LIVE UNITED Y’All!

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

Remember the fabulous group of people who volunteered in September 2008 to assist the elderly, homebound and disabled remove storm debris due to “Hurricane Ike” in September 2008?  They were called the “Wind Warriors” and the handled over 900 phone calls and assisted over 623 households.  They were true “hometown heroes!”

Well, we need to assemble a team of “Ice Warrior” volunteers due to the recent ice storm.

Phone Bank Volunteers Needed

In partnership with Metro Government, KY VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster), Metro United Way has been asked to coordinate a Storm Debris Assistance phone bank.  The phone bank will receive two types of calls:

• For individuals/teams who want to volunteer to assist in storm debris removal
• For elderly, homebound or disabled to call in to request help in clearing their yards from the ice storm tree damage.

Volunteers are needed to answer phones & help with other duties:

• Time: 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. (or whenever you can arrive until 8:00 p.m.)
• Days: Tuesday, February 10th; Wednesday, February 11th; Thursday, February 12th
• Location: Metro United Way, 334 E. Broadway - Corner of Preston and Broadway; Parking behind the building
• Task: Follow script and fill in simple form from those who need help or those who want to help.
• To volunteer to answer calls, please contact Mary Sullivan at 502.292.6154.

Debris Clean Up Volunteers

If you can’t help on the calls, but would like to form a team to help in the clean up, we need you as well.

Volunteers will not be removing tree limbs from roofs or removing tree limbs hanging in trees. You will be cleaning tree limbs and branches from the ground and moving them to the curb or other appropriate locations. Volunteer your help.

I want to Donate to help.

Metro United Way is making a special request for donations in support of the additional emergency food, shelter, transportation and medical needs that have surfaced as a result of the ice storm.

Click this link to donate now.

Photo credit: sixsteps

Giving, Volunteering Community, community service, emergency, ice storm, KY VOAD, Louisville, recovery, Volunteer

I am struck by the growing sense of possibility for personal, community and national brighter futures that is emerging as the inauguration approaches. Very many people seem to believe that the opportunity for institutions, including government, to change for the better is more real than it has been in many years.

At the same time and perhaps more importantly, large numbers of people also believe that institutions by themselves, including government, will not be able to create the neighborhoods, communities, and the nation for which we long. For that to happen, it will take a vast outpouring of commitment and participation in creating better neighborhoods, schools, communities, workplaces, etc. Many of us who want things to be better, are willing to become committed and active in working toward the common good.

And the largest and strongest group ready to make that commitment and become active participants are the young people in their twenties. They are aching for a way to make a life of making a difference.

Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) have introduced S. 3487, The Serve America Act. A major legislative initiative to expand and improve domestic and international service opportunities, the bill will recruit Americans of all ages to do service work in health, education, environmental protection and anti-poverty programs. S. 3487 will expand opportunities for people to serve their communities at every stage of life, from students and working adults to retirees. The original cosponsors include both presidential candidates, Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Barack Obama (D-IL), as well as Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), and Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT).

Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter makes a compelling case in his column, “Don’t Muffle the Call to Serve” in the January 10, 2009, issue. According to Alter, national service should be part of the next economic stimulus package proposed by the Obama administration.

“Consider this: for 1 percent of the stimulus, about $7 billion, Obama could create 8 percent of the 3 million new jobs he has promised. Those 250,000 new national-service slots would simultaneously fulfill his campaign pledge to young people. And with 15 years of scandal-free AmeriCorps apparatus in place, service jobs can be established with Rooseveltian speed, an important criteria for inclusion in the stimulus. At about $20,000 each, AmeriCorps jobs are also much less expensive than those in construction.

“The other standard Obama has wisely applied to the package is that every dollar spent should help the country long-term… Service develops the talents of those who perform it as well as those they help. It changes lives. And communitarian thinking is contagious. Each year, AmeriCorps’s 75,000 full-time members leverage another 1.7 million volunteers.”

Seems like a bargain to me.

Advocacy, Education, General, Health, Income, Volunteering Common good, Obama, recovery, service