United Way of Kennebec Valley kicks off fundraising campaign

AUGUSTA, Maine (WABI) - Representatives of local organizations gathered on Wednesday in Augusta for the annual campaign kickoff breakfast hosted by the United Way of Kennebec Valley.

It’s the beginning of the fundraising period in which businesses and organizations in the community hope to raise over two million dollars. This year also marks 70 years of U.W.K.V.

Throughout the breakfast, speakers highlighted the importance of the area’s community services specifically for A.L.I.C.E. households.

A.L.I.C.E. is Asset Limited, Income Constrained and Employed.

These are people just above the poverty line who are still living paycheck-to-paycheck.

“People who are just one refrigerator breakdown away from really losing everything that they’ve worked for, and we’ve been focusing on the ALICE population over the past couple of years by name because this is a population that really hasn’t had a voice before,” said President and C.E.O. of U.W.K.V. Courtney Yeager. “It’s definitely people we have been serving, but we just haven’t talked about them in this way. I myself grew up in a ALICE household, so it’s really deeply personal to me to make sure that we are taking care of people in this community who are doing everything they can to take care of themselves and their families and just need one little leg up to be able to get there.“

Through businesses getting a head start and other proceeds, they’ve already raised over $1 million dollars.

To learn more or to donate, you can find a link here.