Michael Greiner, who has served as Board Chair of United Way of Marion County since July 2016, will be rolling off in June 2018. We cannot thank him enough for his dedication and passion to our organization, and fighting for the education, financial stability and health of every person in our community. 

"United Way is important because we don't just focus on one initiative - we are looking at the community as a whole.

When I first joined United Way 10 years ago I served on the allocations committee, recommending funding levels for our partner agencies. This allowed me to see, first hand, several agencies that I had no clue existed in Marion County. Sometimes we get wrapped up in our own little bubble and do not recognize the challenges many of our neighbors face on a daily basis. Those site visits opened my eyes to the work already being done but also to the work that STILL needs to be done. United Way gave me that first launching point of saying 'wow, my situation is so much better than that of my neighbor', and it made me realize the need that was out there in the community.

"we truly are trying to get our hands dirty with those we are trying to help..."

With the recent change in the vision councils, we have more targeted initiatives. Over the last 10 years, the biggest accomplishment, to me, was changing from the organizations telling us what needed to be done in the community, to us being proactive and identifying the issues in the community ourselves. We are being proactive in solving those issues alongside our partner agencies, or simply starting the programs internally. When it comes to ReadingPals and Strong Families, we truly are trying to get our hands dirty with those we are trying to help, and the numbers and stories coming from these programs are reflecting that success.

I like the benefit of being here for 10 years and seeing the transition from the old way of United Way to what we're trying to do right now. Trying to change the perception of what United Way is in the community is hard but I think we're accomplishing that. It's refreshing to see people realize what United Way is doing now versus what they or their parents might remember it being.

Volunteering, in general, requires passion. You've got to have passion for anything you do, especially to be successful. People have different interests and causes they support, whether it's children, seniors, finance, or health. United Way allows you to get all of that in one place, and if they don't do it, they'll certainly get you in touch with those that do." - Michael Greiner