Pictured are United Way of Southern Chautauqua County Executive Director Amy Rohler, Christine Tarbrake, board vice president and campaign co-chair, and Campaign Co-Chair Mark Tarbrake, during a celebration this week of the 2021 United Way Campaign.

The United Way of Southern Chautauqua County raised more than $1.3 million in funding during its 2021 campaign.

The goal for the 2021 campaign was $1.3 million, with exactly $1,314,703.22 raised last year. The funds raised will be invested in 43 local programs that align with four priorities: ensuring that families are self-sufficient, everyone is ready to work, young people succeed in school, and those in need can find help. All donations remain in Chautauqua County.

To announce the total funds raised, the organization held an online celebration, going live on Facebook on Tuesday afternoon. Board Vice President and Campaign Co-Chair Christine Tarbrake welcomed the virtual guests and acknowledged the hard work of everyone involved in the campaign. During the celebration, various sections of the campaign were recognized for their contributions, including those involved in business fundraising, individual fundraising and industrial fundraising, among others.

Executive Director Amy Rohler thanked the community for its generosity in supporting the campaign.

“This is the opportunity for me to talk about the generosity of this community,” Rohler said. “It’s an opportunity for me to talk about how humbled and proud I am to be part of this community. Mostly, it’s just an opportunity to express gratitude.”

Rohler thanked the staff of the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County, the cabinet members and the volunteers who helped make the campaign a success. She also acknowledged those viewing the celebration.

“It’s a united effort for us to win — so thank you to those volunteers,” she said. “It’s been a difficult year when all of us felt — and I don’t just mean volunteers — I mean all of you on Zoom and all of you on Facebook. We felt a level of emotional and mental exhaustion that was very real, coming into two years into a pandemic.”

Rohler also thanked the co-chairs of the 2021 campaign, Christine and Mark Tarbrake. She presented the pair with a gift acknowledging their hard work and dedication — a large decorative lightbulb with a plaque.

“As I thought about what we wanted to give for this year’s campaign, I kept going back to that campaign theme of ‘Help Today Gives Hope Tomorrow,'” Rohler said. “When I think about help and I think about hope, what I think about is light. To me that represents light and optimism and more than ever, I think we need that as a community and as a culture. If you can see this, this is a plaque that says ‘Chris and Mark Tarbrake, 2021 United Way of Southern Chautauqua County: You make help and hope happen.’ I hope it will burn brightly on your desk for many years to come. Thank you for being in this community — thank you for saying yes, and thank you for all that you do.”

Christine Tarbrake has been employed with M&T Bank for 40 years and is a regional sales manager for the Southern Tier Region. She is currently vice president of the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County board, having served since 2011-18. Over the years she has served as chair of several board committees, including Allocations, Personnel, and Community Impact.

Mark Tarbrake has been employed with SKF Industries for 42 years and currently serves on the Chautauqua County Board of Health, the Ellery Zoning Board of Appeals and the Chautauqua Lake Rehabilitation Task Force. He has previously served on the St. Susan Center Board of Directors, the Busti Town Board for 20 years and on the Chautauqua County Legislature for eight years, including the Economic Development, Administrative Services and Health and Human Services committees.