No “Charitable Burnout” During Local United Way Campaign at St. Alexius
Posted on 12/22/2005
There is a lot of talk nationally about “charitable burnout” this year. American charities raised $1.3 billion to provide relief after the South Asian tsunamis. According to a September 22, 2005 article in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, the pace of giving to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina is faster than after the 2001 terrorist attacks. With all of this giving, United Way representatives expressed concern that the trend of charitable burnout may extend to the Bismarck/Mandan community, and they are working hard to remind people of the need in our own area.
There is no “charitable burnout” taking place on the part of the employees of St. Alexius. Last year, employee contributions to United way totaled $28,732. This year, the goal for the Medical Center was to raise $30,169 in employee contributions for United Way. This would be a 5% increase over last year’s goal. To date, employees have contributed $36,847.66, which is 22% over goal for this year. The Medical Center will match a percentage of that donation, so in all we anticipate the total contribution for St. Alexius to be more than $40,000. In addition, at Thanksgiving employees surpassed the amount of food they’ve donated in previous years to United Way charities.
“There is a tremendous awareness among employees about how much need there is in this community,” says Robin Thorstenson, director of Volunteer Services and St. Alexius United Way Committee Chair. “They’re seeing how a single dollar can partner with other dollars to really make a difference. The only way I can explain it is that people are feeling really blessed and want others to feel blessed as well.” The United Way campaign at St. Alexius has been incredibly successful and employees should be proud of their efforts.