This fall when the United Way kicked-off their annual Resource Drive, they announced that they would once again be giving an incentive to help raise funds for their work towards their bold goal of moving 10,000 families out of financial struggles and into stability. This incentive was a recurring theme from last year and was to give a lucky donor $10,000 cash. It was only made possible with the long-standing partnership with Terre Haute Chevrolet sponsoring the incentive.
Richard Payonk, Executive Director of United Way of the Wabash Valley stated, “We are excited to once again award $10,000 cash as this year’s campaign incentive to a deserving individual who has donated to make a difference in our community. And we owe many thanks to Terre Haute Chevrolet for their generous donation of this year’s cash incentive to our United Way, for being a great community partner, and stepping up in a year filled with uncertainties.”
Danielle Isbell, United Way Resource Development Director explained that three names were drawn at random from the campaign incentive entries. The finalists included Lori Thompson from Hamilton Center, Jenni Hanley from First Financial Bank, and Paul Lapp from UPS. Those three individuals met at Terre Haute Chevrolet to try their luck at picking the correct box that contained the prize money.
Paul Lapp was the lucky winner of the $10,000. He was very excited to be rewarded for his donation. This was the first time he ever signed up for a recurring payroll donation through his workplace. He expressed his excitement by saying, “This is a great way to give back to my community. My wife just gave birth on Monday night and she is going to be so excited we won.”
Donors earned chances to win the $10,000 cash based on their donor support. Any donation of at least $25 from a new donor, or a donation from a previous donor that has increased from the previous year by at least $25, automatically entered the donor into the drawing for the cash. There was also an incentive to donate more with a bonus of additional entries for a gift reaching $500. This year there were 12,256 entries from 1,535 donors. Isbell explained, “While there is no real way to know what incentivized a donor to give, by tracking some key donor increases and retention, we estimate this $10,000 incentive brought between $150,000 to $175,000 in funds to our United Way.”
Kevin Cauble, General Manager of Terre Haute Chevrolet explained, “Terre Haute Chevrolet and the Romain Automotive Group believe in giving back to their community. In doing so we are proud to support the United Way and all they do for our community. We believe in the work to address the root cause of poverty and truly make a difference in the lives of others while creating a stronger community for us all. We truly enjoy being able to give back to others with this partnership.”
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United Way of the Wabash Valley is an organization looking to go beyond temporary fixes to create lasting change in our communities throughout our six-county region. By bringing together volunteers, companies, and organizations focused on innovative solutions, we impact thousands of lives every year right here in the Wabash Valley. Our bold goal is to move 10,000 local families out of financial struggles. For more information, please visit, www.uwwv.org.
About Romain Automotive Group (Terre Haute Chevrolet) Since 1964, the Romain Automotive Group has experienced continuous growth. Operating dealerships that represent several new vehicle brands, including Chevrolet in Terre Haute, as well as quality selections of the most in-demand pre-owned cars, trucks, and SUVs at market competitive prices. Since its inception, Romain Automotive Group has strived to deliver a unique dealership experience to each customer. The dealership’s pursuit of quality customer service is paramount and comes from our commitment to ongoing company and manufacturer training.
