United Way campaign ends today with prize drawing

Today is the final day of the 2016 UNMC United Way campaign. Let’s make it count. When you give to United Way, you’re making a difference in the lives of thousands of people in our very own neighborhoods. More than 106,000 people in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area live in poverty.

Text to Give option

This year, United Way has introduced a “Text to Give” option. In this final day of the campaign, you will be able to make a donation to the United Way via your mobile phones. Simply follow these instructions to make your donation.

  • First, if you are using a Wi-Fi connection, go to Settings and turn off the Wi-Fi. (You can turn on Wi-Fi once you complete this transaction.)
  • Then go to your text messages, type in the “To” line the number 85511. Once you type it in, the number will appear as “855-11.”
  • For the message, type in the keyword, UNMC4UW
  • You will automatically receive this text message: “Your secure opt-in is complete. Please click this link to reach our donation portal. You may click stop to unsubscribe or help for support.”
  • Click the link and follow the instructions on the web page. You will be asked to submit your email address, name, etc. You will be asked to donate via MasterCard or Visa. Your donation will appear on your credit card statement.
  • After the event is over, you may text “stop” to close the text message. If you accidentally text stop and wish to reopen the text, you may just re-enter the key word.
  • If you have any questions regarding your donation, please contact United Way of the Midlands.

Consider this:

  • $26 a year can provide one hour for a certified teacher to work with girls who are struggling to read.
  • $52 a year can provide three days of shelter and meals for a homeless child.
  • $104 a year can provide a college standardized testing preparation course for 20 students.

Your dollars go far with United Way thanks to the network of programs dedicated to serving those in need.

If you need more of an incentive, at 4 p.m. today, the UNMC United Way committee will draw prize winners for the final week of the campaign. Pledge a minimum of $20 by 4 p.m. to be eligible.
Prizes this week include:

  • $50 Target gift card
  • $50 Amazon gift card
  • $25 Pitch Pizzeria gift card
  • $25 iTunes gift card
  • A pair of Husker tickets to the Maryland vs. Nebraska football game on Nov. 19

To join in supporting the United Way:

  • Click on this link. (The link will take you to the UNMC eServ page.)
  • Enter your UNMC username and password.
  • Click on the United Way link and participate today.
  • Credit card donations are accepted.


The running total

As of 3 p.m. Thursday, UNMC achieved:

  • Donations of $164,012.57, breaking the campaign goal of $160,000.
  • Employee participation of 51 percent, breaking the goal of 50 percent. Remember, there’s still one more day, and using the UNMC eServ website to choose not to donate counts as participation.