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

Last week I had the opportunity to meet with an amazing group of Spanish-speaking workers at a company in Shelbyville.  I had been told in the past that these workers were not particularly interested in our Metro United Way campaign and would likely give nothing, especially given the minimum wage salaries that many of them earned.  I had a plan though.  I had a hunch that perhaps many of them simply did not understand what Metro United Way was all about- maybe they didn’t understand how their lives are impacted by Metro United Way’s work.

So the night before, I wrote up some talking points in Spanish.  I decided I wasn’t going to shield these people from the truth about the dire situation the campaign is in this year as a result of the struggling economy, and I wasn’t going to assume that they weren’t interested or able to give.  I thought about some of the services that their own families may use or need such as the Mercy Medical Clinic and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites.  Then the next morning I stopped at the Walgreens in town and bought two large packs of ink pens.  I was determined to make sure that every person in the room that morning 1) understood the need, and 2) had the opportunity to do something about it.

When I arrived that morning I was told I had exactly 15 minutes to talk with the workers.  Then I saw the thirty or so faces staring back at me and I thought for a moment that this might be a tough crowd.  I think they were a little surprised, however, when I greeted them with “Buenos dias,” and continued my talk in Spanish.  Gradually, I started to see more people turn their chairs to face me, and I saw heads nodding and heard voices responding to my questions.  This was a tremendous relief to me for two reasons: first, it meant they comprehended my rather rusty Spanish, and secondly, it meant I was saying something that was resonating with them. 

When I was finished talking I gave a pen to every individual in that room and offered to stick around for about 10 minutes afterwards to answer questions and collect pledge forms from those who chose to act now.  To my delight the majority of the individuals in the room that morning returned a pledge form to me before I left.  To my surprise, I flipped though the pledge forms and was astonished and proud to see that the majority of those forms had the “Care Share” box checked!  In less than 30 minutes, we had raised nearly $2000.00 towards the campaign from people in the community who had never given before.

This experience reaffirmed my belief that everyone has something to offer, and most will choose to act if simply given the opportunity to hear and understand our message.

Giving campaign, give, message, opportunity

Giving campaign, caring, indifference, making a difference, sharing

Education, income and health. These are the building blocks Metro United Way believes are the keys to creating a sustainably strong community. We officially kicked off the 2009 Metro United Way campaign earlier this month, so you will be hearing more about these fundamental elements of Metro United Way’s philosophy of Living United. For me, Living United means strengthening the basic elements of a successful life for everyone  – access to quality education,  income and financial stability for families and access to health care information and support services to enable families to maintain a high quality of life.

Education – Metro United Way supports agencies that help families obtain access to quality, affordable childcare and early learning opportunities.  Success By 6 is a public and  private partnership committed to ensuring that every child in our community is healthy, safe, nurtured and ready to succeed by age 6.  The first six years of a child’s life shapes his or her future and the success of our community  is dependent upon our children.

Health – Metro United Way supports agencies that assist families in obtaining quality healthcare information and support services.  Agencies also help seniors and those with disabilities achieve independence and a high quality of life.

Income – Metro United way supports agencies that help families meet basic everyday needs and assists them with access to financial information and services.

In these stressed economic times is it even more important for each and every one of us to step up and contribute to the betterment of our Community.  If we were to achieve the same level of giving as last year, we would consider that a success in its own right.  But, I must say that I would not be satisfied and neither would your Metro United Way staff.  And, I want to add that you should not be satisfied either.  I say that because the demand for services are at unprecedented levels and the agencies that Metro United Way supports are seeing demand increase. These demands will not abate any time soon.  These are tough issues and the solutions are not simple, however, there are some simple things that each of us can do to show how we Live United:

Give – participate in your employer’s Metro United Way campaign.  If your employer does not have a campaign, ask “why not.”   You can contribute directly to Metro United Way by contacting them at metrounitedway.org, mailing in a donation to  P. O. Box 4488, Louisville, KY 400204-0477 or by calling at 502 583-2821.

Advocate – Get to know your Metro United Way by signing up for the monthly newsletter.   Share what you believe and show how much you care about education, income and health by letting us hear from you.

Volunteer – Share your time and talent  – it is truly needed.   Metro United Way’s volunteer  opportunities provide ways for individuals and groups to get involved.  A listing of volunteer opportunities is available at metrounitedway.org/volunteer.

Your reward for being a donor, advocate or volunteer for Metro United Way will be a sense of pride and the knowledge that you have made a difference -  in the life of one person and in the life of our community. Thank you for all the ways you Live United to make our community a better place for all of us to live.

Sincerely,

David P. Calzi
2009 Metro United Way Campaign Chair

General campaign, community campaign

Who doesn’t love a big bowl of chili when the weather starts to cool? This year Metro United Way is planning a Chili Cook-Off to benefit our internal campaign. Metro United Way staff will serve as the chefs, and everyone is invited to join in the feast! Details are below:

What: Metro United Way Chili Cook-Off!

When: Oct. 16, 2009

Time: 11:30-1:30

Where: Metro United Way, Training Rooms A and B

Who: All staff are invited to participate in the competition, EVERYONE is invited to eat!

Why: To benefit the 2009 MUW internal campaign

How it will work:

· Staff interested in entering a pot of chili in the competition need to complete an entrance form and email it back to Angie NO LATER THAN October 1, 2009

· Each entrant is responsible for making enough chili to serve at least 8-10 servings.

· Each entrant is also responsible for providing their own “garnishes” such as: spaghetti, crackers, cheese, etc. to be served with their chili (optional), as well serving utensils.

· Entrants must have their chili set-up and ready to be served by 11:00 a.m. on the designated tables in TRA and TRB.

· Diners pay $5.00 at the entrance to try as many “tastes” as they want (small cups will be provided).  Diners can go back to purchase a whole bowl of their favorite chili for an extra $2.00 (large bowls will be provided).

· Before diners exit, they may cast a vote for their favorite chili (tickets will be provided).  All votes must be cast by 2:00 p.m.

· The Internal Campaign Committee budget will cover the cost of drinks.

· Those interested in participating, but who do not have a famous chili recipe at home can participate by bringing a dessert to share instead.  Please see Angie to get the form to complete for this, as well.

· Agency executives, MUW Board of Directors, volunteers, and MUW staff, friends, and family are invited to participate.

· The chef of the winning chili will win a much-desired prize (TBD)

Events, Giving campaign, chili, cook-off

The 2009 Metro United Way Community Campaign Kickoff is here, and we’re presenting it live and online from UStream.tv!

Join us on September 9, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. with M.C. Terry Meiners as we officially kick off this year’s Campaign, present our goal, recognize the many years of support from UPS and celebrate the successes of this year’s pace-setter campaigns.

On September 9th, all you need to do is visit our channel at UStream.tv or come back to this post to watch below at 10:00 a.m.!

Note – If you join us by viewing the stream on this post, be sure to hit the reload button (looks like a circle with arrows) at 10 a.m.!

Free TV : Ustream

Events, Giving campaign, community campaign, kickoff

By Kelly Hutchinson, Donor Relationship Manager

I have been thinking a lot about the upcoming annual campaign in our community. It is what I do…think, plan, connect, encourage, communicate, review, explore, inquire, inspire, discuss and consider what will make a difference this year in someone’s workplace campaign. What is important to an individual donor? How can I demonstrate appreciation for the good works made possible by our Metro United Way corporate partners, donors and volunteers? I am also leaning into my work and trying to look at things a little bit differently this year. Quite frankly we must. You have heard it before right? If you continue to do things the same as in the past and you continue to get the same results then why does it surprise you?

My list will be kept short, but I hope you will join my conversation and share some of your idea’s on what you think is HOT and what you think is NOT.

What’s HOT:
• Making sure all children are safe, nurtured and prepared to succeed in school ( learn more about Success by 6)
• Making plans in your workplace to educate and build awareness for the work the work of United Way in our community and to Ask for participation in a company campaign where you work…WOW that’s hot!
• Serving as a volunteer Employee Coordinator for a United Way campaign and recruiting some co-worker friends to join you and help make it a success…sizzlin’!
• Sharing stories about your personal experience with United Way or how someone you work with whose life has been touched (meet someone you have helped here)
• Identifying the root causes of problems and providing solutions and support so that people can avoid some problems in the first-place…yep, it’s HOT
• Partnering with schools, service providers and community groups to improve high school graduation rates
• Saying YES when you are invited to join the United Way campaign and following up your giving by volunteering to get closer to the work you make possible and the lives you touch
Did you hear fire trucks?
• Being able to laugh at yourself and have fun while helping create opportunities for a brighter tomorrow
NOT HOT:
• There are nearly 9,000 children in JCPS who are homeless
• There are senior citizens in our community who live in fear of going outside or don’t have enough income for prescriptions and food…so they make choices
• Ice storms, wind storms, flash flooding that destroys peoples property and depletes their savings ( sign up with our volunteer center)
• An increase of nearly 40% of first time callers to 2-1-1 for assistance with basic human needs for food, clothing, shelter and necessities…a term I am hearing called “new poor” in our community
• Too many employees feel like United Way only comes around once a year when it’s time to ask for a donation. That’s not hot. There are endless possibilities and creative fun ways you can stay involved, thank loyal donors and contributors in your work and help employees understand they are making a difference 365 days a year
• Not planning ahead, setting goals or stretching yourself to do better in all that you do. Because if you don’t aim for something then you can’t be surprised when you miss the mark
• Seeing your coworkers dress up like Elvis and sing Viva Las Vegas… not hot…but a great way we added some fun to our employee campaign at Metro United Way and we are all looking forward to see who on our executive team will be donning a polyester jumpsuit next

Tried to keep it short…what’s hot where you work and what’s not?

Advocacy, Education, General, Giving, Health, Income, Volunteering campaign, Common good, community service, how to, recovery, Success By 6

By David P. Calzi, 2009 Metro United Way General Campaign Chair

I would like to take this opportunity to share some of my reflections on the 2009 Metro United Way campaign. By serving as the General Campaign Chair this year, I have had the privilege over the past few months to visit many Metro United Way agencies, meet with community and business leaders and work directly with Metro United Way staff and volunteers.

Your Metro United Way enhances the betterment of our Community by supporting organizations that are strategically focused on education, income and health. Some are strategically focused on investing for the future and many are focused on the NOW. Spending time at the Metro United Way agencies has clearly opened my eyes and heart to the critical needs that many in our community are facing NOW. There are children, adults and families who are in very difficult and frightening situations due to the economic downturn we are all experiencing. The staff and volunteers at the Metro United Way agencies are committed to delivering the best possible support and service to those who are in need.  Just knowing that children can have a safe place to go, food pantries are being made available and support is there for those in crisis situations, leaves no doubt in my mind that we must all work hard to provide the resources that will help these agencies continue their efforts to serve others.

From the time I have spent meeting with community and business leaders, I am truly encouraged and grateful that they are deeply engaged in understanding and recognizing the needs in our community. They are ready and willing to do all they can to help through their personal generosity  as well as leading the way through their employee campaigns.

In today’s world, accountability and trust are key components to the success of any endeavor. I am confident the brand of Metro United Way is strong. The accountability and trust that Metro United Way has established in our community over the years,  provides us with confidence that the dollars we provide will be put to good use in our community –  for our families, neighbors and coworkers  –  to build better lives for everyone.

Let there be no mistaken the current situation, this will not be an easy year for the campaign. I do not expect it has ever been easy. But, there is much work being done right now by a highly dedicated campaign cabinet, loaned executives, volunteers and the Metro United Way staff. We truly have the very best who understand, care and are willing to work as hard as it takes to keep our community strong. We are all touched by Metro United Way and it’s up to all of us to protect the base and increase the ability of the agencies that Metro United Way supports to do what they do best.  This means at a minimum continuing our current level of support and striving to go above and beyond if we can,  and using new ideas to spread the message that Metro United Way is  here  for everyone and needs the support of each of us.

I hope you will join me in the effort. Thanks for all you are doing to make our community the most caring community in the Nation.

Giving campaign, Community

Barack Obama is not the only one being inaugurated on January 20th. We all are.

And that’s not just because Obama has promised to make a call to service “a central cause” of his presidency. It’s because this moment in history demands we stop waiting on others — especially other people who are living in Washington D.C. — to solve the problems and right the wrongs of our times. Now, more than ever, we must mine the most underutilized resource available to us: ourselves.   

Excerpt from Arianna Huffington blog 1/8/09

I think this is a great way to look at what is happening in America, and how we can best address challenges ahead. America is at her best when individuals step forward and unite in common cause. The roots of the United Way movement are steeped in this very notion. Imagine in 1887, a Denver priest, two ministers and a rabbi who recognized the need for working together in order to address their city’s welfare problems.  Rev. Myron Reed, Msgr. William O’Ryan, Dean Martyn Hart and Rabbi William Friedman put their heads together ( a.k.a. living united today) and created a volunteer driven organization to collect funds, coordinate relief services, refer clients to cooperating agencies, and make emergency assistance grants. It’s been 118 years and United Way today is the largest private charity and remains focused on mobilizing the caring power of communities and making a lasting difference in people’s lives.

I work on the Resource Development team in a hallway where you can find loads of energy, optimism and a diverse group of men and women who will ring a bell (a cow bell), offer up frequent woo-hoo’s and regularly share in celebrating with one another. Our rallying cry of late has been to turn it up and we are collectively focused on seeing the close of the 2008 annual campaign and to reach the goal.  In doing so, we will be poised to meet ever increasing local needs, create lasting change and to strengthen our relationships with YOU – our donors, friends, corporate partners, agency network & volunteers. Together, we really can face challenges ahead, take care of those in need and create a better tomorrow. 

Are you ready? I am.

My short oath: If it is to be it is up to me.

If you were taking office, what exactly would your personal oath say to our community? Would you pledge to get more involved? Do you want to be the change that you would like to see? Is now the time to donate an hour or two a week or a month?  Could you mentor a child who needs a positive role model, visit with an elderly person, clean out a closet & take clothes to a shelter, tutor someone learning financial planning skills, provide transportation, help someone seek an education, or make a financial donation in honor or memory of someone? Give, Advocate, and Volunteer are ways that you can join with us at Metro United Way.    

Kelly Hutchinson, Donor Relationship Manager

Advocacy, General, Giving, Volunteering America, campaign, Community, oath