United Way of the Flint Hills launched a new year of raising funds with its annual capital campaign kickoff Thursday evening. During 2025 and 2026, the nonprofit aims to raise $500,000 - a goal which was exceeded last year.
Daphne Mertens, United Way Executive Director, said that the campaign's numbers remained the same from last year to keep up with increasing costs and an increase in services within the organization. With this campaign, Mertens wants to make sure that everyone can have access to resources.
“It's painful to have people call our office or come through our doors and not be able to help them,” Mertens said. “They are in critical need a lot of the time, so we want to rectify that. We want to be able to help everybody that we can.”
Yahaira Ibarra, Marketing Event Coordinator at Emporia State Federal Credit Union, took on the role of 2025-2026 Campaign Chair. Mertens, along with 2024-2025 Campaign Chair Tagan Trahoon, picked Ibarra as the chair, describing her as a top choice.
‘She's just an incredible advocate for our community. She's younger, she's a woman, a Hispanic woman who has great connections, and we really want to make sure that we are representing everybody in our communities,” Mertens said. “Yahaira can help us do that.”
United Way chose the theme of superheroes for this upcoming campaign, highlighting the over 30 community partners that United Way invests in to provide resources.
“I believe that my staff and our community partners are doing the good for our community, and I truly believe that every single one of you in this room is also a hero in your own right,” Mertens said.
Ibarra paid homage during the kickoff to the many livelihoods affected by recent closures and job losses, such as Tyson and Holiday Resort.
“This past year has not been easy. We've seen neighbors lose jobs, we've seen families struggle to put food on the table, and we've seen the weight of uncertainty touch so many lives,” Ibarra said. “Yet even in these moments of hardship, the true spirit of the Flint Hills has shined through neighbors helping neighbors, strangers becoming support systems, and hope refusing to disappear.”
United Way plans to start a new campaign event this year on September 9, named the “Day of Giving.” Anyone who donates on that day will be entered for a chance to win two tickets to the September 14 Kansas City Chiefs game against the Philadelphia Eagles. United Way’s Day of Caring is set for September 24, while workplace campaigns and other fundraising events will be scattered throughout the year.
To Ibarra, her position as campaign chair has meant finding a way to give back to her community and charge forward.
“Our campaign theme, United Is The Way, is not just words. This is the truth we've seen in action when we stand together - vidas cambian - lives change,” Ibarra said. “Children gain opportunities that shape their future. Families break cycles of hardship and individuals. We discover both these aren't small victories. They are transformations that ripple across our communities.”
To learn more, visit https://www.unitedwayoftheflinthills.org/.
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