LIVE UNITED Y’All!

By Angela Champion

As I write this blog, I realize I have a hard time finding my voice. As a fundraiser, I like seeing results and love to cross things off a list. As our team of staff and volunteers are gearing up this time of year to run the 2010 Campaign for the community, the slate is clean. We are working every angle now to realize growth in giving for the fall and the coming year. We are hopeful and single-minded.  However, I don’t day to day always see the thousands of ways people are improving their lives through the work that is done with those funds. But I know the need is real.

As I have been watching the History Channel’s new series, America: The Story of Us, I have been inspired as to what the American people accomplish – sometimes a few do great things but many times it’s hundreds of people contributing to an ultimate goal.

The most inspiring example for me is of how the Statue of Liberty was funded and erected to be where and what it is today: a symbol of hope and freedom. When France gave the United States the statue in 1885, it was in 350 pieces and there was no pedestal or funding for completing this massive engineering and architectural project of enormous meaning.

Joseph Pulitzer, owner of The New York World, stepped up and issued a call to action for people to give what they could to fund the effort.  Pulitzer found his voice and urged others to take part however they could – many sent in pennies, nickels and dimes.  The final sum amounted to $101,091 ($2,380,980 in today’s dollars), and over 120,000 people had donated. These figures are a testament to the masses of people who gave what they could, and to the persistence of Joseph Pulitzer.

A poem by Emma Lazarus won a contest in the newspaper and has adorned the pedestal ever since.

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses
yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your
teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed,
to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

— Emma Lazarus, 1883, written to help raise funds for construction of the pedestal.

During this fall’s campaign, I hope you will find your voice through giving, advocating and volunteering. If you don’t know where to start, please ask someone at Metro United Way. If you have a poem that you think would inspire us to give and give some ideas to why helping others is important, please share!

Giving campaign, Community, finding your voice, making a difference

By Judy Schroeder

I’ve seen the research that says that impoverished children can be expected to accomplish as much as 3 times more when the place they call their neighborhood is a mixed income community. Why? No big mystery: communities can supply stability and security for each other where family resources are thin. That “mix” doesn’t even have to be very broad to be the safety net that lifts more children to higher expectations.

What does that mean in a place like Louisville where anyone who has been here even a short time understands that East, West, and South have their own unspoken, separate realities of wealth and family income?

Well, where I live in West Louisville, in a place that averages less than $18,000 annual household income, it means that families on my block – renters and owners – are part of a support system: every time they are walking a neighbor’s child to the bus stop, sharing a ride to the grocery, or passing around the news about better place to shop. Not too different than any other neighborhood, right? You all probably see something like that, especially where there are children.

That’s what I thought when we moved here. It just turns out that it’s even more crucial in a neighborhood like mine.

The time a couple of middle-school girls were helping me with some yard work was a real eye-opener. When I overheard one say to the other, “My Mom says I should eat all of the bread I want between meals when the check runs out,” that was more than just passing information! That was survival training. …I got my reputation for always having fresh fruit in the house that summer.

Through Metro United Way we all contribute to programs at Neighborhood House and the Presbyterian Community Center, or the Boys & Girls Clubs and YMCA, that help sustain that slim support system, stability and security, when families need that extra help. It was a blessing to be able to introduce my girls’ moms to the Kids’ Café, which served nearly 11,500 meals at Neighborhood House last year, and Dare to Care Food Banks which provided an additional 12,000 people with healthy emergency food.

Communities where people care for each other provide children with Hope for Tomorrow. Our network of services are in place, providing both Help for Today and Hope for Tomorrow.

Income Agencies, food security, Kidz Club, Louisville neighborhoods, neighborhood work, Participating Agencies

By John Nevitt

We’ve all faced difficult circumstances in our lives at one time or another for ourselves or our loved ones – perhaps it was the loss of a close friend or family member, facing a severe financial hardship, dealing with chemical dependency, living with an illness or disability, or countless other types of circumstances. Though the details are as different as each one of us, there are many common thoughts and emotions that frequently surface such as – what am I going to do, who can I turn to for help, how will I keep everything together? In difficult times, we all need someone we can count on.

I always know who my true friends are when such situations arise because they are the ones who stand beside me and offer support. Good friends transcend the circumstances of everyday life. However, when experts are needed, it’s good to know that there are caring professionals just a phone call away – Metro United Way’s network of health and human service organizations.

Though I had been a donor to Metro United Way for many years, I hadn’t thought I would be a part of the two-in-three people in our regional community who access Metro United Way supported services in my lifetime.

However, in recent years, I have been the beneficiary of these compassionate agencies and programs on several occasions, with each interaction bringing home their value in no uncertain terms.

Several years ago, when my mom began showing signs of progressive dementia, I turned to GuardiaCare Services for guidance. Not only did I get a list of personal care and housing options to consider, I also had the support of an empathetic professional who, through her exceptional listening skills, understood what I was thinking, how I was feeling, and what I needed, in addition to the pertinent and timely information that was given to me. In short, I felt like I was treated as a whole person, not just as someone who had a specific need to be fulfilled.

Each year, MUW funds over 80 organizations and 150 programs, like Guardia Care Services, which provides a variety of services for fragile seniors and others. When times get tough, it’s good to know that we have a vital network of Metro United Way participating agencies that give us the guidance we need while tending to us as whole persons. I salute the staff of our participating agencies and programs who so capably represent the caring power of our community.<

Giving, Health Agencies, donor, human needs, making a difference

by John Sands

So I was sitting at the reception desk this Monday processing incoming mail and thinking to myself, ”I have got to come up with something spectacular to write about for my next blog post.”  Mind you,  my deadline was fast approaching, and I really had nothing.  I’m wrapping up the last of the mail and someone hits the call button at our front door.  I decide to hang around because in the regular scope of my job, I help people who come in looking for assistance or referrals for assistance.

As I listen to the story of the young woman now standing in front of me, I find out that she is seeking assistance for her boyfriend.  He suffers from seizures and ran out of medicine the day before.  Up to this point, they have been to a few places seeking help, with no luck.  My first thought is to refer her to Metro United Way 2-1-1 assistance line.  I could not really think of an agency or program to refer her.  So I escort the young lady over to the office near the reception desk and dial 2-1-1 for her.  I held on the line until I was able to brief the counselor on the young lady’s situation.  I then left the room to give her some privacy.

When she re-emerged from the room, she had a couple of questions that I politely answered, and then she advised me that she indeed had set up a meeting with a program that would be able to help.  We talked a little while longer, as she was a little apprehensive about some of the questions she was asked.  I reassured her that any questions or concerns she might have, she should discuss openly when she meets with them.

As she walked out the door she thanked me and said this was the most help she had gotten in quite awhile.  And I thought to myself, “All I did was listen and then respond to her need”.  Really my part was so very simple.  I just dialed 3 digits (2-1-1) and let our community network do what it is there to do.

I never came up with anything “spectacular” to write about.  But with this one interaction I was reminded, that it is often not the “spectacular” that makes the greatest impact on people’s lives.

If you know of someone that is struggling and needs access to resources to begin to turn their situation around, Metro United Way 2-1-1 is an excellent resource.  It’s available 24-7!

General 2-1-1, assistance, get help, making a difference, service

Photo Share by Untitled Blue via Flickr

By Kelly Hutchinson, Donor Relationship Manager

Recently I was exploring volunteer opportunities with a company to identify fitting ways the employees could roll up their sleeves and experience what it means to LIVE UNITED first hand and hands on!

Obviously there are many choices, but they were keen on helping on something that aligns with their company expertise and values. We needed a “fit” that would allow them to bring their passion, resources and unique expertise to help get something meaningful done in our community.

Did you know that every November in our community Project Warm organizes the Project Warm Energy-Saving Blitz, in which hundreds of volunteers will plug air leaks and install plastic interior window covers in homes of seniors, low-income and disabled individuals?

Project Warm is certainly a big help for families struggling to make ends meet and offers real help for today for those served. Adhering to the belief that if you give someone a fish, you feed him or her for a day, but if you teach them to fish, you feed them for a lifetime, it’s a nationally recognized program in energy conservation education. Programs include free weatherization materials and installation instruction for low-income families to learn how to continue to help themselves and others.
 

Recently, Project Warm in partnership with the Louisville Community Action Partnership (CAP), designed an experimental project called the “Energy Challenge” to reduce the utility bills of households in our community with the greatest need.  They marketed this challenge to homeowners who had required assistance from the CAP for help in paying especially high utility bills. Then in an effort to intentionally attack the victim-rescuer dynamic that can perpetuate a dependence on social services – they empower participating households to perform “sweat equity” and help complete the weatherization work on their homes.  They are teaching folks to fish. 

Want to weatherize homes, deliver meals, transport cancer patients to appointments, mentor a child? Can you support by Giving, Advocating and Volunteering?  You can help create lasting change and opportunities for a better life for all. Can you invite others to be a part of the change? That’s what it means to LIVE UNITED.

General, Volunteering Community Action Partnership, Energy Conservation Education, Energy Saving, Live United, low income weatherization, Project Warm

Photo shared by jonychuncha via flickr

By Patty Belden

I was adopted.  I went from having nothing to having two loving parents and seven siblings (yes, seven siblings.  And, yes, in case you are wondering, we are Catholic).  I am lucky because I don’t remember the time when I was alone.  I don’t remember a time when I felt scared or unsure about who was going to take care of me.  I was adopted as a baby and all of my memories include my big, loving, supportive family.  Growing up our biggest arguments developed over who got to use the bathroom next…yeah, six of us eight kids are girls…sharing two showers was not pleasant, at all.  

I know that I am lucky and that there are lots of kids just like me…their parents can’t take care of them or maybe don’t want to take care of them.  Unfortunately, many of them are not as lucky as me.  Many of these kids will end up in abusive situations.  In fact, according to the Every Child Matters Education Fund, last year, 86,454 children were involved in reports of child abuse or neglect made to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services Department of Protection and Permanency.  However, University of Louisville Director of Pediatric Forensic Medicine, Dr. Melissa Currie, says this number is actually much higher and based on national studies, guesses that only 50 percent of child abuse and neglect cases are being reported (WLKY Investigates).

So what happens to these kids?  If abuse or neglect is confirmed, most kids will be removed from the home.  They may end up in foster care or living with a relative.   But usually by this time the damage has been done…they are traumatized.  They may express their anger and hurt by acting out destructive or dangerous behaviors.  These behaviors are often times misunderstood by caregivers and kids are passed from one home to another.  The popular thought is that these kids just need a loving home, but the truth is that they need much more than that.  These kids need a safe, structured environment where they can learn to understand and accept what has happened to them; a place where they can receive therapeutic support and education to improve their behaviors and express their emotions in a more positive and constructive way. 

Fortunately there are places in the Louisville community that offer such support.  Residential treatment facilities create a safe, supportive environment where traumatized kids can learn to live happier, healthier lives.  In residential treatment, children have access to therapy, education, and emotional support.  They will have opportunities to build positive relationships and explore sports, art, music, and other areas of interest.  Before working at MUW, I had the pleasure of working in several residential programs.  Watching the children grow and thrive was very rewarding.  Residential treatment restores hope to children who have lost faith. 

To learn more about some of the residential treatment programs in our area, please visit their websites below. 

Bellewood Home for Children

Boys’ and Girls’ Haven

Education, General adoption, Bellewood, Boys and Girls Haven, Boys Haven, Brooklawn, Child abuse, Home of the Innocents, neglect, residential treatment, St. Joseph's Childen's Home, Sunrise

By John Sands

It’s the weekend and you may be thinking it is time to get your “party” on.  There are so many options to choose from in our great city and certainly many that will provide you with great entertainment.  But what better way to party, than to party with a purpose? 

Tomorrow night the Louisville Urban League will host it’s annual Diversity Soirêe in the Galt House East Ballroom at 6pm.  In addition to honoring two men who have dedicated their lives and careers to community involvement and impact, they are also honoring E.-ON U.S.  for it’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of it’s operations. 

The event is being sponsored by Fifth Third Bank.   I don’t know if you caught this, but we have one of Metro United Way’s largest contributors sponsoring an event by a member agency (LUL) and honoring another outstanding contributor to Metro United Way (E.ON U.S.).  How exciting is that? 

The League has an exciting evening planned with an ecclectic mix of entertainment that ranges from Irish/Celtic and Flemenco dancing to Salsa and Gospel music.  Too fun!  And where could you find all of this in one evening? 

You’ll dance the night away with great music and other fine entertainment.  All the while knowing your ticket contributions will go toward helping the Louisville Urban League continue it’s work of building strong, economically stable families and successful school-aged children.

For more information on this great event and how you may purchase tickets, check out the League’s website at www.lul.org

So go ahead and get your “Soirêe” on!

Events, General Agencies, Live United, making a difference

By Cass Irvin, Louisville KY

Note: this post was republished with the author’s permission. It was posted originally on May 10th at The Political Bridge.

I can’t sing and I can’t dance but I can vote.  (I can sing, actually — but I shouldn’t — at least, not in public.)

People who know me well know I am big on voting.  I’m not sure why voting has always been important to me.  Maybe it’s because it is something I can do.

Helen Keller once said:   I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.

So I’ve been voting since high school — many, many years ago. (Did you know teenagers did not always have the right to vote?)  Life was not very accessible then. I registered to vote at the same time as my classmates. I just didn’t arrive with them.  All my classmates went downtown in big, yellow buses. School buses were not accessible then so my mom drove me downtown.

Maybe voting is important to me because it shows I’m equal to nondisabled people.  My vote carries as much weight as anyone.  My opinion matters.

And even though it is sometimes harder than it should be, I like the idea of going to the polls.  I like the idea of people seeing me out there voting.

So vote — because you can.

NOTE :   Many of us can vote absentee from home; that makes voting very accessible.  For information, to find out if you’re eligible and for a form — ASAP, go to: www.elections.jeffersoncountyclerk.org/absentee_voting.htm

The deadline is May 11th.

Advocacy voting

by Natalie Harris

Although it’s been awhile since I’ve had to scrape up the money to pay for college, I definitely remember it as a high-wire act with more documentation and research involved than most of my research papers ever ended up being. So I’m pretty excited to pass on this scholarship opportunity to any students out there who make a difference here in our region as a volunteer. Please note that the deadline, May 13, 2010, is fast approaching!

Here are the basics:

WHAT: Metro United Way Scholarship for Student Voluntarism

HOW MUCH: Up to $3,000

QUALIFIED APPLICANTS

Any graduating high school senior OR high school graduate under the age of 23 OR older returning students who can demonstrate exceptional accomplishments and special circumstances.

Applicants must be a resident of the Metro United Way service area: Clark, Floyd, or Harrison counties in Indiana, or Jefferson, Oldham, Bullitt, or Shelby counties in Kentucky.

APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply, candidates must complete an application form, submit an official secondary school transcript, complete a questionnaire detailing community service, and provide two reference letters detailing the student’s volunteer involvement and experience.

Students interested in applying for this scholarship will find the official application online at metrounitedway.org/volunteer. Students may also contact Mary Sullivan at Metro United Way, at (502) 292-6154 or mary.sullivan@metrounitedway.org.

DEADLINE

Applications must be returned to Metro United Way, postmarked or e-mailed, no later then May 13^th.

Education, Volunteering college, scholarship, youth

By: Angie Ditsler

This week, my husband and I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Omaha, Nebraska to meet Warren Buffett. We were guests at a special event hosted by one of Mr. Buffett’s companies. Prior to leaving on the trip we were given a copy of one of Mr. Buffett’s books and told to come prepared to ask him any questions we had. I assumed there would be hundreds of people at this event, and at most, we could maybe get a good seat in an auditorium during one of his talks. I couldn’t have been more wrong! In fact, it was a very intimate setting at a local country club. Mr. Buffett arrived early and mingled with the guests before dinner, signed some autographs, and snapped pictures with the attendees. During dinner, he traveled from table to table and discussed every topic under the sun from politics and current events to investments, family, and even fashion! I was blown away by his wit, off-the-cuff remarks, and incredible sense of humor. At one point, he even got down on one knee and pretended to propose to one of our travel companions!

Perhaps what blew me away most about this man was his brilliant intellect and wealth of knowledge on so many topics. I can’t even fathom the amount and depth of information that passes through his head each day. While my husband was busy asking Mr. Buffett his reasoning behind his most recent acquisition of Burlington Northern railroad, I was trying to muster up the nerve to ask him about his philosophy on philanthropy. I’ve known for some time that Warren Buffett has a reputation for living a relatively frugal lifestyle and gives much of his wealth away to charity. For somebody with hundreds of billions of dollars, it may come as a surprise to most that he lives in a $150,000 home and drives himself places. (Rumor has it that when his children were babies, he thought spending money on cribs was a waste of money so his children slept in drawers!) When Mr. Buffett finally discussed the topic of philanthropy, what he said really struck a chord with me. His response was (paraphrased):

I have a tremendous amount of respect for individuals and organizations out there involved in philanthropy- even more so that your average businessmen and women. The main difference between business and philanthropy is that in business problems are more clear-cut and problem-solving typically happens more quickly and frequently given the right amount of the inputs: money and intellect. Philanthropy, on the other hand, attempts to solve complex problems that have eluded both intellect and money for centuries. We must be patient in philanthropy. Successes will come much more seldom, but when they do, they will be worth celebrating much more than any business success.

I think these words are important to remember for any worker, donor, or volunteer engaged in philanthropic work.

Giving opportunity, philanthropy, Warren Buffett