The school bell rang at the Liberty County Board of Education on Wednesday evening. It wasn’t to end the school day, but rather to start the United Way of the Coastal Empire’s annual campaign.

The United Way of the Coastal Empire’s fundraising campaign will cover its Liberty County unit and its new Long County chapter.

“The mission is to mobilize the caring power of our community so that every single person has what they need to thrive,” said Kimberly Waller, the CEO of the United Way of the Coastal Empire. “It’s bringing people together to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.”

Prior to being named as UWCE president and CEO, Waller worked for a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services bureau that focused on efforts to support youth, families and communities.

“The goal of that agency was to partner with communities to make sure all of our residents have what they need to thrive,” she said, “and that’s what the United Way does.”

The United Way works to find the gaps for people in the community, where the needs are and stepping in to fill those gaps and needs, Waller added.

“We could not do this work without you to raise funds for this incredible organization,” she said.

The United Way provides a safety net for the most vulnerable and a pathway for upward mobility, said area director Kristin Hopkins-Graham.

“We are that caring power,” she said. “Together, we improve the lives of our friends and neighbors in Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, Liberty and now Long County. We support nonprofit agencies that are already doing great and excellent work in our county. If there is an organization already doing great work, we are here to support that organization by raising funds.”

The United Way’s Liberty County chapter’s campaign provides funding for a number of non-profit agencies, including Atlantic Area CASA, Manna House, Fraser Counseling Center, Helen’s Haven and the Liberty County Boys & Girls Club.

“We support nonprofit agencies that are already doing great and excellent work in our county,” Hopkins-Graham said. “If there is an organization already doing great work, we are here to support that organization by raising funds.”

UWCE campaign chairman Dr. Yancy Ford recalled getting introduced to United Way as a young teacher, when a veteran educator told him contributing to United Way was the right thing to do.

Several years later, when he became principal of Effingham County High School, he saw the United Way’s impact when talking with his school’s counselors and social workers. Now, he’s the superintendent of Effingham County Schools.

“Education is the foundation for better futures and we can’t do it alone,” he said. “I’ve seen firsthand the ways the United Way of the Coastal Empire is making a difference.”

The United Way is the Liberty County School System’s most impactful partner, said Brooke Smith, coordinator of the Liberty County School System’s L4GA (Literacy for Georgia) program.

The L4GA grant helps spur reading among young children, including have nearly 1,000 guest readers go to local schools to read to kids and providing thousands of children with books to keep at home. There was also the community reading rally last year with Super Bowl champ and kids’ author Malcolm Mitchell, with every second grader in the county attending and getting a free book.

The summer reading program has activities such as library visits, painting, readalouds and free books to improve early language skills.

There is also the Backpack Buddies, which provides food for the weekend for children and also gives them an age-appropriate book.

“The United Way is doing their part in the literacy plight,” Smith said. “They are feeding housing and enriching the lives of children.”

The Long County unit is looking forward to restarting the Backpack Buddies under the United Way umbrella, said Lisa McCallister, deputy superintendent of Long County Schools.

“We are super excited for our county and school system to join the United Way,” she said. “We’re super excited about Backpack Buddies. It will be a positive impact for us.”

Ford also recited the adage that you make a living by what you earn but you make a life but what you give.

“The United Way provides that safety net for families to get that stability and momentum,” he said.