Community Focus, Fall 2021

COMMUNITY FOCUS

United Way of South Wood & Adams Counties' Quarterly Newsletter

Fall | vol. 8 no. 4

UNITED WE RISE

Tari Jahns, CEO

As campaign continues to move forward, I have been thinking a lot about why people give to United Way. To me the answer is simple; we are making our Community a better place, taking care of our friends, family and neighbors in need. My family and I have been giving to United Way for many years because by making a donation we can help, we can make a difference and we can help make someone’s future look brighter.

Have you ever considered the impact increasing your donation would have? Here are some examples of how United Way funds are used:

There are adults with dementia and Alzheimer’s who are institutionalized because their spouses cannot take care of them 24/7 – United Way funds help provide respite care to keep those individuals in their homes surrounded by their loved ones.

There are women and men who are physically and emotionally abused by their partners, who need a safe place to go with their children – United Way funds help to provide safe shelter.

There are people who are facing challenges and have no idea where to turn – United Way funds provide 2-1-1 information and referral services 24/7 so community members can get connected with programs to help.

Elementary school children have to get themselves off to school because Mom or Dad has to go to work, or they come home to an empty house after school – United Way funds help provide a safe, supervised and enriching environment for kids before and after school.

There are children who do not eat on the weekends because they do not have food at home. Imagine a child trying to learn on a Monday morning when all they are really concerned about is getting food in their belly – United Way funds help feed these families.

That is only five examples – United Way actually funds 29 programs so I could definitely give you more! Our Communities belong to us and our children and our children’s children. Our communities will only be as great as we make them, get involved – make a donation, better yet increase your donation today!

2-1-1 GOING THE EXTRA MILE

United Way's 2-1-1 has earned national re-accreditation by the Alliance of Information and Referral System (AIRS) for the 3rd time. Accreditation was awarded the 1st time to United Way's 2-1-1 in 2009, and again in 2017. With this successful completion of the AIRS re-accreditation, United Way's 2-1-1 joins just 124 organizations and programs in the U.S. and Canada that have demonstrated their competence in meeting the Stands for Professional Information and Referral.

AIRS re-accreditation is used primarily as a quality assurance standard by using objective evidence to gauge achievement in service quality and effectiveness, community involvement and organizational stability. Congratulations to our local 2-1-1 program.

STUFF THE BUS WAS A HUGE SUCCESS

By Amy Fluno, 211 Director

A new school year has just started and thanks to our generous community, Stuff the Bus/Stuff the Desk was able to distribute school supplies to 647 students in need in our area. We collected tons of school supplies during Stuff the Bus at Lunch By The River on August 5th and gave those supplies to pre-registered familied on August 20th and 21st. Stuff the Bus had some amazing donations given this year. We collected 365 backpacks (new record), 395 colored pencils, 507 crayons, 1,005 folders, 1,444 glue sticks, 1,258 notebooks and so much more!

The Stuff the Bus backpack distribution event was held as a drive-thru pick-up once again. It worked really great and got our families in and out with their supplies in no time at all. The fantastic volunteers really made the event a success. They were all so helpful and it made them feel good knowing they were helping families in our community receive the tools their students need to have a great new school year.

The Stuff the Bus committee would like to thank all the donation drop off locations, donors, volunteers and the community for their continued support of these two amazing events. Without all this help we would not be able to make these events happen. a lot of planning goes into both events and it takes a lot of help to make them successful. We are truly thankful for the amazing support we receive from the entire community.

The Stuff the Bus/Stuff the Desk committee is always looking for new faces to join our committee. If you have a passion for helping those in need, we want to talk to you. Our committee meets about 6-7 times a year and helps to make the events run smoothly. Please contact me at the United Way office at 715-421-0390 if you are interested.

DAY OF CARING 2021

By Amy Fluno, 211 Director/Day of Caring Coordinator

It is October, summer is officially over and school has started once again. The trees are changing color and soon will be dropping their leaves. What does this have to do with you? Everything!! Our annual Day of Caring leaf raking event is coming and we are in need of volunteers to rake yards for the elderly and disabled in our community.

Each Fall, we gather together to help out our friends and neighbors who are unable to take care of their yards. We rake their leaves and help ready their yards for the upcoming winter. These homeowners are so thankful for the help and effort out volunteers give, that many times they hand out treats! Who would say no to that?

And speaking of stuff you cannot turn down, our volunteers proudly wear the free Day of Caring t-shirt our amazing t-shirt donor sponsor. Again, who doesn't love a free t-shirt?

Mark your calendars for Saturday, October 23rd and grab your family, friends, co-workers, or neighbors and get signed up to rake some yards! Pre-registration can be found on our website and the first 450 volunteers will be guaranteed a t-shirt.

Day of Caring will be held rain or shine, lets hope for more shine than rain, and get ready to rake some leaves! We already have lots of yards on our list, but if your loved one or neighbor could benefit from this cool community event, have them call me at the United Way office and we can get their yard on the list too. Any questions, give me a call at 715-421-0390 and we can chat. I look forward to seeing lot of volunteers on Saturday, October 23rd.

VOLUNTEER CENTER UPDATES

Connecting virtually has become more important than ever, and our Volunteer Center at volunteerunitedway.org makes it easy for both volunteers and agencies to ensure the latest community needs are matched with the right volunteers. This year, 7 new organizations and 31 new volunteers have joined the Volunteer Center and we continue to expand our impact every day. If you haven’t yet, visit the Volunteer Center site and see how easy it is to browse current volunteer opportunities!

Our volunteers have had a tremendous impact on our community this year making it possible to distribute over 450 books to local youth at the Great Book Giveaway, gather over 9,500lbs of food for local pantries at United We Can, and provide 647 students with school supplies at Stuff the Desk this year. If you are interested in more information on volunteering, please contact Ben at the United Way office at 715-421-0390 or by email at ben@uwswac.org!