BY DONNA SWICEGOOD

Fourteen organizations from across Iredell County are hoping for a financial boost through participation in this year’s Love United Iredell campaign.

The annual United Way of Iredell County initiative kicked off at a breakfast meeting Friday at the Unity Center.

Love United Iredell is a project-based initiative for organizations to raise money for specific goals.

Half of this year’s projects, which were selected from a pool of applicants, are new to Love United Iredell, said Jody Taylor, director of marketing and community engagement for United Way.

The organizations participating this year and their projects are:

♦ Children’s Homes of Iredell: The goal of Drive Hope Forward is to raise $3,000 to assist in repairing vehicles to ensure children in foster care have reliable transportation to work, school and appointments.

♦ Girls on the Run of the Greater Piedmont: Grow Our Sites, Grow Their Confidence is the project and the fundraising goal is $5,000. The project aims to ensure that every girl has the opportunity to participate in the program. Jenn Bass, project coordinator for Girls on the Run, said several schools in Iredell have expressed interest in joining but resource constraints have meant the program cannot accommodate those requests. The money raised through Love United Iredell will help provide those needed resources, she said.

♦ Insomniacs: The $5,000 sought through Love United Iredell will assist the organization in its HipKnotics project to provide free arts programming to schools and educational institutions and will focus on at-risk students and those from underserved communities.

♦ Iredell County on Aging: Meals For Paws is seeking $5,000 and the program will run in collaboration with Meals on Wheels. Director Jennifer Barraclough, said the goal of the program is to alleviate financial and emotional challenges of pet care for seniors in the community.

♦ Iredell County Partnership for Young Children: The $4,875 goal will bring the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to children in Iredell. This program provides free books to children from birth through age 5, and those books are given regardless of income in the hopes of fostering a lifelong love of reading and preparing children for success in school.

♦ Laura’s Village: The organization is seeking to raise $2,920 for its Hair Cut-a-Thons project. The project hopes to raise awareness of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

♦ Leadership Statesville: The $5,000 goal will support My Sister’s House in creating an outdoor sanctuary and rehabilitate the playground at the shelter for victims of domestic violence.

♦ Lifespan Services: The goal of the Love United Iredell project for Lifespan is $5,000, which will support children with intellectual and developmental disabilities by providing learning and play materials. The money will also provide camp opportunities for children whose families cannot afford the cost.

♦ Pharos Parenting: The Kids Kit project provides low-income families with toddlers child-proofing items for their homes. The goal is to raise $2,925.

♦ Purple Heart Homes: The nonprofit is hoping to bring in $5,000 to build a ramp for a handicapped veteran.

♦ Rainbow Kidz: The Hospice of Iredell County program’s goal is to engage individual classrooms across Iredell County in a penny war to raise $3,000. These funds will offset the cost of supplies for the Rainbow Kidz program.

♦ Rescue Ranch: The nonprofit is hoping to add a Literacy Walk at its facility on Turnersburg Highway and is trying to raise $5,490 for the construction of the walk and to acquire books for the experience.

♦ Statesville Family YMCA: The goal for the Love United Iredell project is $5,000 and will go to the Y’s Bridge Academy., which serves students in the Iredell-Statesville Schools whose families are dealing with homelessness.

♦ The Kindness Closet: With a goal of $4,000, The Kindness Closet is hoping to provide hygiene kits to more than 400 unhoused students in I-SS. These kits support students in maintaining cleanliness, dignity and confidence at school.

United Way Executive Director Brett Eckerman said the monies raised through Love United Iredell will stay in the county.

The campaign is again teaming up with I-SS to raise money through the schools. Classrooms can engage in penny wars to raise money for the project of the class’s choice.

Maureen Moore, director of community relations, partnerships and development for the Rescue Ranch, said this is the first year the nonprofit ranch is a part of Love United Iredell and she is thrilled for the opportunity.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to educate our community on what we do,” she said.

The campaign will run throughout February.

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To support this initiative, visit www.loveunitediredell.org.