The United Way of the Bluegrass is launching a new campaign this week and the goal is unlike any the organization has set before.
Kids line up to toss miniature orange United Way basketballs into hoops in the hopes of winning a t-shirt. It’s part of a kick-off celebration marking a far more ambitious goal.
In the past, the United Way has campaigned to reach particular fundraising targets, but this year is different.
"We've had financial goals, but what the community said is they had an expectation... of a bolder initiative that really talks about how we are a world class community and what we are going to do as a community make sure that everyone has an opportunity to be successful," says United Way of the Bluegrass president Bill Farmer.
And so they're calling it the Big Bold Goal: moving 10,000 struggling families to self-sufficiency by 2020.
"We know there are 40,000 families in our central Kentucky area that are struggling to make ends meet. These families are trying to make decisions whether or not to buy groceries or pay a utility bill," Katie Williams, director of marketing for the organization, notes.
United Way plans to provide progress reports the second Tuesday of every September until the date, and they hope the goal, is reached.
