Vision: A community of opportunity where everyone has hope and can reach their full potential | |
Mission: To solve our community’s toughest challenges by connecting people, resources and ideas | |
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I hope everyone is ready to jingle on Thursday. I had a blast during last year’s holiday party and am looking forward to another good time. Remember to wear your best ugly sweater and bring a white elephant gift if you would like to participate in the gift exchange. We will gather in the lecture hall 12-1:30 p.m. I look forward to celebrating the holidays with you all.
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I was just doing a quick review of my schedule for the week, and it is packed. As I began to feel overwhelmed, I reminded myself to breathe deeply and be present in the current moment, not the next moment. This is a busy time for all of us, and it can be easy for me to get frustrated and snippy. I am grateful that we are all committed to our value of Teamwork - assuming positive intentions and reacting with kindness and forgiveness.
-Melanie
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Happy Birthday:
Steffen Strayer - 12/17
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Maria Gage Vogt
Position/Department: Coordinator, Volunteer and Community Engagement
Time at United Way: 2 months
Why are you passionate about United Way and/or your work?
I'm excited to learn and grow within United Way, and I am thankful for this opportunity. Being able to work with volunteers and different organizations to make a change within the community is the best part!
Hometown: I consider Jacksonville my hometown! I have lived here the longest.
What's a fun fact about yourself?
I was on a Japanese game show with my dad in the 90s.
Favorite Book: Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder
Favorite Band: Zach Bryan
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Favorite Movie: Crazy Rich Asians
Hobbies: I like cooking and baking.
Pets: I have five pets! My son Charles the cat and two lady cats, Catniss and Clue. I have two dogs, who are both rescues, and they are monsters. Their names are Kelo and Korra!
Favorite thing to do in Northeast Florida: I like the history of Northeast Florida, so anywhere I can learn and explore is a good time.
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Our 988 Call Center Turns 1
988 celebrated their one-year anniversary last week! This past year, our 988 call takers received over 13,000 calls from individuals experiencing an emotional crisis or suicidal ideation. In order to celebrate the hard work and care staff put forth daily, a few of the 988 team gathered together to hang out and enjoy a meal together. Thank you 988!
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988 Staff Schooling Accomplishments
Congratulations to Jasmine Byard for graduating with her Masters in Social Work and Caitlyn Murtha on becoming both a LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor) and a National Certified Counselor. Staff are doing big things!
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United Way holiday cards are being sent out (the bulk of them last week and some with personalized messages this week) to specific donors, volunteers and partners. You can view the list of recipients here.
If there are people you would like to send a holiday card to, please first check the list above; we don’t want to send any duplicate cards. If the person isn’t represented, please see Laurrie Campbell starting Tuesday, Dec. 12, and she can give you cards and envelopes for those specific people.
We will also be sending a digital version of this holiday card on Wednesday, Dec. 20.
Email Laurrie if you have any questions about the printed holiday cards and Milena Gil if you have any questions about the digital holiday card.
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Jessie Building Room Booking Process Soon to Change
The way we book rooms from the Jessie Building is undergoing some changes. Be on the look out for a future Monday Message that will have more details. Thank you for your patience!
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MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION | |
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MLK and RealSense Ad Campaigns
We are excited to announce, in partnership with On Ideas, our new RealSense and MLK Week of Service ad campaigns are underway!
For MLK Week of Service, the ads are online banners, digital billboards and boosted social media. They are designed to inspire people to sign up to volunteer during the week and day of service. The ads will run through Jan. 8. You can preview the ads here.
The RealSense ad campaign this year has a new element, digital out of home (DOOH) ads that view on screens at the gas pump, doctor’s office, theaters, transportation and more. The DOOH ads will run in specific zip codes with the goal of reaching people who would most benefit from RealSense’s free tax prep. In addition to the new DOOH, we also have digital billboards, online banner ads, social ads, bus shelters and radio. The overall goal of the ad campaign is awareness and driving tax prep appointments. Most media are running now through the end of March. A sample ad is pictured here:
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There is also a RealSense ad campaign in place until early January to encourage people to volunteer for RealSense. These ads are online display ads that started running in mid-November.
If you see the ads out in the wild, make sure to let the Marketing team know, and tell us what you think!
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Tell Us Your Stories
The Marketing team is sending out an all-call for success stories!
We still need a few more client success stories to round out the year and continue preparations towards our 100th Anniversary celebration.
If you have any in mind, please email Milena Gil with a two to three sentence summary on their situation, some basic facts about the individual or family, and any contact information you might have for them.
For examples of the kinds of stories we've featured before, check out the Success Stories category of our blog.
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Vision Exams
Do you know that an annual vision exam is one of the most cost-effective, early detection systems to identify serious illness? It’s not just about whether you need glasses or contacts anymore. An annual eye exam can help detect over 200 chronic diseases, including some kinds of cancer, kidney disease, high blood pressure, thyroid disease, pre-diabetes and diabetes - sometimes even before medical symptoms appear. Many people say that their vision is their most important sense, yet most still do not schedule their annual eye exam.
Vision benefits are a core part of United Way’s healthcare coverage offered to employees and dependents. For an In-network eye exam with a VSP provider, you only have a $10 copay (out of network, you will pay up to $45) and you can have an annual eye exam once every 12 months. Nationwide, in 2019, only 26% of private-industry employees had access to vision benefits. Please make the most of your benefits, including scheduling your vision exam soon! Also, many parents do not think about their children needing an annual eye exam until they have a problem in school, so if you have children enrolled in the VSP Vision plan, remember to schedule their exam as well.
Sun Life Vision – VSP Network allows you to use an eye doctor in their network of providers or an out-of-network provider of your choice. Eye doctors in their network are often more cost effective because your out-of-pocket expenses will be reduced and in-network providers will submit claims for you. For out-of-network eye doctors, you have to pay the full cost for services and materials and then submit a claim for reimbursements. The vision benefits are paid according to the plan details in our Benefits Guide (see snippet below).
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Our vision plan is based off of date of service, so your exams are authorized 12 months after your last appointment date instead of any day in the policy year. New frames can only be obtained on a frequency “once every 24 months” from the date of service. This means, if you wait until May or June 2024 to get new frames, if we keep this plan in the future, you would not be eligible for frames again until May or June 2026. So don’t delay and make the most of your vision benefits!
Note: The vision plan does not issue individual member ID cards. Instead, you and your providers may verify your enrollment using your name, date of birth, and United Way of Northeast Florida as your employer.
Questions? Contact VSP Vision at (800)877-7195 or visit VSPN VisionCare's website for more details. United Way’s Group Number for the VSP Vision plan is 954113.
Official plan documents govern in all cases.
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VOLUNTEER & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT | | |
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United Way Volunteer Hub
If your department uses volunteers in any way or you want to learn more about the United Way of Northeast Florida’s Volunteer Hub, please be sure to reach out to the VCE department. VCE is eager to be of service and to share the awesome benefits of the Volunteer Hub!
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Don't see below a key date you'd like listed? Request your supervisor submit to it in next week's Monday Message template (due Friday).
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Dec. 12: United Way Holiday Happy Hour (Stein Fellows, Women United)
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Dec. 16: RealSense Volunteer Income Tax Program Training
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Dec. 19: Board of Directors Meeting
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Dec. 22: Christmas Eve observed (United Way offices closed)
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Dec. 25: Christmas Day (United Way offices closed)
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Jan. 1: New Year's Day (United Way offices closed)
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Jan. 4, 11 and 18: RealSense Dinner and Certificate Financial Literacy Series
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Jan. 6, 13 and 20: RealSense Volunteer Income Tax Program Training
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Jan. 12-20: MLK Week of Service
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Jan. 13: MLK Day of Service
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Jan. 15: MLK Holiday Grand Parade
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Jan 27: EITC Awareness Day
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Feb. 5: UNF Black Alumni Week Mental Health Forum (United Way is a sponsor)
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Feb. 11: 211 Day
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Feb. 29: RealSense Open House
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April 13: Uniting for Tomorrow: 100th Anniversary Community Celebration
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