LIVE UNITED Y’All!

Every year we celebrate the successes of the campaign through our many lists – our Top 25 (most dollars raised) and Terrific 25 (most dollars raised per capita) celebrate mostly big businesses, and some smaller ones, too. We also celebrate our Wow Campaigns – those with a 10% increase over last year and new campaigns.

I’d like to use this space, though, to celebrate all the truly small businesses, many of them locally owned and operated, who contribute more modest yet important amounts to our campaign. I recently put out a challenge to local busineses to give $100 and here’s who accepted. Many gave much more than this, but all who gave are appreciated:

Parsons Corporation
Amazing Products, Inc.
OVASCO Industries
W.R. Willett Lumber Company
B-Dry Systems of Louisville, Inc.
Jake’s Natural Lawn Care
LSE Engineering
US Specialties
Cox, Allen & Associates Architects
Bironas, Inc.
Embry Bosse Funeral Home
Twinbrook Nursing Home
Cecil & Cecil
UHL Truck Sales of Kentuckiana
Budget Business SErvice
Ratterman & Sons, Inc.
Old Kentucky Insurance, Inc.
Godsey Associates Architects
Klarer Construction Co., Inc.
Bob’s Deck Refinishing, Inc.
Video Kitchen
Ted McCain Company, Inc.
Spindletop Draperies, Inc.
Trinity Presbyterian Women
Mirror Glaze Distributors, Inc.
The Prudential Parks & Weisberg Realtors
A M Electric Company, Inc.
Hunt Tractor
Sparkle Brite Car Wash
ICCO
Eline Develpment Company
A.I.A. Agency, Inc.
Premium Foil Products Company
Vari-Comp, Inc.
Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of KY
A.J. Seibert Company, Inc.
Editorial Services Company
Tamplin & Company
Eyedia
Bilancia

If you are a customer of one of these businesses, please be proud and thank them for their commitment to our community!

Giving Community, Giving, small business, thank you

By Kelly Hutchinson, Donor Relationship Manager

You may modify the recipe ingredients and feel free to substitute based on your desired results and the number of people you would like serve…

1 gallon of inspiration

2 cups of determination

2 cups of confidence

1 1/3 cup creativity

1 ¾ cup of gratitude

1 ½ cup of stick-to-it-iveness

1 ounce of prevention

Smidgeon of luck

Dash of all-spice

Pinch of encouragement

Mix

Stir

Shake

Knead

Whip

Allow the mixed ingredients a brief time to stew and simmer, check on your consistency and then bake–check midway through to make sure the result is looking good.

Share with your neighbors and celebrate!

What ingredients help you to be successful in your life? Work? Are they much the same or different?

General, Giving, Volunteering Community, Metro United Way, motivation, success

Have you ever tried to do any of the following by yourself…

• Whitewater raft
• Play a game of baseball
• Put up a tent
• Assemble a play set
• Start your own business
• Care for a young child
• Build a house

Sure, you can definitely do all of these things all alone. It might take you a while, but in most cases you could likely accomplish the task.

However, for each of these examples: what would it look like if you did it with one other person? Or perhaps with 2 or 3, or maybe more. Your ability to accomplish more increases greatly; your time and talent go much farther when put together.

Take assembling a tent. We went camping over Labor Day weekend. Let me tell you…not a big camper here. But, I was determined my family was going. Pitching a tent. Well, that could be quite an ordeal…but it wasn’t as bad as I thought when we all started to work together. This person holds this piece…another person holds that piece. It actually makes the work move along more quickly and the job gets done.

Metro United Way is a fantastic example of individuals coming together for a common goal in our community. While one voice could work to advance the common good, when we are all working together towards this we are much greater.

The agencies we work with at Metro United Way have seen their needs increase drastically in the past 12 months. 91% of agencies providing housing saw an increase in need. 87% of agencies providing food saw an increase in need –with some reporting a 40% increase in first time recipients.

Your gift to Metro United Way affects many lives in the community. Our gifts together through Metro United Way impact over 90 agencies, 160 programs, and countless lives. That’s the power of Metro United Way – the power of doing it together!

I encourage you to contribute to the campaign this year by visiting Metro United Way’s online giving page.

Flickr photo: lumaxart

Giving Community, Giving

By Lincoln Crum

I first came in contact with volunteers when I was a young child on the football field. I had two coaches that volunteered their time 4-5 days a week teaching young men the fundamentals of youth football. I remember riding home one day from practice with my dad and asking him how much my coaches got paid to teach us the game. Dad kind of laughed and said, “They’re volunteers, they donate their time.”

I couldn’t get my little 10 year old mind around the concept. I was raised by a family of farmers and entrepreneurs. I had never been given the challenge of understanding what it meant to donate your time…until Coaches Phil Bates and Alvin White walked into my life. I spent three wonderful years every fall with these men, learning the basics of football. Some 30 years later I’ve come to discover that each lesson they taught me could be applied to everyday life. I see both of these men on a fairly regular basis and every time I do I make sure to thank them for the time they invested in me as a member of our community.

Progressing through the teenager years I came in contact with more and more volunteers and the concept of helping people without any hopes of monetary return on my time investment. As I became a young man I always made it a priority to find a way to give back to the community that had given so much to me.

When I was asked to write a guest blog for www.LiveUnitedYall.org I immediately started thinking about all of the different volunteers, staff, organizations and groups that come in contact with Metro United Way on a daily basis. Perusing the www.MetroUnitedWay.org website I was floored by all of the Agencies and Partners. I scrolled down the list and came across at least 10 that I’ve had an experience with, on both a personal and professional level.

The late Arthur Ashe said it best…“Success is found in the Journey, not the Destination.”

Our Metro United Way would not be able to achieve the success it has if everyone focused solely on the end result. The core element of helping one another is found in the daily routine of our lives. All of us working together, day in and day out, one foot in front of the other. The wide array of Agencies and Partnerships allow us to create a sum that is greater than its parts…thanks to the vision created and maintained by OUR Metro United Way.

- Lincoln Crum is a professional speaker, writer and 2nd generation entrepreneur based out of the Louisville, KY area.  Lincoln believes first and foremost in the power of positivity and all of the wonderful things it can do for our lives.  Contact Lincoln directly at ReachLincoln.com for information on blog posting and speaking.

Volunteering Community, journey

Today, in continuing with my series about Metro United Way’s staff and our work, we meet Vicki Jewell. Vicki works in our Finance department and is a terrific asset! But don’t take my word for it, listen to Vicki describe her work and accomplishments.

General Community, staff, work

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

By Cindy Lehnert

Can you make a difference? Of course you can! Every day you make a difference in someone’s life. And they make a difference in yours. Surprised? Don’t be. We are all connected in more ways than we know.

Most of us think our lives make sense and there is nothing more to add. We have a career plan, choose a significant other and plan to ride off into the sunset happily ever after. That’s what we dream about while we are growing up isn’t it?

We have the opportunity to do more. All of us do. We have the opportunity to volunteer in our community and make a difference for our neighbors and ourselves. The experience of volunteering can help us to realize the connection we all have to each other. It helps us to understand that change happens on a collective level, a little bit at a time, when people work together. It teaches us that everyone has a skill that they can share and that by working together we can make a difference.

Volunteering not only effects change and improves lives within the community; it changes us and improves our lives. We make connections, meet new people and enrich our relationships. We improve the community we live in and surround ourselves with new ways of viewing humanity. We believe that change is possible. We have faith in ourselves and others. We begin to know that things will continue to improve as long as we press forward a little bit each day.

It doesn’t take a lot. Find a few minutes in your day to do something for the community. Start slow and build. We can all do something.

For information on volunteer opportunities in the Metro Louisville area check out the link below.

http://www.metrounitedway.org/volunteer

Volunteering Community, Volunteer

When I woke up yesterday morning and heard the rain crashing down on the roof and saw how dark it was outside I knew this storm was different from others.  For starters, my 100 lb. dog refused to get out of the bathtub so I could take a shower.  Normally, he’s very brave during storms (i.e. he just hides in the corner behind the bed).  Then when I opened the back door to load up my car like I do every morning before heading to work, I had to turn around and head back inside to change my shoes because our driveway had become a shallow river.  My last clue that disaster was striking was the rising pool of water that I stepped into on the floor board of my car.  My first thought was, “Of course this would happen to me!”  After all, I did just spend my last paycheck getting my brakes fixed.  My next thought was “Thank goodness I’m marrying an insurance agent- He’ll know what to do!” 

While my fiancée assessed the damage to my car yesterday (which turns out will be relatively minor), I kept my eyes glued to the television.   I was relieved that my flooding situation would be manageable, but horrified at the images of cars submerged underneath several feet of water and UofL employees being rescued from campus.  Several of our neighbors have flooded basements, and my fiancée Russ recanted story after story last night of clients of his reporting complete losses of vehicles and equipment and damage to their homes.  I listened to the radio on my way to work this morning about the loss of tens of thousands of books and three bookmobiles at the downtown library!  I realize in hindsight that I am one of the lucky ones.

I guess one could say our community is becoming rather proficient at responding to sudden natural disasters.  Whether its windstorms, ice storms, or rainstorms its amazing to watch my family, co-workers, classmates, and neighbors work together to quickly assess the damage and restore what has been broken.  If I’ve learned anything in the past year, it’s that I live in a community of resilient people who care about one another.

General Community

by Kelly Hutchinson, Donor Relationship Manager

Working at Metro United Way is fun. That’s right, I really did say FUN. Yes, there are many days that are very challenging. It is a workplace with a very diverse and talented pool of driven people who have different personalities and skills while sharing in a collective desire to advance the common good and deliver significant impact and results for our community. As an organization, we seem to keep our individual eyes focused on mutually shared goals and objectives that will move us along in our work and accomplish the most good for our community.

While we are advancing the common good we do find the opportunity to laugh with one another. We celebrate the happy occasions in the lives of our co-workers like the recent and upcoming weddings of several. We are also an extended family that mobilizes and rallies around to help each other when someone experiences the loss of a loved one or a challenge is facing them in their personal life. Did you know we have a resident Birthday Fairy who makes sure that when you come to work on your birthday you are showered with email wishes from peers?

If you have been following along with our blog, then you know that in Resource Development we ring a bell whenever someone from our team wants to share good news. This simple act causes us to pause in our day, share in the good news and inspire each other when we hear how someone has grown the participation in a company campaign, a sponsor has partnered with us, a donor has informed us on their gift, or a company decides to run a campaign for United Way for the first time. We celebrate new members in our Giving Clubs like the Allen Society, Tocqueville, Young Leaders, Red Feather and the Women’s Initiative.

Since this post is about the lighter side at Metro United Way I will let you in on a couple. I have seen a royal blue, foam filled Superhero Suit that is Captain 2-1-1. I have not yet seen a co-worker wearing the suit but I am guessing it is only a matter of time. Or perhaps this is like Clark Kent and one will never know for sure who Captain 2-1-1 is. We have glamorous recognition awards for our Loaned Executives who are so important in our work. We couldn’t do what we do with out our volunteers and during the campaign season Loaned Executives come on board to work in the community. We want to make sure they know they are appreciated and that we celebrate their accomplishments also. So if you see a girl with one Golden Shoe, someone with a Pen the size of a baseball bat, or glitter-laden angel wings on the back of a desk chair, then you may have just passed a Metro United Way award winner who is on the campaign trail.

I hope as you are reading that you may think of some of the silly things that go on in your workplace or of simple ways that you can add a little humor to someone’s day because, life is really just too short to not learn how to roll with the punches, have a good time while doing some hard work and to flash your pearly whites and share a smile with those you work with.

If you need a little inspiration to help you loosen up your funny bone then you are encouraged to join us for a fun night out? Join us in your LIVE UNITED t shirt –or whatever shirt you like—we will host a night out at the Comedy Caravan in Louisville on July 30^th at 8 pm. It is a fundraising benefit for our employee campaign and each $8 ticket sold will benefit Metro United Way. RSVP by July 26^th via email to kelly.hutchinson@metrounitedway.org if you would like to get tickets. It would be great to see our event filled with YOU, our friends of Metro United Way who make a difference in our community by giving and volunteering.  There are simply too many people in our community right now that are struggling and that is no laughing matter.  But…the Metro United Way Comedy Caravan Fundraiser with Russ Nagel will be something to laugh about! Can you join us?

Events, General, Giving, Volunteering awards, Common good, Community, donor groups, Volunteer, workplace morale

Recently I was looking at some scrapbooking supplies and I ran across a package of stickers with various words on them. When I read them, I was struck by the wisdom in them and I couldn’t help but think how surprising it is where we sometimes find the reminders we need to put our lives back into perspective. Who would have thought stickers in a craft store would have had an impact on me that day?

I took a few minutes to take those words and put them into sentences that meant something to me. I would like to share them with you. Here are my scrapbooking words of wisdom.

Always remember to …

• Be thankful for what you have.
• Learn as much as you can.
• Listen to what the world has to say.
• Wonder what could be.
• Love what you do.
• Believe change is possible.
• Share what you have.
• Wish for more to share.
• Dream bigger.
• Imagine the impossible.
• Trust that you can.
• Hope for a better tomorrow.
• Care about the people you meet.
• Work harder than you think you need to.
• Laugh at yourself.
• Dance when you can’t dance anymore.
• Stand up and be proud.
• Sing when you want to be silent.
• Whisper when you want to shout.
• Pray for strength and serenity.
• Try harder than ever before.
• Play a part in the whole.
• Smile as often as possible.
• Cherish your friends and family.

And always be who you are.

You are someone special.

I challenge you to make a list of your own and share it. I’d love to see it.

Photo credit:  lars hammar

General Community, learning