MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Christina Weber remembers when a dollar from each paycheck was what she could afford to give to United Way of Reno County. She also remembers what it meant to need help from community programs herself.
Now she and her husband, David, are co-chairing the organization’s annual fundraising campaign.
“I have been that person that has used these resources,” Weber said during an interview on the BW Morning Show. “There’s others just like me that can only afford that $1.”
United Way of Reno County has set a $1.35 million goal for this year’s campaign. Carla Stanfield of United Way said donations are expected to touch about 25,000 people in the coming year, supporting needs from early childhood through end-of-life care.
The Webers, who own Weber Auto Glass, have volunteered with the campaign’s “Hype Squad” for five years. Their work includes delivering campaign materials to businesses and talking with people about where donations go. David Weber said those visits often turn into conversations lasting 20 minutes or more.
For Christina, the conversations sometimes reveal how a program has helped someone she already knows.
“You get to find out things about people that you never knew before because they will share things with you one on one,” she said.
The couple also gives through their business. In past years, Weber Auto Glass has donated a portion of its proceeds from rock chip repairs during a designated week. Christina said they plan to do it again during the first week of October and hope to give more than last year.
Stanfield said businesses can contribute in several ways, including a company donation, an employee giving campaign or a promotion tied to their sales. She said a dollar per paycheck can add up to roughly the cost of providing a year of books to one child through the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. About 2,000 children are enrolled locally, she said.
David Weber said the people behind United Way keep him involved. “They just want to build you up,” he said of the staff and volunteers.
Christina hopes more residents will see both sides of the campaign: the neighbors who need help and the neighbors who can give it. “Our dollars stay in Reno County,” she said. “We are helping our community.”