United Way Campaign Kick-Off & Goal Announcement for 2021

Carrolyn Salazar • August 10, 2021

Wooster, Ohio (August 2, 2021) - United Way of Waynes and Holmes Counties (UWWH) is excited to kick-off their 2021 Campaign. This year the UWWH goal is $1.65 Million. Fundraising is underway with lots of events and festivities planned. The dollars raised help thousands of local people each year.

Last year, United Way successfully hit their goal of $1.5 Million dollars. With Katie Koglman at the helm as the CEO of United Way, along with the Board of Directors, they continue to see increased needs in our community and the UWWH is raising the goal for 2021 by 10%, as they have done since Koglman was the CEO.

This year the United Way campaign theme is “Be the Light”. United Way wants to show people the many ways you can be the light in your community. You can be the difference, be the love, be the voice, be the strength, be the hope and be the encouragement to so many.

One donation to UWWH funds 40 local programs led by local organizations, including: American Red Cross, Anazao Community Partners, Boys & Girls Club of Wooster, Catholic Charities, Children’s Advocacy Center, Forget Me Not Baskets, Goodwill Industries, Holmes Center for the Arts, Holmes County Health District, Learn N Play, NAMI, National Inventors Hall of Fame, OHuddle, OneEighty, Salvation Army Wooster, The Counseling Center, Viola Startzman Clinic, Wayne Center for the Arts, Wayne County Schools Career Center, Wooster City Schools and YMCA.

In addition to the funded partner programs UWWH supports many other initiatives, including, but not limited to: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, Glenmont Food Pantry, Matthew 25 Project, the Severe Weather Shelter, and West Salem Outreach.

“We are asking you to Be the Light this year to the people in our community who are struggling. They may be struggling with a mental illness, addiction or loneliness and helplessness. You never know what other people are actually going through”, stated Katie Koglman, CEO of United Way of Wayne and Holmes. “We live in one of the best communities in the country with generous and loving people. We also have people in our community who are hurting and need a helping hand. Now is the time to unite and show others love and to be the light.”

United Way of Wayne and Holmes is asking community members to consider a gift of any size to help them toward their goal. You can donate by calling the office at (330) 264-5576, mailing a gift to 215 S. Walnut Street, Wooster, Ohio 44691, by visiting: uwwh.org or by texting: GIVEHERE to 44-321.

The 2021 Campaign video, can be viewed at the following link:

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Books and Balance: Cultivating Mental Well-being Through Reading

By Kayley Cox • May 12, 2025

Growing up, I had a complicated relationship with reading. I thoroughly enjoyed reading various chapter books or series, ranging from the Arthur to The Baby Sitter’s Club to A Child Called “It” series. But once I reached middle school, many of the English classes I attended had required reading for the course, and the requirement meant reading was no longer an option, but rather it was mandatory, and to take notes, and to be tested on the material! The required reading lists often burned me out, leaving me disinterested in picking up a book for pleasure. I would go through phases of wanting to read more, but the enthusiasm was often short-lived. As an adult I have really tried to be intentional with reading. As someone who has made a New Year’s Resolution to “read more” the last 6 years, I have really tried to focus on finding what genres interest me because when I do, I do in fact “read more,” and I like it! It also makes me happy. I feel like I have more to talk about in conversations and enjoy the dialogue reading a book brings, along with the mental break it provides me from daily life. As a parent of two young children, I have really tried to make it a priority to foster a love of reading in my kids. I encourage them to choose the books we read, and to take it a step further, I have also been intentional that my children also SEE me reading. Reading books for my own enjoyment. I want them to remember that reading isn't just something we do together, but also something we can do for ourselves. It’s a form of self-care and can really help our health-our MENTAL health. Literacy plays a critical role in children's mental well-being. Research from Scholastic and the Yale Child Study Center-Scholastic Collaborative for Child & Family Resilience highlights the powerful influence of books and literacy on mental health. It shows that a love of reading can boost self-esteem, increase empathy, and mitigate anxiety and depression. Reading can introduce children to different types of people from all walks of life, and not only that, introducing children to different points of view, perspectives, ideas and ways of life. This exploration can foster creativity and imagination and innovation – traits that are needed for our community to evolve and grow. And this exploration can provide an opportunity to show that no matter your thoughts, you are not alone in them. By modeling reading, I hope to instill in my children the understanding that books, while educational tools, are also powerful allies in maintaining mental health. Our brain, just like anything else in the body, needs exercise. And we have the power to put the book down or keep turning the page. Whether it’s going to library to pick out our selections, or borrowing books through the Libby app, I challenge you to give yourself a moment of escape with a side of perspective that a good book can bring. Then, track your progress through Wayne County Public Library’s Beanstack app to follow your book journey. This action has truly helped me prioritize reading for my mental well-being while also instilling the love of reading in my children so they too can create a balance for their own mental health.