LIVE UNITED Y’All!

By Kelly Hutchinson, Donor Relationship Manager

You know the old saying…March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. I can still picture this phrase on colorful bulletin boards lining the elementary school hallway. You saw this saying when you were a kid too didn’t you?   I think this is why “weather” is fueling my thought process this time of year. Nothing draws your attention to a barometer, thermometer and a 7 day Outlook more than a change of seasons.

There is a strong nor’easter blowing down the hallways at Metro United Way and it all has to do with the “big picture”.  What’s the Big Picture you ask?  Well I will tell you…it is EDUCATION.

If you have spent anytime here at Live United Y’all then you know we are all wrapped up, we are all tied up, we are all tangled up in education-and we are all wrapped up, tied up and tangled up in education -because it is precisely the key to pre-empting the storms of life and thereby improving the opportunities for health and income stability for everyone in our community.

Yes, it will be the same blue skies, a warm and sunny forecast for me, for you, for that guy working in the cubicle down the way, and for the kid up the street -when you look at how getting an education affects the big picture. Oh sure, there will be storms in life for all of us. You can count on that. But, you will be ready, resourceful and have some shelter from the storms of life.

Education is linked to better physical and mental health, longer lives, fewer crimes, less incarceration, more voting, greater tolerance, and brighter prospects for our next generation. More education is good for individuals who stay in school to earn a high school degree or who enter and graduate college, but it is also good for all of us, paying big dividends in the form of increased civic engagement, neighborhood safety, and a healthy, vibrant democracy.

Now it’s your turn. Try your hand at predicting the weather where you live first to see what you learn.  Now you can check out what expert forecasters have to say here. What do you think? Is it Cloudy with a chance of Optimism? Are brighter days ahead?  Or are we going to be in for one wild ride when the next gust of pressure blows in?

Advocacy, Education, General Common good, Education, Metro United Way, opportunity

by Chris Locke

Here we are, roughly three weeks into the New Year, and some of us have already started to falter on our ambitious 2011 New Year’s Resolutions. You know the ones where we swear to do exponential numbers of crunches, push-ups, sit-ups and to run miles in our beautiful regional parks. We vow to eat differently, be a little nicer, become a little wiser, and act a little more stately when we get upset. We promise to pinch a least one or two more pennies, and learn at least one new thing a week so we’ll be more engaging during social chats.

Well, my endorsement of these sorts of aspirations does not necessarily solidify the fate of the aforementioned list getting deemed as great things to aspire to, but what “reasonable” person would see any of them as bad things in which to aspire?.

So when we turn to look at what it takes to accomplish our resolutions, things can begin to get a little tricky. Often, by the end of January many of us start to adjust our thinking a little as we lower the “resolution bar” a notch or two. All the while thinking… this is too much!  So, we begin to rationalize about the beauty of achieving  just one of the lofty sorts of resolutions listed above.

Consequently, over the course of the last couple of weeks ,I have thought about resolutions a little more than usual and how Metro United Way has revealed our resolutions for 2011 and beyond. I thought about Metro United Way’s 2011 resolutions along side my personal resolutions and I am excited about the fact that one of our goals focuses on achieving the same outcome: supporting education success.

Two weeks ago, I received a generous invitation from a middle school to be a part of an effort to motivate students for the second part of the school year.  In seizing the opportunity, I had the pleasure of speaking to over 1200 students at Noe Middle School about developing their own personal vision to victory in education and life, and how having a personal vision for success can give students a reason for giving just one degree of extra effort towards being successful in school, getting prepared for college, work and life.

So consider this bold resolution: By 2018, 87% of students in the Metro United Way region will graduate on time. Pretty ambitious huh! Sure, it will certainly require a deliberate commitment with specific actions steps to inspire every young person to value success in school and to work with our entire community to create a college going culture.

With Metro United Way’s resolution in mind, I am proud and privileged to report that as we near the end of January, one of my personal resolutions remains intact, and I am happy to say that I am contributing to helping Metro United Way meet one of its resolutions. I think with hard work, dedication, and commitment from all of us together, Metro United Way’s bold resolutions can be achieved. Let’s move forward in 2011, with the dream that ALL of our resolutions are achieved, but with the determination and commitment to fulfill a very important one: working together to better all of our children, youth and our community

Advocacy, Education Common good, community service, Education, High School Graduation, opportunity, success, youth

By Christopher Locke

Wow, it’s that time of the year again! A time when young people of all ages have visions of cartoon-covered backpacks, reams of three-hole, loose leaf paper and bounties of yellow Number 2 pencils dancing in their heads… Which means it’s indeed time for school! With the return to school and visions in mind, I’m reminded of a Henry David Thoreau quote that says “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”

And while most parents and adults in the community are expectedly looking at purchasing items like sports and band uniforms, instruments, or even lab supplies to support their children’s education success in the classroom and school– a lot of well-meaning and caring adults have been spending a lot of time creating a compelling child-centered, community-based vision for young people to be successful outside the classroom and school. These caring adults and young people were callers, conveners and participants in a community effort called the Youth Vision. It was exciting to participate and witness the process of developing a vision that the community can be proud of that will also mobilize us to action.

The community response to an invitation from a group of youth development and education experts convened by Metro United Way to come and share their thoughts on youth success was overwhelming. When all the conversations were complete, 36 community conversations had taken place with residents from 30 of the 32 zip codes in the Louisville Metro area, from 11 other Kentucky zip codes and from 3 Southern Indiana County zip codes. The participant demographics revealed that the conversations had attracted broad and diverse participation from community residents interested in young people.

And as Thoreau said, they looked at some things. In fact, the participants looked at a long list of depressing challenges that often impede many young people’s paths to educational success.

• 1 in 4 freshman entering 9^th grade in JCPS don’t graduate on time and in four years with their peers.
• 65% of JCPS students are on free and reduced lunch.
• Worse still, last year JCPS reports that 10,500 students were classified as homeless.

In all three cases, a disproportionate number of the students are African American and Latino.

But again, like Thoreau wisely recommended, the community residents participating in the youth vision conversations did not get mired in pessimism. No, instead, this spirited group, led by Metro United Way and Metro Government, decided that the callers and the residents see what matters. So the optimists flipped the deficit-based reality that many of our students and families deal with everyday on its head and decided to engage resident voices in the process by asking three strengths or asset-based questions.

• Think about a young person in your life…What are your hopes and wishes for their success?
• What helps a young person be successful?
• If you could waive a magic wand, how would our community look different if ALL youth were succeeding?

After over 500 people had answered, the compelling Youth Vision emerged.

Louisville Youth…

• Have the skills and education to be self reliant, healthy, engaged and economically thriving.
• Have hope and show strength of character to achieve their goals, follow their dreams, respect others and contribute to bettering their community and world.
• Live in a caring community where everyone values, supports, invests in and fights for their success.

It sounds  pretty compelling to me, and we hope you agree! What are some of your ideas for our community’s youth? Would you be willing to act in creative ways to bring this vision to life in the community? How?

Advocacy, Education, General back to school, Children, Community, Education, future, High School Graduation, kindergarten, making a difference, Metro United Way, opportunity, parenting, Southern Indiana, students, success, youth, youth development, Youth Vision

By Jan Sherrell

I’m not a big talker. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve usually got an opinion and am ready to offer it up, but in the grand scheme of things I can be very succinct when I speak. Okay, some might call it curt. I think I learned it from my dad. Dad was very direct, not a lot of chat, and to the point. Hurt my feelings a lot of times now that I mention it, but that is another topic.

I’m working on getting a little chattier, to listen better and encourage others to voice their opinions. But still, sometimes when the phone rings, I’m tempted to let the machine get it. Maybe the caller can just leave me a message and I can save that 10 minutes of my life for peace and quiet.

Maybe I over think things – especially for the more difficult conversations. Do you ever rehearse the conversations in your head? You’ve got the perfect script all worked out and when the moment arises for you to have that conversation it ends up with a muttered, “um I’m here if you need me, you know…if you ever do” or “um, I thought you were going to call me…..I waited for you….” Yep, I told them didn’t I?

I recently had some tough work conversations. I literally wrote down my thoughts and ordered them logically. It helped me make sure I covered what I needed to and helped me think through my word choices. Knowing my “to the point” nature it also allowed me to make sure I fully fleshed out my thoughts. The conversation went well. I felt better after addressing that tough conversation.

You know sometimes just showing the effort, making a pitch, be it inadequate or not, the attempt was made to open that conversation. Go ahead and take that phone call and use the “oh, the pizza guy is here, I have to go” line if the conversation runs too long. Extend a hand to someone even when you don’t exactly know what to say. Begin those difficult conversations, you can always go back and use your practiced speech the next time if the first time doesn’t work out.

Humans need that interaction. Offer a smile to a neighbor or coworker or youth and sharpen your social skills with some friendly small talk. Or really get your nerve up and broach the subject that has been on your mind, but do it kindly with good intentions, you don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings.

What is your way of dealing with tough conversations? How’s that working for you?

General Community, make change, opportunity

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

By Kate McNatt

Metro United Way wants to thank all the kind folks at General Electric, who just donated 4,600 portable space heaters to people in need during these cold winter months. Metro United Way will be the leader in distributing the space heaters, and the Salvation Army, a Metro United Way agency, is going to serve as the distribution site.

There are two opportunities to get involved (see below).  Volunteers will be handling boxes of heaters and should be able to lift up to 36 lbs.  Boxes may be dusty or dirty so please dress accordingly.  If you can help, please call Patty Belden at 502-292-6152 or email patty.belden@metrounitedway.org.  As always, thanks for your support!

Thursday January 14th – Distribution to Agencies

Location: Salvation Army

6709 Preston Highway

Louisville, KY 40219

Shift A: 1:00pm – 3:00pm         Volunteers Needed = 6

Shift B: 3:00pm – 5:00pm         Volunteers Needed = 6

Shift C: 5:00pm – 7:00pm         Volunteers Needed = 6

Friday January 15^th – Distribution to Agencies

Location: Salvation Army

6709 Preston Highway

Louisville, KY 40219

Shift A:  8:00am – 10:00am      Volunteers Needed = 6

Shift B: 10:00am – 12:00pm     Volunteers Needed = 6

Shift C: 12:00pm – 2:00pm       Volunteers Needed = 6

Events, General, Volunteering Community, Live United, making a difference, opportunity, Volunteer

By David Caldwell

I’ve never been a big fan of New Year’s resolutions. I always figured that if you really want to make a change in your life you should just do it – don’t wait for a “special” day to make it happen. That changed for me last year.

Since college I’ve been a non-smoker…sort of. I’ve always been that guy who might have a pack of cigarettes in his truck while he tells you he doesn’t smoke. I know how horrible the habit is for your health – I saw the black lung in science class too. I know how addictive the practice is – my dad smoked for 30 plus years. None of that ever stopped me from “kinda” smoking. I justified it to myself because I wasn’t a “real” smoker. I just smoked when I drank, or was really stressed, or it was Tuesday – you know, just a little. I was the familiar stranger in the smokers’ circle.

As the ball drops this year, I’ll be kissing my sweetheart with smoke-free breath, and celebrating 365 days without a cigarette. My goal is a lot more years of the same, but for now I’ll celebrate the first one.

So what are you resolving to do this year? If you haven’t quite decided, let me make a suggestion. Make a resolution to make a difference in the life of a child.

You could donate some books to the child care center down the street. You could volunteer to teach an art activity at your child’s school. You could find a way to be a role model for the kids across town and across the street that need a few more caring adults in their lives. You could write a check to your favorite child focused agency. You could call your legislator and tell them to make children more of a priority when they make decisions.

Think about all you’ll have to celebrate after a year of working to improve the life of a child. If you want to give, advocate, or volunteer, you can visit our website. If you want a few more ideas or some help in making your resolution a reality, let me know. Have a wonderful holiday, and ring in the New Year in a meaningful way!

Photo Credit: maxxtraffic

Advocacy, Giving, Volunteering Children, Live United, making a difference, opportunity, Volunteer

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

Tell your friends, family and coworkers to stop by ANY Buckhead Mountain Grill location, for lunch or dinner, for a special Metro United Way Day on Tuesday, October 13th. If you bring in the flyer, 20% of proceeds will benefit Metro United Way

Take the night off and enjoy great food – I am especially a fan of the fried green tomatoes and buffalo chili.

To participate, you need to bring the flyer for this event.  (Only one flyer per table required – Flyers may not be distributed on property. Fliers may be photocopied to share.)

Visit Buckhead’s website to find locations! And Thanks for supporting Metro United Way!!!

Giving Event, Giving, opportunity

By now you may have seen the video of Susan Boyle, the contestant on the TV show “Britain’s Got Talent.”   This uncool, plain-looking, middle-aged Scottish woman sang “I Dreamed A Dream” from the musical Les Miserables and earned a standing ovation from the audience and the judges.  Despite the fact that her appearance inspired rolling eyes and derision when she took her place on the stage, she evoked gasps and cheers when she broke into song and her voice soared.  Millions of people have watched the video of her audition on YouTube, have watched it over and over again with tears in their eyes.

Why are we so surprised that such a sublime gift could reside in a plain package?  Haven’t we learned by now that everyone has gifts and talents to share with the world?  How often do we discount people thinking they have nothing to offer when, with the right opportunity and encouragement, they may blossom into a more fully-realized person.  Ordinary people are capable of doing extraordinary things when given the opportunity.

Not all of us are blessed with a beautiful singing voice, but each of us has one or more gifts that the world around us desperately needs.  Reach out to our community this week and share your gifts with the rest of us, and encourage and appreciate the gifts you recognize in the people around you.  Remember, the most amazing gifts may come in the most unassuming of packages.

General Community, gift, opportunity, sharing, surprises, talent