What A Year It Was!

Greetings From the Director

As I am writing this note, it is a balmy 37* and windy. Yesterday the thermometer read 66*! Welcome to Winter in Alabama! The weather can change so quickly. And I am reminded that life can change just as quickly! We are approaching one year since COVID-19 became a part of our vernacular. Who would have ever thought we would be choosing face coverings to match our outfits or working from home, social distancing, or Zooming until the cows come home? Who would have thought that grocery shelves would be bare, hospitals near-maximum capacity, and large social gatherings could have deadly consequences? Our lives have certainly changed in 12 short months and I long for normalcy to return.

But I continue to be amazed at our resiliency as a community during these difficult times. We have looked for ways to continue to do our jobs, teach our children, help our neighbors and strengthen our community. We have fed and comforted and provided a sense of security for others.

We have found ways to safely resume our youth programs and provide remote opportunities for those students needing that option. Our non-profit childcare center is preparing children to learn and grow and be ready to be successful when they enter school. Our helping agencies are providing shelter and food and counsel for those who are hurting. Families are receiving information on the services they need. Young mothers are learning how to better parent their children. Each day, hundreds of people in Lee county are being impacted by the work of our United Way agencies, programs, and initiatives…all because you cared. You cared enough to get involved and volunteer. You cared enough to join us in our fight. You cared enough to give. And because you gave, lives will be changed for the better.

On that next cold blustery day, think about that warm blanket of assistance you helped to provide to the community in need through United Way and feel the warmth of their gratitude in return.

Thank you for joining the fight!

Becky

Direct Service

Campaign Corner

As the 2021 Campaign came to a close, and unfortunately, we were not able to reach our fundraising goal, we began to reflect on 2020 and our efforts to continue helping those in need in our community. As we reflected on the year, we were overwhelmed with the positive memories we have from such a trying year, and that is because of the United Way volunteers and donors like you! It was a tough year for so many; but we were able to stay focused, think outside the box, and continue to do our great work. We want to share with you some of the wonderful memories and successes of this year!

We kicked off in true "COVID Precaution Style" - with an Outside, Masked, Drive Through Event!

It didn’t look like our normal kickoff breakfast, but we had lots of fun and were able to kickoff the fundraising season in a positive and festive way, while staying safe and healthy! We also added a new twist to the event and encouraged canned food donations to be dropped off as participants drove through the event. This was a big success as we were able to donate over 500 pounds to the Food Bank of East Alabama.

No Turn In Breakfast, No Problem!

This year we were not able to host our usual Turn-In Breakfast, which we use as a time to fellowship with our volunteers, collect donations, allow our agencies to share about their mission, celebrate our achievements, and much more! Although we missed seeing everyone in person, we were able to pivot and organize Turn-In Tuesdays (collection days) and We Fight Wednesday Zoom Rallys. We had great attendance for each Zoom Rally and hope everyone enjoyed their time on the calls with us!

City of Auburn Continued to CARE

Each year the City of Auburn participates in a “Day of Caring” with a couple of our partner agencies to allow their employees to volunteer their time. This year COVID restrictions were not going to stop their CARING! We did follow safety protocols and the city employees were still able to volunteer their time at the Food Bank and Salvation Army Angel Tree project!

Although Santa had to stay away, we still had a fabulous Holiday!

The Downtown Merchants Association was not able to host the annual Santa on the Corner event due to COVID restrictions, however, we put our heads together and came up with a twist on the event and were still able to host a Holiday on the Corner event. Toomer’s Corner was beautifully decorated, and a professional photographer was there to take pictures, all for donations to the United Way. We had families, friend groups, and lots of pets all decked out in their festive holiday attire to enjoy the event. We are so thankful for the Downtown Merchants Association and the donation of $650 from this special event. We hope Santa enjoyed his rest this year at the North Pole, but we are looking forward to having him back for Christmas 2021!

We are thankful for every volunteer and donor each and every year but this year our gratitude seems that much sweeter! Thank you for joining the fight with us and choosing to LIVE UNITED!

211 Day

February 11th is National 2-1-1 Day! This day is used to recognize the free, user-friendly phone number that connects people to critical resources, information, and services. This day is designed to bring awareness to the 24/7, easy to remember number that can connect callers with human services and resources available in their community.

Without 2-1-1, callers can make an average of eight phone calls to different numbers before finding the services they need. 2-1-1 cuts through the red tape to save providers time and money, while helping Lee, Chambers & Russell county residents connect with the resources they’re looking for.

So, what happens with a 2-1-1 call? When you make a free call to 2-1-1, the call is routed to the local 2-1-1 Center. It's answered by a trained information and referral specialist, who discerns your need(s), then searches a comprehensive database of relevant human service referrals. The 2-1-1 specialist explains how to access those services. In the case of a worker who has recently been laid off or whose hours have been reduced, the 2-1-1 specialist may share information about unemployment benefits, job search options, food stamps, food pantries, mortgage or rent help, utility assistance, counseling and other available resources.

United Way of Lee County and United Way Worldwide have been long-standing supporters and the national leaders of the 2-1-1 movement in Partnership with the Alliance of Information and Referral Services. As the largest private funder of the 2-1-1 network, united ways continue to strengthen and support 2-1-1 as another way to build stronger communities and create opportunities for all through the power of information and referral!