Paul Szmal: And welcome back to FLX Morning on Finger Lakes News Radio. It is 8.15 and I have a host of guests representing the United Way of Cayuga County joining us this morning. First off, our usual guests, Catherine Dennis and Julissa Stones-Bacher are here with us. Good morning, ladies.
Catherine Dennison, Jelissa Stone-Spature, Joanna Balinsky, Connor Damo: Good morning, Paul.
Paul Szmal: Good morning. Also like to welcome Joanna Bolinski, who is the County North Co-Chair. Good morning. And Connor O'Donnell from Tyburn Academy. Morning. And we'll get to Joanna and Connor in just a second. Let me start off with you, Catherine. I know we're getting into the stretch run of availability of the cash program for this year.
Catherine Dennison, Jelissa Stone-Spature, Joanna Balinsky, Connor Damo: Yes. Yeah. A couple very quick weeks left until the end of tax season. So our cash free tax preparation program is still going. So this is a partnership with Cayuga Community College and the M&T Foundation. We have volunteers ready to prepare your taxes for free. So if you find yourself still needing your taxes done, you can give our cash number a call. It's on our website, but it's 315-294-8797. And we'll get you an appointment and get those taxes done for free.
Paul Szmal: All right. Now I'd like to welcome Joanna into the conversation here because we have a campaign celebration and community movie night that is coming up here on Wednesday, April the 2nd. Joanna, what can you tell us about this program?
Catherine Dennison, Jelissa Stone-Spature, Joanna Balinsky, Connor Damo: This is our wrap up to celebrate with the community. The community is invited. It's open to anyone, but you do have to register on the website because we only have so many seats where it's going to be at the Auburn Public Theater. And we're going to start off with pizza for dinner at five o'clock. And then we're going to have a short program and Julissa is determined to keep it as short as we can, where we'll hand out some awards and announce what our total was for the year that we raised with everyone's help from the community. And then we have at 615, a movie and popcorn night for, it's definitely family friendly. It's Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. It's a 2014 movie and it's rated PG. So everyone go to the website, register and come enjoy some family fun and show your support for the United Way and congratulate all your neighbors that helped us, you know, raise the funds that help all of our neighbors.
Paul Szmal: Yes. And a very good movie, by the way. I saw that about three weeks ago with the family and we thoroughly enjoyed it. So take advantage of the opportunity. And again, how do people get tickets for this?
Catherine Dennison, Jelissa Stone-Spature, Joanna Balinsky, Connor Damo: You can go to the website for United Way. It's unitedwayofcucacounty.org. And there's a link there that you just have to register. And it doesn't cost anything, but we have to register because there's only so many seats in the theater.
Paul Szmal: Julissa, can you talk about some of the awards that are going to be handed down as part of this program?
Catherine Dennison, Jelissa Stone-Spature, Joanna Balinsky, Connor Damo: Yeah. So the awards are mostly around the workplace campaign drives. So we recognize employers who have 100% employee participation, organizations who do 100% corporate match to what their employees give. And then we do have a community spirit award that we give to one workplace who has done an amazing job with their campaign, but also recognizing all that they do in our community. In the past, this award has gone out to Newport and MedDent. So we're really excited about this year's recipient as well, because they do so much with us, but also the other communities that they serve. And then we do recognize, so in the workplaces, our volunteers who run the drives for their colleagues are called employee campaign coordinators. And so we will have one ECC who will be recognized for their efforts of going above and beyond this campaign season. So it's a lot of fun, and it's all 100% community driven, because even in the workplaces, those employees live here in Cuyahoga County, and they're supporting our community. And I'm excited. I can't tell you any numbers, but our community outside of the workplace giving has also started to see an increase as well. So it's been a very good year, and we're really excited to share all of those totals at the campaign celebration next week.
Paul Szmal: Yeah, keeping the numbers secret until the big reveal. I like it. There's also looks like some good sponsors that helped to make this event possible.
Catherine Dennison, Jelissa Stone-Spature, Joanna Balinsky, Connor Damo: There are. We have quite a few sponsors. I don't have the list handy, I'm sorry.
Paul Szmal: That's okay. That's okay. I can actually run through them if you want me to. They include the folks from Generations Bank, the Commons, Nucor, Auburn, Cuyahoga Lake National Bank, Sussman Law, and of course the host, the Auburn Public Theater.
Catherine Dennison, Jelissa Stone-Spature, Joanna Balinsky, Connor Damo: Yes. And then we have quite a few other corporate sponsors as well who make this event and all the other events that we do throughout the campaign season possible. So we're really able to do a lot because of those folks and then everyone who supports the campaign.
Paul Szmal: And next event that is coming up on the docket, and it's going to be here before you know it, so you might want to get your teams registered, is Thursday, April the 24th, the annual Tim Morrison Mini Golf Tournament, one of the favorite United Way events of the year.
Catherine Dennison, Jelissa Stone-Spature, Joanna Balinsky, Connor Damo: It is. We're so excited. We'll be down at the Holiday Inn again this year. I'm very excited. Every year it's a little bit of a, ooh, are we going to get enough holes because the dates change and not everyone can come back each year. So I had to fill four holes this year because we moved it kind of late into late April, which made it hard for a few of our groups, but we've been able to fill those four holes. So we're welcoming MCOM, USI Insurance, 6055 Design, and then Live a Little Boutique, which I'm particularly excited for because one of the big things that we've been striving for particularly since 2022 is that countywide representation and Live a Little Boutique will be our first county north hole. They're based out of Weed Sports. So we're really excited. We'll have businesses from all parts of Cuyahoga County this year hosting a hole. And then we always pair those holes up with a member agency. So as golfers go around the course, they can learn more about local businesses and what their donor dollars do right here in Cuyahoga County. And then there'll be door prizes. We'll have Good Time Charlie's DJ services, so DJ Jane will be there. The theme is Broadway. So if you like a good show, please register your team of four adults, 21 and older, because of the party-like nature of this event, it is not kid-friendly, but it is a lot of fun. Teams are $125. The registration goes until April 16th. We will have prizes for the best Broadway attire, best Broadway name, the tournament champion, and then the two white champions. So it's a lot of fun. We're getting a photo booth this year, and we're going to have concessions. So there's going to be a burger bar, some chicken tenders, chips and veggies and hummus for sale. One of the big things we heard last year is people really wanted some water stations. So we're really taking the feedback from last year's tournament and trying to make it even more exciting this year. So it's a really good time.
Paul Szmal: It does sound like a good time, especially with that Broadway theme. I can see teams coming dressed up as cast members from shows.
Catherine Dennison, Jelissa Stone-Spature, Joanna Balinsky, Connor Damo: Oh, yes. I ran into one team last night at the Business After Five the Chamber hosted, and they're already planning their costume based around their Broadway-themed team name. So I can't wait. I'm a big Broadway fan myself, so I'm very excited.
Paul Szmal: And again, that's coming up Thursday, April the 24th. You can contact the United Way at 315-253-9741 to go ahead and register a team for that. The registration is going to fill up. I have a feeling this will be a sold out event, so you want to get your registration, get your team in.
Paul Szmal: The next event that is coming up is on May the 3rd, and this sounds like it is going to be a fun event. And this is... Catherine, I'm going to have you go ahead and start us off talking about this. It is the Crusaders United Color Run. What is a color run?
Catherine Dennison, Jelissa Stone-Spature, Joanna Balinsky, Connor Damo: I think Catherine is on mute right now.
Paul Szmal: Oh, that was a question for me. I was going to leave that up to Connor. Okay. Well, you know, I've seen many color runs. I've never actually done one, but they look like a blast. And I know they're very popular, and this is just a great opportunity for Tyburn Academy and the community to come out, have some fun, and raise some money for a wonderful, great cause.
Paul Szmal: Well, Connor, why don't you go ahead and explain to us a little bit about what a color run is all about?
Catherine Dennison, Jelissa Stone-Spature, Joanna Balinsky, Connor Damo: Yeah, sure. So, a color run, it's a 5K run or walk. You can go at your own pace. And at different stations and markers along the run, you get blasted with colors on your t-shirt. So, by the end of the race, you're a sweaty mess with a bunch of different powdered paints on your shirt, and you get to bring that shirt home as your trophy for completing the 5K.
Paul Szmal: That sounds like it would be a good time.
Catherine Dennison, Jelissa Stone-Spature, Joanna Balinsky, Connor Damo: Yeah. We also have a kid fun run as well, so there'll be a shorter run for the smaller kids. I know my four-year-old daughter, she's looking forward to running down the hill at Everest Park and getting blasted with some color as well.
Paul Szmal: Absolutely. And is there pre-registration for this event?
Catherine Dennison, Jelissa Stone-Spature, Joanna Balinsky, Connor Damo: There is, yes. It's on runsignup.com. The easiest way to find the registration links would be to go to tyburnacademy.com, and on our homepage, there's a link to go to the registration website. There's also a Facebook page event, and I believe the registration link is also on United Way of Kew County's website as well.
Paul Szmal: And again, that is coming up at Everest Park, May 3rd at 9 a.m., the Crusaders United Color Run.
Paul Szmal: Well, folks, that's all the time we have for this morning, and thank you to all of you for all of the updates, and look forward to all of these events coming up here in short order.
Catherine Dennison, Jelissa Stone-Spature, Joanna Balinsky, Connor Damo: Thank you, Paul.
Paul Szmal: Thank you. It's 825 on FLX Morning.
