Meet our Life Changers: How Campaign Coordinators make a Difference in the Workplace

Have you ever wondered what's behind a successful United Way NELA Workplace Campaign? Here's the secret: it's our phenomenal Campaign Coordinators! These volunteers give of their time, energy, and creativity to envision and facilitate workplace campaigns that engage every employee at their company.

We want to highlight four exemplary Campaign Coordinators who are making a difference in their workplaces, communities, and the lives of people they may never meet. These volunteers know what it means to LIVE UNITED!

Tune in to our social media platforms NEXT WEEK for special interviews with each of these Life Changers!
Kay Gray
Cross Keys Bank
Leslie Harvey
Hunt Forest Products
Scott McCain
Alli Management Solutions
Adarian Williams
Grambling State University
READ.LEARN.SUCCEED. volunteers and students are all smiles!

Our READ.LEARN.SUCCEED. initiative is off to a great start! Pictured below are students and outstanding volunteers at Union Parish Elementary, Carver Elementary, Clara Hall Elementary, and Minnie Ruffin Elementary.
READ.LEARN.SUCCEED. is currently in 18 schools across 7 parishes in Northeast Louisiana. Thanks to the 428 outstanding volunteers who signed up, 440 students were matched to have a reading buddy or a pen friend. Some volunteers were matched to more than one student. We have successfully reached our 2022-23 capacity for this volunteer opportunity!
Campaign Spotlight: Creed & Creed

Creed & Creed Law Offices recently hosted its annual workplace campaign earlier this month. All employees wore their LIVE UNITED shirts to show their support for United Way of Northeast Louisiana. Thank you, Creed & Creed, for giving back to your community!
Campaign Spotlight: Argent Financial Group

Argent Financial Group's Ruston team gathered earlier this month to kick off their United Way of Northeast Louisiana employee campaign. Thank you, Argent Financial Group, for giving back to your community!
Skeletons on Tower: Meet Lily LIVE UNITED!

This month, we were thrilled to introduce Lily LIVE UNITED, our skeleton addition to Skeletons on Tower Drive! This fun, community event benefits ARCO and the Northeast Louisiana Children's Museum, two wonderful organizations in our local community.

There's still a little time left to take a drive down Skeleton Lane A.K.A. Tower Drive in Monroe, where skeleton displays line the street, decorated by many local sponsors.

NO BONES ABOUT IT...THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN!
United Way NELA 211 is Fully Accredited!
United Way of Northeast Louisiana 211 has received the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) accreditation for the next five years. This is the fourth time United Way NELA 211 has received this accreditation. The AIRS accreditation recognizes United Way NELA 211's commitment to serving as a resource center for individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations seeking community information and services through its extensive database.
Young Leaders UNITED: Food Bank Event

Our outstanding Young Leaders UNITED volunteers teamed up with the Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana. They worked hard to pack boxes that were sent out to the senior citizens in our community. Thank you to these volunteers for modeling what it means to LIVE UNITED!
Staff Spotlight: Jessica Hughes, VolunteerUNITED Manager
Jessica Hughes serves as the VolunteerUNITED Manager. She creates volunteer events and projects to help meet pressing needs across our 12-parish region. Through connecting individuals, workplaces, and groups to service opportunities, Jessica helps provide meaningful volunteer experiences.

Jessica holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Louisiana Tech University. She is also a small business owner of a local wedding and event business, Southern Grace Events and Blessings, LLC.

Jessica is a mom to a son and recently welcomed a daughter-in-love to the family. She will welcome her first grandchild, a baby girl, at the end of this year.

She loves all things outdoors, spending time with family and her dog, and enjoying life to the fullest.
From the Wellspring: October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Every October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month is observed across the nation as a call to action for communities to take a stand against domestic violence and let survivors know that they are not alone. The Wellspring is creating a community-wide dialogue to raise awareness about domestic violence and its impact on our community!

Domestic violence thrives when we are silent; but if we take a stand and work together, we can end domestic violence. Throughout the month of October, you can help The Wellspring and Family Justice Center of Ouachita Parish raise awareness about domestic violence by joining in the efforts to end violence.
From SingleCare: 5 Tips for handling your child's food allergy on Halloween

Halloween is supposed to be spooky, not stressful! If your child has food allergies and you're worried about a reaction, here are 5 tips (and 20 allergy-friendly Halloween candies) from our partner SingleCare.
From Ready4K: Strengthening the Home to School Connection with Diverse Families

Family engagement is all about building relationships. And relationships require consistent communication. But when life gets busy, many school districts only reach out to parents when there’s an emergency or an issue that needs to be addressed. Designing new family-facing content each week to enrich parents’ knowledge and supplement what’s going on in school just takes too much time.
UPCOMING EVENTS:

  • Steamboat and Tocqueville Society Members Party | Thursday, December 8 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Monroe
  • Steamboat and Tocqueville Society Members Party | Thursday, December 8 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in Ruston
  • Young Leaders UNITED Christmas Party | Tuesday, December 13 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Flying Heart Brewery in Monroe
Connect with us!
United Way of Northeast Louisiana | unitedwaynela.org