In its first year as a pacesetter for the United Way’s Community Care Fund, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte has raised over $58,000 through employee contributions – all before the campaign swings into full gear!

The YMCA joins 78 other organizations and companies in the Charlotte-metro area in helping raise the United Way’s goal of $8.2 million before the silent drives comes to a close on September 1. The annual campaign, which officially kicks off September 8 at the Simmons YMCA, supports 97 health and human service agencies and more than 200 programs in the Central Carolinas.

As the largest non-profit pacesetter and United Way beneficiary, the YMCA is setting the stage for others in the community, according to Ericka Ellis-Stewart, Executive Director of the Johnston YMCA who co-chairs the Y’s pacesetter campaign with Chris Orr, Executive Director of the Gateway Village YMCA.

“The funding the United Way gives allows us, as well as others in the community, to make a real difference from a program perspective,” Ellis-Stewart said. “The campaign allows us to say ‘We believe in what we and others in the community do. We know that this work is important and we want to set the pace for the rest of the community to follow.’ ”

The YMCA and the United Way have had a long standing relationship that began decades ago. For the past several years, the United Way has supported numerous YMCA programs, including preschool, afterschool, teens, day camp, English as a second language, active older adults and health and wellnes, at the Johnston, Lake Norman, McCrorey, Simmons and Stratford Richardson YMCAs.