Conference 7.286::maynard

390.0. "MAYNARD COMMUNITY CHEST" by SENIOR::IGNACHUCK (Native Maynardian) Mon Sep 14 1992 22:15

    The 1992 Digital United Way Campaign started last week and I
    want to remind everyone interested in supporting the Maynard
    Community Chest to please submit your reply card, designating
    the Maynard Community Chest as your local United Way Agency.
    
    The Maynard Community Chest was started 25 years ago at the request 
    of Digital in order to provide a local focal point for the 
    distribution of employee contributions to the United Way.  At the
    present time, Digital employees provide over one-third of the
    financial support of the Maynard Community Chest.    
    
    The Maynard Community Chest supports 16 important local programs
    in the following categories:
    
    - Food Assistance            - Family Assistance,
    - Disaster Relief            - Youth Programs and Child Care 
    - Senior Citizens Programs   -Mental Health Services 
    
    Among the recipients of your contributions are the Will Dodd
    Community Center, the Maynard Girl Scouts, the Maynard Boy
    Scouts, the Agape Center, the Maynard Senior Citizens, the
    Community Supper, the CODE hotline, and Emerson Hospital.
     
    Because the Maynard Community Chest has no paid volunteers, about
    96 cents of every dollar raised goes directly to our member 
    agencies.  The remaining 4 cents goes to pay for a fall direct 
    mail appeal to all Maynard residents.  All funds are distributed
    locally.  The Board of Directors is made up of dedicated volunteers
    from throughout the Town, who evaluate funding requests from non-
    profit agencies, and look at how those agencies are serving
    Maynard residents.  
    
    We are presently monitoring and supporting the efforts of the Town 
    Maynard in the establishment of a Maynard Food Pantry, and we need
    your additional support this year to fund this effort without 
    having to take funds from existing members.
    
    Time are tough for all of us, but if you can spare a few bucks to
    help support the Maynard Community Chest, I urge you to send in 
    your reply card.
    
    Thanks in advance,
    Frank

    Can you pick and choose which recipients you want to donate to?  Or
    does all the money go into one big pile and each recipient gets a cut
    according to need?

    M

    re -1:  You can pick and choose or you can allow the Board of
    Directors of the Maynard Community Chest to allocate funds.  
    The important point is that you choose the Maynard Community
    Chest as your United Way donation.
    
    I believe that page 28 of the brochure "Picture yourself
    changing the world" has a list of specific agencies for you to
    designate your choice agency.
    
    I should note, hovever, that most of the donations we recieve in 
    the Maynard Community Chest do not specify a choice agency.  We
    ask each member agency to make an annual request for funds and 
    we meet with every agency at least once a year to review their budgets
    and their Maynard community usage in order to allocate our funds in
    accordance with the needs of the local community.  This allows us the 
    flexibility to adjust our funding in accordance with use trends and
    requests for our support.  
    
    However, all the funds designated for the Maynard Community Chest
    are spent locally in support of local agencies.
    
    Frank
         

    So there is/is not a guarantee that money I donate and designate to go
    to say, helping the elderly, will end up there?
    
    I know this sounds odd but, we all have charities that are important to
    us, and those that arent.  I like to see that if I donate to the Stow
    Food Pantry, it goes there, and not to the Girl Scouts.  Not that the
    Girl Scouts are important, they just arent important to me.
    
    M

    RE .3 :  As I mentioned in .2, you can certainly designate your
    specific choice, and the list is on page 28 of the brochure.
    Each member agency has a number.  Put that number on your 
    reply card, and your choice agency will get your donation.
    
    Thanks,
    Frank