Bouquet

From John Estes, Niagara, Wis., and the board of directors, United Way of Dickinson County:

Because of the exceptional generosity of our community, our local United Way has been serving the Dickinson County area for more than 40 years. Starting out as an organization known as The Community Chest and Red Feather Organization and then officially becoming The United Way of Dickinson County in 1987, our United Way has always been locally run by a volunteer board of directors made up of local citizens who very carefully oversee the administration of funds.

Chances are great that you or someone close to you have benefitted from the United Way. We currently serve 17 agencies that cover a wide range of community needs. These span a wide spectrum, from drug abuse prevention to support for domestic abuse victims. We cover all ages, from birth to adult dementia care.

Each agency must pass a rigorous screening process each year in order to receive funding. Our volunteer board of directors works hard each year to maintain a very low-cost, non-profit organization with a very high percentage of funding going to our agencies to directly help those in need.

This would not be possible without the generous help of local United Way-sponsoring companies such as Verso Paper.

We are so proud to serve our community in living United and we thank you for another successful campaign this year.