There are only 16 teams and a four-day weekend remaining for this year’s “March Madness” college basketball tournament, and that means local residents now have less than a week to make a positive difference in the Upper Ohio Valley.
The United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley has partnered with the Bordas & Bordas to raise funds for the non-profit organization and its associated agencies, and the law firm will match every dollar raised up to $15,000 during the month of March.
“College basketball is very popular in this area, Bordas & Bordas is a very sports-minded firm. and Jamie, himself, is a big sports fan, so when we were developing a way to partner with them, we thought of ‘Match Madness,’” said Jessica Rine, executive director the local United Way chapter. “When we look at our event schedule and when we do a lot of fundraising, March appeared to be wide open for an effort like this one.
“After we came up with the idea for ‘Match Madness,’ I met with Jamie and explained our idea, and he loved it,” she said. “So, Bordas & Bordas will match every donation up to $15,000. Last year, it was so successful that we were able to raise $18,000 in addition to the match. Our organization usually had raised around $5,000 during the month of March in previous years, so ‘Match Madness’ has made a huge difference in our community.”
That is exactly what Jamie Bordas looks for when reviewing charitable opportunities that allow him to continue his father’s mission of bettering the quality of life in the Wheeling area. Not only does Bordas & Bordas contribute to the Wheeling Park Commission’s “Access to the Parks” program, but the firm also remains partnered with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Ronald McDonald House for the annual “Sack Challenge. More the $36,000 was donated by Bordas following the 2021 season.
“We were glad to partner with the United Way because of all the wonderful things they do for this area, and Jessica Rine works very, very hard as executive director because it is important to her to make this area a better place to live for everyone,” Bordas said. “Jess is from here and I believe that makes a difference when it comes to making efforts to make a positive difference, and she certainly has done that in her five years in the position.
“And our firm always is happy to get involved with organizations like the United Way because, when it comes to helping the people who need it, there they are every single time,” he said. “It’s something to watch; that’s for sure, and that’s why we get involved with so many charitable efforts here in the Upper Ohio Valley.”
23 to 1
The Wheeling YWCA. CASA for Children. Youth Services System. Wheeling Health Right.
And there are 19 more non-profit agencies that depend in part on the dollars that flow annually to them from the efforts made by Rine and her staff and volunteers at the United Way. The organization’s “Night at the Races” returned earlier this month after a two-year pandemic hiatus, and future events include Red, White & Brew in late June and Oktoberfest at the end of September.
Add to the list the Belmont County Golf Scramble (May 27) and the United Way Reverse Raffle in September, and it is obvious Rine has been very busy now that the pandemic has eased enough to allow for public gatherings.
“Our campaign this year is ‘Give Where You Live’ and we want people to know that when they give through the United Way campaign, the funds will be used locally and not sent away and used somewhere else,” the executive director said. “Some people think the money goes to the national organization, but that is not true. Those dollars stay right here in the Upper Ohio Valley.
“We do contribute to 23 different non-profits in this area by funding programs within those agencies,” Rine explained. “Our funding always helps some kind of focus that needs financial assistance, and that’s why ‘Match Madness’ is so important to many individuals in this area. It’s about preventative funding so our local agencies can help their clients avoid certain issues because they see them as possibilities.”
