"Building relationships to support our community with

collaboration, compassion and purpose."

Life seldom travels in a straight line. 

It’s usually filled with moments of falling and then getting back up.

In 2019, Melissa Cruse had been an addict for 22 years and was done falling.

“It’s like you’re in your mind screaming, pounding on the walls to get out but your body keeps doing the same thing,” Cruse said in March, during a visit with the Catawba County United Way (CCUW) at Safe Harbor. The CCUW sat down with Cruse to talk about her journey from addiction to a source of inspiration for others.

“I was sick and tired of it all, but I didn’t see a way out. I was continuing to use drugs through pregnancy, through homelessness, raising children. I could not lay it down.”

Today, Cruse is no longer that person. Over her shoulder, she points to one of the new houses in The Cottages at Ridgeview built by Habitat for Humanity of Catawba Valley.

“That’s my home,” she said.  

Cruse currently works for Integrated Care of Greater Hickory (ICGH) as a program coordinator. ICGH offers behavioral health services for those suffering from a substance use disorder. She is also a board member for Safe Harbor, which runs residential recovery programs for women and is where she began her journey to sobriety.

It started when a friend mentioned the agency and Cruse found a YouTube video about Safe Harbor.

“There were women talking about the transformation in their lives, how they were drawn closer to God, and they restored relationships with their family. I just bawled, cried," Cruse said. "I was about as far away from God and my family as I could get..”

Community Housing Survey - In honor of April being Fair Housing Month, the Hickory Branch NAACP Housing Committee wants to hear from your clients about their experiences with housing in our community. Habitat Catawba Valley is proud to partner with the Hickory Branch NAACP to offer the Community Housing Survey. Please consider partnering with us to share this survey with the community.

Please take the time to send this survey to your clients or complete the survey yourselves. I have attached a flyer with the QR code and weblink for the survey to this email. This flyer can be sent to clients or used in your offices.

The weblink for the survey is: https://tinyurl.com/3pp2pt7j

Family Helpbook – the Catawba County Partnership for Children has released their Catawba County Family Helpbook, a free directory for families filled with local activities, resources, services. It is in both English and Spanish. The Helpbook was created in 1999 to connect Catawba County families to the services they need to make sure their children are able to reach their fullest potential in life. Each year the agency updates the information so that families can easily connect with services they need. Family Helpbook at THIS LINK.

The North Carolina Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service recently announced the 2025 recipients of the Governor's Medallion Award for Volunteer Service and Darlene Sanders, Exodus Homes volunteer, was chosen from Catawba County.

The award ceremony will be held May 12 at the North Carolina State Capitol building in Raleigh.

The Governor's Medallion Award for Volunteer Service was implemented in 2006 to recognize the top 20-25 volunteers in the state. 

Only one Medallion nomination is permitted per county. A statewide panel reviews and evaluates all these nominations sent from each county to determine the award recipients. 

Sanders was nominated after being recognized at the 2024 Catawba County Giving From the Heart (GFH) Volunteer Awards, hosted by the Catawba County United Way.

Sanders graduated from Exodus Homes in 2018 after being in the program for almost four years, according to her 2024 GFH nomination form. She was always willing to volunteer in the program. No job was too big or too small for Sanders to tackle while she dealt with her own health issues. While in the program, she was a senior resident over a house of five women, maintaining program guidelines and being a mentor to other women who were recovering from addiction and incarceration.

She is 10+ years clean and is an example to all Exodus Homes’ residents that recovery is possible. Sanders is firm and able to hold people accountable in a very loving, non-judgmental way. People have come to trust her and seek her counsel.

Learn more about the Governor’s Volunteer Awards at THIS LINK.

From Catawba County United Way Executive Director Mark Bumgarner

It’s been a few days since Duke died. The initial adrenaline and shock, as well as the distraction of the Easter holiday and visiting family, have settled leaving me with time to be, well, quiet. While I welcomed the distractions above, I knew this quiet time would come. I think this is where grief lives. I don’t really know how I feel, I’m in the in-between. It’s just quiet. I seem to fluctuate between being numb and heavy, with sprinklings of tears and gratitude for having Duke. Sigh.

The in-between. I’ve been here many times in the past 8 years. My dad, two cousins I was close to, My beloved Haus, aunts and uncles, my mom, my nephew, two brother in laws , my sister, friends and now Duke.   

I’m at an age where the losses start coming and they don’t stop. I know I will come out on the other side and be just fine – I have and will continue to have a good life. But I also know grief changes who I am. It does not define me, but there is no way around the fact that grief is part of who I am. I think that’s what we often don’t get about grief. It’s not something we carry around like a weight around our neck. It becomes part of our very soul – it is us. 

I don’t think that’s bad either. Grief is not linear, it’s honestly like a bomb that continually has explosions ranging from small to earth shattering, often completely unpredictable and forever. But some of those explosions clear way for other things, some clear out stuff we can’t carry anymore, some of them just hurt and some are like fireworks – making us gasp at the colors and beauty. 

This grief is hard, but it teaches and molds us. Grief makes us more aware of what is good in our lives and teaches us to never take for granted the joy of the moment. It gives perspective of what makes a good life. 

For a moment it rips us to shreds, cruelly teasing us with what is lost. But that is not it’s final act – it puts us back together again, just a little differently then we were before. Grief is unavoidable. I’ve learned and am still learning how to live with it. For now, I am in the in-between. Like so many of us. I wish we talked more with each other about this, without fear and shame. 

I miss Duke here in the in-between.  

The Catawba County United Way is seeking a Director of Resource Development.

Please see attached Job Description. Interested parties must submit an application and resume. Applications can be requested from and submitted to Mark Bumgarner at mbumgarner@ccunitedway.com.

Completed applications can also be mailed to PO Box 2425 Hickory NC 28603.

You know them...you love them...nominate them for the 2025 Giving From the Heart Volunteer awards - June 11

Make your nomination for this year’s group of Catawba County volunteers.

Let’s celebrate their Dedication and Compassion for helping others.

Eligibility requirements include:

• Nominee’s volunteer organization must serve the community in Catawba County.
• Volunteer nominated by a non-profit (501 C3) or a governmental agency to receive the award.
• Volunteer has served at least a year at nominating non-profit.
• Youth award - Individual 18 years or younger. Youth groups are eligible for the Group Award.
• An adult, youth or group is eligible in one category only.
• Group Award is for groups of 2 or more individuals.
• Applications due by May 16.

Questions? Contact John Bailey at the Catawba County United way - 828-327-6851, or jbailey@ccunitedway.com.

We've all heard the phrase - "It takes a village," and in the non-profit world it's true. The Catawba County United Way enjoys building relationships with its community partners and sees how much greater our impact is because of our collective efforts every day.

Below are some upcoming non-profit events from just a few of those partners...please share, and if you're interested, the Catawba County Interagency Council meets the second Thursday every month (10:30 a.m.) at the United Way office - 2760 Tate Blvd SE in Hickory.

Call 828-327-6851 for more information or email jbailey@ccunitedway.com.

NC 211 is the United Way of North Carolina's health and human services information line.

For help - Call NC 211 by dialing 2-1-1 or (888) 892 1162 or visit THIS LINK. Open 24/7.

The Catawba County United Way is a proud to help fund NC 211 locally.