Herald Angels raises record-breaking amount for Will County United Way

United Way of Will County received a surprise end-of-the-year donation: $5,000 from a new donor.

It turns out that the donor was inspired to give after reading the Herald-News story about its annual campaign, “Be a Herald Angel: Help Will County United Way help those in need,” said Sarah Oprzedek, president and CEO of United Way of Will County.

[ Be a Herald Angel: Help Will County United Way help those in need ]

Since 1997, the Herald Angels campaign has made local residents’ lives a little better during the holiday season. Every dollar donated to Herald Angels supports the initiatives of United Way community partners “to make sure our residents have access to the services that they need,” Oprzedek has said.

Steve Vanisko, publisher of the Herald-News in Joliet, said the 2023 Herald Angels campaign set another record. He said total donations amounted to $15,017.17 from 167 donors. This does not include the additional $5,000 donation United Way received from the new donor.

The previous Herald Angels record was in 2022 with $14,630, Vanisko said.

“We are extremely pleased with the overwhelming support from our loyal print edition subscribers,” he said. “Each year since 2020 we have exceeded the previous year’s total in donations. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.”

Oprzedek was appreciative.

“It was the best and highest year that we have on record,” Oprzedek said. “And we couldn’t be more thrilled.”

Oprzedek said it’s unusual to receive a large donation, such as the surprise one for $5,000, without expecting it.

“Typically when we do large-scale donations we know about them,” Oprzedek said. “Either we’re working with the donor or it’s a previous donor who was incredibly generous and increased their donation to us. This one caught us off guard, surprisingly and thankfully.”

Oprzedek previously said United Way of Will County is receiving more requests for funding for food-related programs because of a rise in basic living expenses. And during the holidays, toy donations were down for some of the community partners, she said.

That makes it challenging to accommodate all the families in need, especially those with a need after the registration date, Oprzedek said.

Some families are only “one obstacle [or] one hurdle” away from having a need, she said.

We are extremely pleased with the overwhelming support from our loyal print edition subscribers. Each year since 2020 we have exceeded the previous year’s total in donations. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.”

—  Steve Vanisko, publisher of The Herald-News in Joliet

Will County has a 7% poverty rate, Oprzedek previously said, but that rate jumps to more than 30% once ALICE numbers are added.

ALICE stands for asset limited, income constrained, employed. In Will County, 23% of the community lives in ALICE households, meaning they are individuals or families who cannot afford their basic living expenses despite working, Oprzedek said.

“The federal poverty level was developed in 1965, and the methodology for determining it remains the same,” Oprzedek said in an email. “The FPL provides the standard for determining poverty levels but doesn’t measure the current basic cost of household necessities, which is where ALICE comes in.”

The ALICE report gives United Way of Will County the actual level of need in people who are struggling financially but whose income is above the federal poverty level.

“We use that to have a better understanding of what our residents are facing,” Oprzedek said, “and how we can bring that to community-based organizations and cross-sector partnerships to help meet the needs of those living and working in our community.”

For information about United Way of Will County, including how to donate and get involved, visit uwwill.org.