“Give… Give enough!” was the rallying cry 75 years ago when community leaders launched the first effort to collect donations to support organizations serving Schuyler County residents.

The Schuyler County Community Chest joined similar programs across the nation, heralded by President Harry Truman as “practical demonstration(s) of the democratic faith we profess.”

“When the people of a country like ours – free to act selfishly in their own interest – choose to act unselfishly in the common interest, this is democracy at its best,” Truman said in a national radio address to launch October 1948 Community Chest campaigns in 1,200 communities.

In Schuyler County, Kathleen Golding of Watkins Glen was chairwoman of the undertaking to raise $17,000 for six organizations: Shepard Relief Hospital ($10,000), Boy Scouts ($2,119), Cancer Society ($1,500), Girl Scouts ($1,300), Salvation Army ($800) the Cerebral Palsy Association ($500).

“What you donate will benefit you, your family, your neighbors and friends, your community, your county – GIVE – GIVE ENOUGH,” urged the Watkins Express newspaper in its Oct. 6, 1948, issue.

The door-to-door campaign, enlisting upwards of 200 volunteers covering every community, fell short by $781. But that first October drive laid the foundation for a Schuyler County tradition that continues today under the banner of United Way, a name-change adopted in 1994.

In 2024, donations to United Way will help support 21 agencies serving Schuyler residents. The list includes Schuyler Hospital (re-named in 1954) and the Boy and Girl Scouts, each benefiting since the beginning.

This year’s campaign goal is $123,000.00. Donate to the United Way today.