U93 Hosting Event to Benefit United Way of St. Joseph County Team HEAT Program

Nov. 11, 2013 - PRLog -- U93 is hosting Freezin’ for a Reason, an event that will benefit United Way of St. Joseph County’s (UWSJC) Team HEAT (Home Energy Assistance Team) program. All proceeds collected at the event will go toward the Team HEAT program, which provides local families in St. Joseph County with heating and utility assistance during the winter months.

Freezin’ for a Reason will take place on the weekend of Nov. 15, beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15 and ending at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 17. U93 DJ Artimis will be on-site for the weekend at Martin’s Supermarket at Erskine Plaza on Ireland Road. He will be broadcasting live from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. A final wrap-up of the event will take place during The Rob Show in the morning on Monday, Nov. 18.

“Giving back to the community is a huge part of who we are at U93,” said Artimis. “I couldn’t be happier to spend a weekend giving back in a way that will have positive, lasting effects on families in St. Joseph County.” Artimis will be staying outside and broadcasting from the parking lot of Martin’s Supermarket. “I hope that by spending an entire weekend in the cold, we can highlight how big the need is in our community for people to have the help they need to heat their homes.”

Team HEAT matches each $50 clients pay toward their monthly heating bills. Its goal is to provide families with heat in the winter months, financial education and five months of help from a personal case coordinator. These support systems lead to year-round utility services and a better understanding of maintaining a budget for related monthly expenses.

With a total of 1,946 service entries last season, Team HEAT assisted 283 unduplicated low to moderate income households at or below 250% of poverty for a 5-month period. Served by this great program were also 311 children, 353 adults and 80 seniors, totaling 744 individuals. For the first time, 100% of the clients served during the 2012/2013 Team HEAT season maintained their services. While UWSJC helped so many people last year, there were other community members who were not able to be helped due to lack of financing, which is why U93 created Freezin’ for a Reason. By partnering with U93, UWSJC hopes to increase awareness of Team HEAT and gain more support for its services so families in the community can stay warm this winter.

A table will be set up on-site for UWSJC Team HEAT volunteers where donations will be collected, which can be cash or electronic, or you can donate online at www.uwsjc.org. Martin’s will also be raising funds with cookie decorating and hot chocolate on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you would like more information or would like to volunteer for Team HEAT, please contact Dawn Chapla, Director of Labor and Financial Stability at UWSJC, at (574) 232-8201, ext. 228 or at dchapla@uwsjc.org.

United Way of St. Joseph County is a nonprofit organization working to advance the common good by focusing on education, income and health. It works closely with local agency programs to meet the community needs of St. Joseph County.