This Christmas, help us help the United Way reach its goal

A little over a week ago, we challenged you to shop small, to support your hometown businesses as the COVID-19 crisis continues to wreak havoc on their livelihoods.

We asked you to find at least one gift here in Wayne County as you checked off your Christmas lists to thank the small businesses that support this community year-round. And we also shared some of the great gift ideas we found not only in downtown Goldsboro, but around Wayne County.

And we still encourage you to do just that — shop small.

But with less than a week left before Christmas, we are now asking you to remember more of your neighbors as you wrap up your holiday shopping.

Businesses are not the only ones who have suffered because of the shutdowns and uncertainty brought about by the coronavirus.

There are many charitable organizations that have been struggling to run end-of-year fundraising campaigns and that have battled the increased costs that have been necessitated by the social distancing and quarantine requirements that have kept us separated for going on 10 months.

There are many organizations that count on this time of year to get the funds they need to help the disadvantaged all year. So losing this chance to talk to you about their programs and their missions is significant.

But before I tell you about them, let me share a story.

I was in the laundromat the other day due to an unfortunate encounter with a temperamental clothes dryer and I started to talk to some of the people who were there with me.

One lady who greeted me with a smile and held the door as I tried to juggle my rather full laundry basket, talked with me a bit about the effects COVID-19 is having in households across the county.

“A lot of people are struggling,” she said. “And I am one of them.”

But what came out of her mouth next made me think a bit about the responsibility we have to care for those who are in the shadows, whose stories we aren’t hearing right now, those who are not sure if or how they are going to make it.

“I am not worried,” she said. “I put my trust in God. He will take care of me. I just have to have faith. Everything is going to be all right.”

That brought a tear to my eye.

As I finished my laundry, I thought about the $20 I had in my pocket. I was planning on heading over to Starbucks and then to perhaps get a couple of lottery tickets.

I wrapped it up in a little scroll, wrote a note and put a festive little bow on it.

I gave it to her — one person to another. I hope it made her think that perhaps there was someone watching out for her and that she wasn’t really alone.

I tell you this not because I want you to think I am wonderful. I am willing to bet this happens across this county in one way or another every day. I know how big all of your hearts are.

But as I wrote the note, it dawned on me how many people might be out there right now who need us. We have no idea how to find them or how best to contribute to help them get through this rough time.

And I thought about how often I throw away $5 here, $10 there and how I could be a light in someone’s life, even in a small way, on a more regular basis.

Right now, the United Way of Wayne County is running its annual campaign.

The funds that it raises are distributed to the United Way’s partner agencies throughout the year.

And this is an elite group of organizations with proven track records that are dedicated to helping your neighbors — a board of United Way volunteers makes certain of it.

To be a United Way partner agency, you have to meet criteria — how you use your money; what goals you are accomplishing with it (the idea is to give people a leg up, to give them the support they need to make a better life for themselves and their families).

And that agency or charitable organization is held accountable, too.

Reports are made and promises kept — or there is no more eligibility for funding.

In these days when many of us do not know what our own circumstances will be in the near future, we cannot afford to just throw money away. We want to make sure that if we donate, that we are really helping people who are in need and that the funds are being spent for them and not for “overhead.”

The United Way allows us to funnel our money to the places where it is most needed, to the people who know how to apply it so it has the most impact.

So the $20 I spent this week could help children, a family and perhaps even someone who doesn’t know where his or her Christmas dinner is going to come from.

Our United Way is one of the lucky ones. While those in neighboring counties are hovering around 20 percent of their goal, they are at 87-plus percent. And that is great, but the need this year is so great that we need to get closer if we really mean it when we say that we take care of our own here in Wayne County.

Executive Director Sherry Archibald and her staff as well as campaign chairwoman Bethany Perry have been doing their best to reach businesses and their community to tell the story of the United Way and how your money is being used to change lives.

The goal is to raise enough to make a difference for 18,000 Wayne County residents.

Think about that. We could make that happen — one small donation at a time.

Think about what would happen if every person out there looked into his or her heart and wallet and gave something — no matter whether it is a small amount or a nice check.

Think about what we could do for people like the lady I met at the laundromat, people who need us, who are struggling to get by and who are hoping that help will come.

People who have the courage and faith to go on, even when they are facing challenges.

We could be their angels.

So how about this for challenge, let’s see if we can help get the United Way a little closer to its goal.

Check your pockets, your budgets and see if you have plans for an extra $5, $10, $20 or even $100 that could be changed, that could go to help others in need.

I did not miss that Starbucks. And I probably wasn’t going to win the lottery anyway.

But I bet that $20 angel gift made that lady’s day.

I can tell you that it made mine.

In a year when I have had trouble getting my Christmas spirit revved up, all of a sudden, the names that still haven’t been checked off the gift list and the hustle and bustle of getting everything done were not so important.

I remembered what Christmas is supposed to be about — the greatest gift of all, love.

I know many of you might have already given to the United Way. And if you have, I am asking you to dig just a little deeper, to see if maybe you can come up with a little extra to help someone you might never even meet.

I know it is hard, but I have faith. I have seen many times what this county can accomplish when there is a need.

So, I am starting off the donations with two — $20 each in the names of my niece and nephew, appropriately named Noelle and Nicholas.

I will share my story of the lady in the laundromat with them, and remind them that wrapping paper, Top 10 must-have toys and fancy Christmas trees are not really what makes this holiday so special.

And by teaching them that, and reminding them how much of a difference even a small gesture can make, I am giving them a gift that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

If you want to join me, send your check to the United Way.

Come on, let’s do this. Let’s make a Christmas miracle right here in our hometown.

Share your dedications with us by commenting here or on our Facebook page. The amount doesn’t matter.

It is about remembering what we can do — together.