LIVE UNITED Y’All!

If you were to close your eyes and think about your ideal place to live, what would come to mind?  For some of us, it would be a cottage on a beach where it was warm all year long.  For others, it would be living in the mountains or on several acres out in the country.  But let’s think about living here in the Louisville area.  We’ve already got a lot of things that make living here good: museums and the arts, sports, beautiful parks, entertainment, top-notch health care, plenty of shopping and restaurants, the Ohio River, colleges and universities, and the Derby, to name a few. 

But let’s dare to dream even bigger.  What other things would we want in our ideal metropolitan area?  How about if every child was wanted and loved, kept safe, and was given every chance to develop his/her mind and talents?  What if marriages were strong and loving and couples received the coaching and guidance they needed to make their marriage healthy and vibrant?  What if every older adult was loved and given the resources he/she needed to remain as independent as possible for as long as possible?  And when that was no longer possible, that they would be assured of having people around them who cared well for them and helped them to maintain their dignity.

Wouldn’t it be great to live in a community where people who have physical and mental disabilities were accepted as equals and where their human worth would be valued?  Imagine a place where animals were cared for and wouldn’t live their lives chained or caged or neglected or abused.  How about living in a place where people took seriously their responsibility to tread lightly on the earth so that future generations would have a healthy and beautiful place to live?  Would you like to live in a place where everyone who wanted to further their education had the ability to do so?  What if we lived in a place where everyone who wanted a job had one, and that job paid a living wage so that everyone could afford decent housing and could provide a reasonable standard of living for themselves and their family?

To quote John Lennon, “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”  Together, we can bring this city and the surrounding area closer to our ideal vision.  But in order to build a place that better suits the needs of everyone, we need everyone’s voice and everyone’s help.  So speak up.  What does your ideal community look like?

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Over the past few months my friends seem to ask me more and more how this organization can survive in this economy or whether there is any way that we can continue to provide many of our services to the community. To the surprise of my more pessimistic friends, typically my response is not the gloom and doom response that most expect in the current climate. People who do not work in non-profits or who do not work in the human and social services sector often times don’t understand. Of course we will survive, we don’t have any other choice.

While I would never dream of denying the challenges that our organization is going to face in the very near future, I am excited and invigorated by those same challenges. In order for any organization to survive, non-profit or otherwise, it must be flexible, willing to grow, and show an aptitude for innovation.  These are all qualities that Metro United Way has shown even in times of flourishing economies. Yes, we could sit back and say there is no way that we can continue to do what we do in the present climate, but I personally feel that would be the easy way out and completely irresponsible. It is my belief that in times of great challenge there is also great opportunity for those who are willing to seize it. This great community that we live in, I believe, is one of the most empathetic and caring in the nation, and now more than ever those “less fortunate” in our community need us — all of us. Now is our time to shine!

This year United Ways across the United States have adopted a new call to action, Live United. How does one Live United you may ask? Well, by Giving, Advocating, and Volunteering.

Give! We are in the home stretch of closing our 2008 Campaign, and our goal is within sight, but we still need your help. If you are able and would like to give please contact a Donor Relations staff member by calling the Metro United Way offices at (502) 583-2821 or going to our website.

Advocate! Tell others how you Live United and what you do to support the caring power of our community.

Volunteer! Share your time and talents with those who truly are in need. Again please visit our website for a list of possible volunteer opportunities.

And remember, “Together we are bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions.” (President Barack Obama)

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