United Way Exceeds Goal

The United Way of Toombs, Montgomery, and Wheeler Counties exceeded their annual fundraising goal again this year, as the 2025 campaign raised $536,881 for the twenty agencies funded by the organization.

Each September, the local United Way kicks off their campaign to raise the needed funding for the agencies serviced by the nonprofit organization. A goal is set, and $0.99 of every $1.00 raised is designated to a group that serves within Toombs, Montgomery, and/or Wheeler Counties.

This year, the goal served as a moving target – though $500,000 was agreed upon as the amount United Way volunteers hoped to raise, the total became higher along the way. “I think we started out with $470,000 or $480,000 as a goal, and somewhere along the way, that got raised to $500,000, and miraculously – and I don’t even know how – the goal finally got raised to $520,000. But if you see the United Way thermometers posted around the area, you’ll see they read $500,000 but they were designed before our final goal was decided,” United Way of Toombs, Montgomery, and Wheeler Counties Executive Director Patricia Dixon explained.

Either way, the community gave generously to the cause, and over $530,000 was raised to help provide for those in the community who need it.

“This has been a hard year, and our community is going to need United Way more than ever before,” Dixon reflected after sharing the total. “I don’t know if you’ve heard me say this or not, but we had families in our community that before the hurricane, they could not afford to feed their families because of continued from page

the economy, and then, the hurricane hit, and they missed 2 or 3 weeks of paychecks. It has made it even harder for them to feed their families, so we have got to fill in the gap – that’s what you’re doing: filling in the gap. You know families are not going to be hungry because you care.”

This year’s campaign paid homage to the beloved Back to the Future film series, as volunteers raised money to “Give Back to the Future.” Campaign chairs Michael Lane and Angela Lane embraced the theme, as they shared skits as “Doc Brown” and “Anita Donation,” which detailed the impact of the funds raised through the campaign throughout the future.

“They have done a great job, and they have made it a very fun year,” Dixon commented on the duo.

Michael will chair the campaign again next year alongside Amanda Higgins, while Angela retires from her duty overseeing the fundraising. Michael commented on Angela’s leadership over the past two months. “I spent most of this campaign with my mouth open in awe at how passionate and efficient she was with running this campaign,” he shared. “I can tell you I will have some big shoes to fill because Angela has done an outstanding job. And, we don’t want to go backwards so we’re going to work even hard, reach more people, and set next year’s goal even higher.”

Next year’s campaign will have a new theme, which will be announced in September 2025. Until then, Dixon reminded the public of their role in the community to serve as her “eyes and ears” to help discover opportunities for the organization to help those in need.

“I am sure that when you got up this morning, when you looked in the mirror to get dressed, you probably didn’t think about the woman that was in a domestic violence situation that had gotten out and found a safe place to go. You have given a woman that has an unexpected pregnancy a place to go to see an ultrasound and see that baby more. Then, you have the people that work with people who don’t have insurance, who wouldn’t get any medical help if it was not for them. You’ve got agencies that work with students, who without them, wouldn’t have a safe place to go after school to do their homework. I could just go on and on about our agencies,” she emphasized. “We could not do any of that without you.” To learn more about the United Way of Toombs, Montgomery, and Wheeler Counties, or the agencies which it serves, visit the organization’s website or call (912) 537-2776.

OVER HALF A MILLION – This year’s United Way of Toombs, Montgomery, and Wheeler Counties fundraising campaign raised over half a million dollars. (Shown) Volunteers display the total amount of money raised during a victory celebration at Chatters on November 14.Photo by Evan Riekhof

GIVING BACK TO THE FUTURE – United Way of Toombs, Montgomery, and Wheeler Counties Campaign Chairs Angela Lane (right) and Michael Lane (left) themed their campaign around the hit film series Back to the Future. Throughout the campaign, the pair did skits as Doc Brown and Anita Donation, where they detailed what the future looked like because of the money raised within the campaign.Photo by Evan Riekhof