Albany Chest surpasses goal
By Melinda L. Lucas
Just a couple of days before Christmas, almost $12,000 was still needed to reach the Albany Community Chest’s 2021 record goal of $46,000.
Then, with last-minute reminder cards in the mail and local residents winding up their year-end giving, the campaign surged, and a report earlier this week showed that contributions had moved well over the 100 percent mark.
Right before the end of the year, several large donations came in along with a number of smaller ones, bringing the grand total collected for 2021 to $48,401, surpassing the original goal by $2,401.
Chest Board president Jana Kitchens said both congratulations and thanks are in order for all of Albany, as well as contributors with local connections.
“We are so appreciative of all of our amazing donors,” said Kitchens. “So much of what our beneficiaries do wouldn’t be possible without people who care.”
The Chest has collected more than ever before during the two years of the pandemic. Even in light of this year’s generosity, this week’s tallies didn’t equal donations from 2020, when the total was finalized at $52,550, more than $11,000 over the $41,000 goal, which had actually been set a little lower because of COVID financial concerns.
Kitchens commented that this year’s drive started off slowly back in October, and as late as Dec. 23, board members were worried that the goal wouldn’t be reached and requests would have to be trimmed.
“But this is exactly why we live here in Albany,” Kitchens said. “Even in extraordinarily difficult years like the last two have been, people are remarkably generous.”
In early fall, Chest board members tallied the full amounts requested from the 26 organizations that applied for funding, which was about $56,000, and then they tried to set a realistic fundraising goal based on the overall picture of each group’s needs and impact, balanced with the economy of the community.
The Chest board typically tries to keep a reserve of $3,000 to $5,000 for any organization needing assistance for unexpected needs or expenses during the year.
Kitchens praised all of the donors, large and small, who helped surpass the original goal.
Donation Details
The Albany Chest board is meeting next week to finalize the distribution of funds to the 26 organizations that applied for assistance.
Board members hope to distribute checks to the organizations within a few days after the Jan. 12 meeting.
