February 2021 Newsletter
In this issue:
  • A Message from our President/CEO
  • VITA Applications Now Available
  • SASC Community Survey
  • United Way Celebrates 211 Day
  • Women United Clothes Closet
  • Campaign Updates
  • United Way Internship Openings
A Message from our President/CEO:
Dear Friends,

February is about celebrating love, so let me take a minute to celebrate our love for each of YOU! We are sending love to:
Our FUNDED PARTNER NETWORK: You are the heart of what we deliver to this community. You work to directly impact over 42,000 lives each year, bringing hope and services to our communities’ most vulnerable populations. You work with us to impact food scarcity, homelessness, brain health, safety, and more, to make OUR COMMUNITY a better place to live!

Our VOLUNTEERS: From our 23-member Board of Directors to the hundred other community members on our various working committees, YOU GUIDE OUR ORGANIZATION AND HELP US CARRY OUR MISSION FORWARD! We know YOU make our work lighter and our impact stronger and we are grateful for your ACTION to make it all happen!

Our DONORS (which often can also be found in the top two groups above!): You may not see the incredible work being done with your investments into United Way daily, but without you, 42,000 lives each year would not have access to the services you have joined others in investing in.

Staff: My gratitude is also extended to our three remarkable United Way staff who work tirelessly to adapt to the changing times, to respond to community and donor needs, and to have a driving passion to make our community a better place! Plus, they are remarkable and make working here a joy!

It will take all of us to help maintain this level of support! We are winding down our campaign and are currently at 86% of our $1.2M fundraising goal. We know our community needs have skyrocketed since COVID 19, and we want to be able to fund our HEALTH, EDUCATION and FINANCIAL stability efforts at the same level, if not more, but WE NEED YOU! We need you to:
  • Donate to impact a life.
  • Share our social media posts, encouraging others to join the fight.
  • Talk about the needs related to homelessness, brain health, childcare, etc., to elevate our communities’ awareness and response
Every bit of support matters! YOU matter! There are also 42,000 local lives that matter!

Sincerely,
Danielle Peterson
President/CEO
Impact a life today. Donate here
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Applications Now Available
HACAP is now accepting VITA applications! Returns will be accepted from February 8-April 9. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, taxes will be completed via drop-off only.
SASC Community Survey
Our funded partner Substance Abuse Services Center - SASC in inviting people to participate in their survey to assess some topics with Dubuque County residents. These results will help to assist and guide the direction of their preventative efforts. The survey takes less than 5 minutes to complete and all responses will remain anonymous.

United Way Celebrates 211 Day
February 11 was National 211 Day and at United Way of Dubuque Area Tri-States, we took the time to say THANK YOU to all of the hard workers at 211!
Within the last year, 211 Iowa has connected more individuals with help and resources than ever before. During the second quarter, when COVID shutdowns began, 211 usages in Dubuque County skyrocketed going up 307% compared to the previous year. Almost 50% of the total 3,375 contacts (both calls and texts) made in 2020 were COVID-19 related (1,178 COVID-related in total). Those figures do not include users who accessed information using the 211 Iowa app or website. The end-of-year total usage in Dubuque was up 131% from last year.
Through generous community donations, the Women United Clothes Closet is overflowing with professional clothes for men and women. If you or someone you know is in need of (free) professional clothes for interviews and/or the first week of work, please come check it out in the basement of NICC, 700 Main St, Dubuque between 8:00 am – 4:30 pm.
Campaign Updates
As we continue the 2020-2021 campaign, we are excited to share about our collaboration and work with great businesses and our Funded Partners. During the month of February, the following businesses ran campaigns showing their support of United Way:

Dubuque Bank & Trust/Heartland Financial, Home + FloorShow, Northeast Iowa Community College, Zephyr Aluminum Products.

Premier Tooling & Manufacturing invited United Way to present to their employees, who had the opportunity to learn about United Way.

Looking for creative ideas for your campaign? Look here on our campaign toolkit or email [email protected]

Thank you all for showing what it means to LIVE UNITED!
Join the United Way Team!
Interns Wanted!
We accept interns year-round for two different positions within our office.

Community Building & Impact/Volunteer Engagement Intern

Development & Marketing Intern

Why Intern at United Way?
"Interning at the United Way of Dubuque Area Tri-States was a great experience! They were flexible with my schedule and worked with me to ensure that my internship met the requirements set forth by my college for a Public Relations major. They allowed me the opportunity to work on a variety of different projects to build my portfolio and I was able to learn a lot about the world of nonprofit marketing! It was a great way to earn college credit while making an impact on my community!"- Jenna Meehan, Summer 2020 Development & Marketing Intern
Volunteer Opportunities
Become a Blood Donor Ambassador

The need for blood is constant and is irreplaceable, our community understands this need and is responding greatly to donate blood which is why now more than ever our Collections staff needs your help.

Fill our incredibly important volunteer position, take temperatures of each of our donors at blood drives for staff to continue focusing on the continuing life-saving mission of blood collection, provide friendly service to each donor, and follow up post donation with refreshments and snacks.
Mentor Youth

Mentor Dubuque is looking for adults to volunteer as a mentor to a youth living in the Dubuque area. This is a fun and fulfilling way to get involved in your community!

We have 11 girls and 17 boys who are currently waiting for a mentor! The youth have a diverse range of interests, you could share your passions today with a youth that might interest your mentee.

If you are ready to have fun while volunteering, contact us TODAY!
Food Delivery

Dubuque Area Labor Harvest and Community Solutions of Eastern Iowa are partnering to have groceries delivered to those in need. We are in search of volunteers to help with delivery of these groceries. 
 
Deliveries will occur on Saturdays and Thursday starting at 11 AM. Volunteers will go to the Dubuque Area Labor Harvest (423 W. Locust Dubuque, Iowa 52001) and be able to pick up the groceries with the address of delivery. The volunteer will deliver the meals to the door step and either ring the door or knock so the person knows the groceries have been delivered. 
Whether you make a one-time gift or set up recurring monthly payments, every donation matters.
We are stronger together!