Instead of a banquet, the staff and members of the board of directors are visiting the top businesses to donate to the 29 United Way agencies. Four local businesses and one United Way agency itself will be honored this week for their work in the community.
On Monday, the informal “prize patrol’s” first stop was Gay & Joseph, certified public accountants.
Top volunteer Wesley Long also was honored for exemplifying the spirit of United Way: give, advocate, volunteer.
“United Way is special to this office,” said co-owner Chris Joseph. “This year, we did the best we could.”
Long was honored for his work with two projects. Last year he led a discussion for nonprofit organizations (like United Way agencies) on how to navigate the IRS form 990 that all nonprofits must complete. In March, Long organized volunteers to help senior citizens with their tax returns. By filing a return, the seniors could qualify for an economic stimulus check.
“Wesley felt these families should not have to pay for tax preparation in order to qualify,” Long’s nomination said.
He contacted the Troup County Senior Center, and six professionals from Gay & Joseph did seniors’ re-turns.
“(The 990 workshop) was a lot of work and information to put together,” said Patty Youngblood, United Way of West Georgia president.
The local United Way collected just over $1 million of its $1.2 million goal this year, said campaign chairman Bill Stump. Youngblood said Gay & Joseph was the first to turn in its campaign and exceeded its fundraising goal.
“We couldn’t do the campaign without the support of companies like yours,” Youngblood said.
Jennifer Shrader may be reached at jshrader@ lagrangenews.com or at (706) 884-7311, Ext. 236.
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