees raised $200,026; Superior North EMS raised $32,870; Thunder Bay District Social Services Administration Board brought in $15,908 and the Thunder Bay Public Library raised $3,283.
Those numbers easily surpassed this year’s goal of $187,800 and is $70,000 more than last year’s total.
It will also help toward this year’s anticipated $90,000 shortfall, which the organization announced last month.
“Every time we have something that has gone over what our goal has been, we get hopeful we’re going to be able to meet those needs and reach this year’s goal of $2.6 million,” Kembel said.
United Way 2012 campaign and municipal division campaign chairwoman Carol Busch said it feels amazing to surpass their goal this year.
“We have just gone above and beyond. It was only a few weeks ago the United Way was urging people to come forth,” she said.
“I’m so proud of what they’ve done.”
Busch said this will money will help alleviate the anticipated shortfall, but they are still asking people who have not yet donated, to do so.
“We’re not there yet,” she said. “We still have a ways to go before we get there.”
The United Way also received almost $25,000 from Union Gas Thursday morning.
Thursday's donations puts this year’s total at $1.87 million so far. The campaign runs until Dec. 31.
