Other upcoming UWCK events:
• Friday – Presentation of posters to winners of the poster contest in Larned at the football game.
• Sept. 8 – United Way Chamber Coffee at the CPI Annex.
• Sept. 9 – Chamber Coffee in Ellinwood at 10 a.m. presentation of posters to students this will be at the Sunflower Bank on Main.
• Sept. – United Mini Golf –Team entry is a donation of $30.
• Sept. 15 – Chamber Coffee in Larned at 9:30 a.m. at Glory Be.
• Sept. 18 – Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Kick-off at 3 p.m. in the Jordaan Library in Larned.
• Big Bend Bike Rally Raffle Tickets – The raffle prize is a 2010 Harley Davidson Sportster XL 1200C bike. The drawing will be at the rally Sept. 24 at the Great Bend Expo Complex.
• Oct. 29 – Pawnee Valley Community Hospital Health Fair 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.
• Nov. 5 – Casino Night sponsored by Kansas Sidewinders Motorcycle Club at their club house in Ellinwood.
• Dec. 1 – Campaign comes to close.
Check the website uwck.org for updates
Residents of Barton and Pawnee counties will again have the opportunity to show they can “Live United” as the United Way of Central Kansas’ 2011 campaign opens Thursday.
The ceremonial kick-off starts at 4:30 p.m. at the Best Western Angus Inn courtyard, 2920 10th in Great Bend, with the presentation of the agency posters made by local youth. At 5 p.m., UWCK will host a Great Bend Chamber of Commerce after-hours at the same location.
The evening will include drinks and snacks, a chance to meet co-chairs Roy and Marcia Westoff and Tama Hanson, campaign details, a screening of the new United Way video, and an opportunity to learn more about the 19 agencies served by UWCK from agency directors and representatives.
A highlight of the event will be program given by Cydney Boler, a Overland Park attorney and civic leader who was named Ms. Kansas Essence in June. She will give her story on how she came through the system and is currently a Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteer.
“The United Way of Central Kansas Board of Directors extends our deepest appreciation to you for your generous support of past campaigns,” said Hanson. “We realize the support you have given our agencies has provided a variety of services to residents of all ages and made it possible to improve our quality of life.”
“You have the ability to continue your support through your gifts to the United Way,” Marcia Westoff said. The 2012 campaign goal is $235,000, with 99 percent of the funds remaining in the area.
“It is our hope to continue providing assistance to those in need including families, individuals, elderly, and children,” Westoff said. “By encouraging a better today, we bring a better tomorrow. Your ongoing commitment will ensure that, together, we will continue to make our community an even greater place to live.”
“The generosity of these communities never ceases to amaze me,” said UWCK Executive Director Julie Bugner-Smith. There has been a lot of preparation and she is excited to see it all come to fruition.
There are a number of other events planned, such as chamber of commerce coffees in area towns, a prize drawing for a motorcycle, a miniature golf tournament, a casino night and more.“We have a lot going on,” Bugner-Smith said.
This marks the second year and second campaign for the newly renamed United Way of Central Kansas that encompasses Barton and Pawnee counties.
The campaign ends Dec. 1.
To contact United Way of Central Kansas, visit the office at 1125 Williams in Great Bend, call 620-792-2403, or visit e-mail uwck@org.
