UNITED WAY RALLIES AROUND FEBRUARY GOAL
United Way of Monroe County is rallying the community between now and February 28th to “Raise Your Hand. Join the Community Challenge!” The Campaign Cabinet has set a goal for the final month of raising $70,000 to help meet the most critical needs in our community.
United Way donors are pivotal in the fight to ensuring low- and moderate-income people have opportunities to improve their lives. Last year over 5,000 received emergency and preventive medical care at no or low-cost; more than 1,100 people – 68% of them children – participated in mental health services; 3,000 at-risk community members – 40% of them children, seniors, or people with disabilities – were provided housing assistance; 400 at-risk people were assisted with budgeting and money management skills; nearly 4,500 children took part in mentoring relationships or high-quality after-school programs; 27,000 hours of tutoring were provided to youth; and 94% of high school seniors in mentoring programs at United Way member agencies graduated on time with a plan for their future.
In order to continue sustained support for these and many other life-changing services, a team of Community Champions, led by United Way’s 2018-2019 Cabinet Chair Isabel Santner, will join Cabinet Members in reaching out to individuals and businesses. An online giving campaign and personal appeals will make responding to this invitation easy and seamless.
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UPDATES:
Feb. 22: The donations of $2,964 made this week can provide nearly 200 hours of legal services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse and human trafficking, as well as a full day of nutritious food to all those in emergency shelter through member agency Middle Way House.
Why does that matter? Domestic violence, sexual abuse, and human trafficking can affect all people. When there are not enough resources, survivors' requests for a safe place to live, legal representation, counseling, and other supportive services go tragically unmet -- countless times in a single day.
In Indiana, last years survivors made 142 requests for services on a given day -- including emergency shelter, housing, transportation, child care, legal representation, and more -- that could not be provided because programs did not have the resources to provide these services.
Feb. 8 & Feb. 15: The donations of $7,930 made these past two weeks can provide 15 individuals with full dentures through member agency Volunteers in Medicine, in addition to covering the costs of Insurance Enrollment Assistance Cards which United Way prints and distributes to help connect people with insurance options
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United Way of Monroe County Executive Director Efrat Feferman shared awed appreciation for those who so passionately bring together friends, neighbors, workplaces, and colleagues to stand up and say “these things matter to us. Our community matters.” She continued, “For over 60 years United Way has helped to build a strong safety net and pathways of opportunity for our community. Although charitable funding was predicted to be lower this past year and other events impacted giving levels, rather than accepting this as is, we’re sending out the rally call to the community to step-up and support the vulnerable among us.”
United Way of Monroe County’s mission is to fight for the education, financial stability, and essential needs of every person in our community. United Way impacts the life of one in three local residents. Funds raised today make a direct and real difference on the people in our neighborhoods, at our schools, at the grocery store, and our workplaces.
Cabinet Member Derek Fields, Director of Pharmacy Services at IU Health described a recent interaction with an employee of the hospital while he was engaged in a fundraising event to support the campaign. “Recently during our local campaign, I was speaking with one of our staff,” Fields explains. “He came to the booth to make a donation and told me his story about when he was homeless and how United Way helped him get back on his feet. United Way’s focus on essentials was a key factor for him as he gained stability and eventually employment here at IU Health. For me, that just brought it full circle. Being a board member, being a donor, and now having a connection with someone who had a chance to make that change.”
Santner added “We thank each and every individual and business who have pledged support. These funds support tangible things: warm meals and bags of groceries, nights of safe shelter, medical appointments and prescriptions, treatment through a recovery program, affordable childcare or after-school care, job training programs for individuals living with a disability, or home repairs for our aging neighbors, among other things.”
In addition to this collaborative network, United Way of Monroe County also supports the information and referral resource, 2-1-1, to assure people can connect with the help they need, and a host of other resources for early childhood education and parental engagement, financial literacy and economic stability, and collaborations such as the Nonprofit Alliance to strengthen capacity of area nonprofits, Monroe Smart Start to increase access to high-quality learning opportunities for young children, and the Financial Stability Alliance which supports the Free Community Tax Service, Financial Coaching, Bank on Bloomington, and an array of services and materials related to financial literacy and economic stability.
“Our fight to ensure that services for our most vulnerable are maintained in the year ahead of us is not over,“ Feferman affirmed. “A few workplace efforts are still underway including IU Health Bloomington Hospital and Hoosier Energy, but we are asking the entire community to please raise your hand and do what you can.”
Final results will be shared at the annual campaign celebration on March 28, where participating volunteers, individuals, and businesses will also be recognized.
To raise your hand and join the Community Challenge donate online (www.monroeunitedway.org/givenow) or drop off a check or cash contribution at 431 S. College Ave., Bloomington, Ind. 47403. Other ways to give include payroll deduction for those involved with workplace giving campaigns, gifts of stock, and automatic checking withdrawal.
