The Schuylkill United Way recently launched its 2023 campaign during a kickoff breakfast at St. Nicholas Banquet Hall in Minersville.

The goal is to raise $1.165 million. Officials said the campaign is off to a strong start with 30% of the amount already raised.

Keynote speakers Jillian Franko and her mother, Celeste Franko, of Tamaqua, shared their journey with the Schuylkill County Society for Crippled Children, which is a United Way partner agency.

Celeste said that Jillian was born with club feet, dislocation of her knees, hips, and elbows and severe cervical kyphosis. After months of doctors’ appointments with no answers, Celeste reached out to the Schuylkill County Society for Crippled Children.

Sharon Kimmel, who has been with the society for 40 years, arranged a free appointment for Jillian with a volunteer pediatric orthopedic doctor from Delaware. She was diagnosed with Larsen’s Syndrome, and has had 11 major surgeries.

Celeste expressed her gratitude for the society for helping her family get the answers and care they needed, and for bringing specialized doctors to Schuylkill County.

“Many of our surgeries required follow-up appointments. With the support of the Schuylkill County Crippled Children’s Society, many of these appointments were done at the Pottsville clinics,” she said.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have a mom who has been my biggest supporter and advocate,” Jillian said. “My doctors may not have been able to give me the ability to walk or the level of independence I desire, but they gave me the support, stability and confidence to pursue my dreams and aspirations in my own way.”

Jillian graduated in the top 5 of her class from Tamaqua Area High School, having also completed the YES (Your Employability Skills) Northeast Certificate program, which is administered by the Northeast PA Manufactures & Employers Council, another United Way partner. She attended Lehigh Carbon Community College and graduated summa cum laude from Kutztown University with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting.

She is an administrative assistant with the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership.

Pacesetter Club Co-Chairman Patrick Kane said that half of the donations raised for the 2023 campaign came from the Pacesetters, or individuals who pledge $500 or more for the year. He said the John E. Morgan Foundation of Tamaqua will again match Pacesetter donations.

Campaign Chairman Mike Joyce talked about the March 28 pileup on Interstate 81 that resulted in multiple deaths and injuries. The United Way provided 11 families with hotel stays.

“We all pulled together that day to help all the travelers who needed it,” he said. “I say ‘we’ because we all help fund and support Schuylkill United Way with donations to the annual campaign.”

United Way executive Director Kelly Malone encouraged people to have their pledge cards and prize stubs to the United Way office by Nov. 10 to be eligible for prizes including a 2022 Chevy Trax. A total of $28,400 in prizes has been donated to support the United Way and its partner agencies. Winners will be drawn at the United Way Appreciation Breakfast on Nov. 11.