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Knock Out Poverty Raised $538,608 for Central Ohio!

April 2nd, 2019

Wow! Congratulations to United Way’s 72 nonprofit partners who worked so hard to Knock Out Poverty in our community. Together, with thousands of generous supporters who joined the excitement of the online bracket competition, we raised an incredible $538,608 that went directly to nonprofits to provide opportunities and fight poverty in central Ohio. The total raised this year was more than double the first Knock Out Poverty in 2018, which raised $262,244.

The competition was intense, especially in the final minutes when donations were coming in fast and furious causing nonprofits to switch bracket standings at a dizzying pace. But in reality, Knock Out Poverty brought nonprofits and donors in our community together in an inspiring show of teamwork and generosity. The final standings in each bracket were:

Blue Bracket:
1ST PLACE, Jewish Family Services; 2ND PLACE, Mid-Ohio Foodbank; 3RD PLACE, Catholic Social Services

Red Bracket:
1ST PLACE, Columbus Early Learning Centers; 2ND PLACE, Godman Guild Association; 3RD PLACE, Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resources Center

Yellow Bracket:
1ST PLACE, Community Properties Impact Corporation; 2ND PLACE, Local Matters; 3RD PLACE, Central Community House

Green Bracket:
1ST PLACE, Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services; 2ND PLACE, NNEMAP Food Pantry; 3RD PLACE, Economic & Community Development Institute

Overall, 23 of the participating nonprofits won a portion of the $200,000 prize pool. And every agency kept 100% of donations raised throughout Knock Out Poverty to help people meet basic needs, find good jobs, build strong neighborhoods and achieve student success in our community.

Our heartfelt THANKS go out to everyone who participated in the KOP Challenge on social media, ate Donatos Pizza, and gave to and supported their favorite nonprofits through fundraisers and giveaways. And a huge shout out to Columbia Gas for its generosity as lead sponsor. Additional thanks to Donatos and Jane Grote Abell for their partnership, and to White Castle, EY and Medical Mutual for their support.

We can’t wait to see what we can do together to Knock Out Poverty next year!

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