PHOTOS PROVIDED / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
SPANGLER CANDY COMPANY … Abbie Singer (above), Spangler Candy Company workplace coordinator, was recognized by the Williams County United Way for the largest workplace contribution in the 2024 campaign.
BARD MANUFACTURING … Mariah Hurst (above) of Bard Manufacturing was recognized for having the second-largest workforce campaign in the 2024 Williams County United Way campaign.
BOARD MEMBER OF THE YEAR…Christina Englehart (left) was chosen as the 2024 Board Member of the Year. On the right is Williams County United Way Executive Director Amy Kirby.
2024 VOLUNTEER AWARD … Williams County United Way Executive Director, Amy Kirby (left), presents Crystal Xie (middle) with the 2024 Volunteer Award, with Christina Englehart (right), who was named the 2024 board member of the year.
By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
The annual Williams County United Way campaign is set to begin in October, with executive director Amy Kirby presenting an update at its annual meeting held on Tuesday, September 16.
The highlight of the meeting was the recognition of several Williams County United Way volunteers.
Among them were Abbie Singer of Spangler Candy, whose company recorded the largest contribution ($48,000) among workplace companies, and Mariah Hurst of Bard Manufacturing, whose company had the second-largest workplace contribution ($22,000).
Also honored were Christina Engelhart, who was selected as the 2024 board member of the year, and Crystal Xie as the 2024 volunteer of the year.
Kirby presented the 2024 campaign report, in which she described it as a powerful reflection of our community’s previous generosity and commitment to supporting one another.
“We’re going to try to get this out to the community as best as we can,” said Kirby. “This is a performance review from last year, recognizing businesses, industries, and individuals who contributed to the 2024 campaign.”
This year’s Williams County United Way goal is $250,000, and $55,000 has already been turned in. The 2025 campaign officially kicks off on Saturday, October 4, with a reverse raffle event.
Two other events are also being planned for this year, benefiting the United Way.
A trivia night is set for Friday, January 16, 2026, benefiting the We Care Cabinet, which provides personal care items to local food pantries.
Then on Saturday, March 4, 2026, a Boots and Bowties event will benefit the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program.
“Those three events combined with our workplace campaign and our general campaign are when we help solicit to the public to get behind our 25 programs that we are funding,” said Kirby. “I’m confident that we are going to meet our goal.”
Kirby and the rest of the United Way staff have been quite busy promoting this year’s campaign, in which they want to get into local school districts a little bit more.
“We have a couple of things that we are sort of thinking about doing as far just as community outreach,” said Kirby. “We have workplace campaign presentations coming up. I have three Rotary Club presentations coming up and a chamber presentation coming up.
“So we’re trying to get in front of as many people as possible to help to get the word out about what we do. Because it’s a little confusing, we’re sort of the middleman between our public and our agencies. We believe that their job is to do what they do best. And we want to help to give them the money to do that.”
This year’s campaign will receive support for 25 local agencies and programs providing essential services and life-changing opportunities across Williams County.
From health and education to financial needs and community stability, these investments strengthen the foundation of the entire community.
“Our job is to try to appeal to people’s really good hearts and their compassion,” said Kirby. “We want to let people know that what the agencies are doing and why it’s so important that they’re here, and how many people utilize them.
“I often tell people nobody wants to make a phone call saying, ‘Hey, I need help paying my rent or I need help paying my utilities.’ But this is the reality of the world that we live in right now. Sometimes, people just need a handout.
Kirby would then conclude, “There are things that just happen in life. We can’t control all of that, and that’s why these agencies are so important.”