As the end of January draws ever closer the United Way of Elizabethton/Carter County is inching closer to its annual fundraising goal and is hoping a final push will help them to achieve the funding.

“We’re at about $80,000 we have in hand or promised, but we have several campaigns still currently underway,” said UWECC Community Impact Coordinator Crystal Carter. The annual fundraising campaign for the organization comes to an end on Jan. 31.

Projections for the campaigns are still underway at local businesses and employers look favorable, but Carter said the agency is still in need of additional donations and pledges to ensure they meet the annual goal of $125,000.

“The agencies we fund, if we don’t meet our goal they don’t meet their goal either,” Carter said. “It’s not just us who suffer, it’s the organizations we serve as well.”

Many of the organizations which receive funding from the United Way of Elizabethton/Carter County do not have the resources to replace those lost funds if the United Way does not meet its fundraising goal, Carter said. For community partner agencies such as the Elizabethton Senior Center or the Boys and Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County that loss of funds can have a tremendously negative impact on their ability to provide the services they do for the community.

Those interested in donating to the United Way of Elizabethton/Carter County — whether a one-time gift or a recurring monthly pledge — can do so in a variety of ways. Donations can be mailed to United Way of Elizabethton/Carter County, P.O. Box 1715 Elizabethton, TN 37644. Carter said she can also take donations being made with a credit or debit card over the phone by calling the office at 423-543-6975.

Donations can also be made online by visiting their website at www.uwayecc.org or following a link from their Facebook page. “It’s a service affiliated with the banks we use, and they can set that up as a recurring donation or a one-time gift,” Carter said.

As the campaign end looms on the horizon, Carter hopes the agency will reach its funding goal so that some new projects can be implemented at the agency’s office in the South Hills community.

“We have lots of exciting things planned, but some of them will take some funding,” Carter said.

The agency hopes to expand the community garden located behind their office to not only be a larger garden but to also provide mentorship opportunities by partnering seniors in the community with youth to teach them about gardening and farming.

The agency is also working on a partnership with the Elizabethton/Carter County Public Library to help provide computer classes and a lending library at the United Way’s office.

“A lot of people we help don’t have transportation and can’t get to the library,” Carter said.

The local United Way also recently opened a clothing closet in the office to help those in need of clothes and has set up three computers for use by the public to assist with things such as applying for jobs online and homework help for children.