Local United Way gets new president

Piedmont United Way has a new board president.

Frank Rivinus, 61, of Boston, Va., has a couple of priorities for the service organization — to grow support and maintain it.

Rivinus hopes to broaden PUW’s contribution base in the coming year, a process he said PUW Director Jack Garber and a United Way committee have already started.

“My second priority is to continue the ongoing efforts of the Piedmont United Way with existing partners to maximize the results of the efforts of both in our service to the community.”

Garber, director since last May, estimated the current year’s campaign contributions would stand at about $450,000 by Sept. 19. That’s when a new yearly campaign — with a goal of $500,000 — will begin.

PUW provides support for 41 health and human services organizations in the five-county area including, Services to Abused Families, Hospice of the Rapidan and the Culpeper Literacy Council.

Garber said the board’s leadership is in good hands.

“Frank is great — he has been very active since coming on the board in 2006,” Garber said, also mentioning Rivinus’ involvement at the committee level.

Rivinus considered it a compliment that the rest of the board would trust him to act as president on their behalf as he considers an expanded approach to fundraising.

Traditionally, United Way concentrates its efforts on gaining support from large businesses, Rivinus said.

“I have a broader view in that I believe that rather than concentrating on a few large contributors, we need to expand that to a lot of small contributors,” he said. “Large contributors are wonderful, but if they drop out, that really hurts. … That is a roundabout way of saying why we need to broaden our support base.”

Rivinus supports PUW because it helps people in his community. That’s the same reason others should support it, he said.

“We all live and most of us work in the Piedmont area and you mentioned hard times,” said Rivinus, a systems analyst at SWIFT. “Hard times can happen to anybody at any time for any number of reasons. The United Way supports partners who have dedicated themselves to assisting people who have come into difficulties for whatever reason.”

Giving locally offers Piedmont-area residents “the biggest bang” for their dollar, he said.

At last week’s meeting, the board also appointed Larry Huntsman of Locust Grove vice chairman, Dr. Emerson Smith of Rectortown treasurer and Marie Davis of Washington secretary.

Brenda Tanner, superintendent of Madison County Public Schools, also joined the board.

Allison Brophy Champion can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 101 or .