Posted August 12th, 2008 by admin
So what does that really mean, anyway? It means that after 80 years of charitable work in the Treasure Valley, United Way has figured out what it really takes to make lasting change.
We know that a safety net for basic human needs, food, shelter, freedom from violence, will always need to be there, but it’s not good enough to put our community resources this far down the line—it is far better to help people before they need crisis services. We work for real change through programs that address the root causes of need, making a significant shift towards solving a complex problem and resulting in lasting impact. It’s not how many meals we can fund at a shelter, it’s how to help those people get out of the shelter and back on their feet.
We do this through work in three areas: helping children and youth achieve their potential through education, promotion of income stability and financial independence, and promotion of health and wellness, including substance abuse detox and mental health crisis services.
Investing in lasting solutions is smart. For more information about our work in the areas of education, income or health, click here.
Posted August 10th, 2008 by admin
In 2006, Money Magazine ranked Boise, Idaho the eighth “Best Place to Live” in America. In that same year, Idaho was ranked as the eighth hungriest state in the county.
In 2007, Boise was named one of the “100 Best Cities for Children” by America’s Promise. And yet 17 percent of children born in Idaho are born into poverty.
Idahoans built nearly 68,000 new homes since 2001; the 12.8 percent increase was the seventh highest in the nation. And yet there are an estimated 2,000-3,000 homeless people in Boise.
What’s going on here?
We recognized a serious and growing disconnect between those enjoying a high quality of life in the Treasure Valley and those who are struggling to get by. So why is that?
We started talking to people–all kinds of people. We asked them what they knew, what they saw and what, if anything, they wanted to do about this livability gap. Occasionally we would hear how lucky we were to live in a place like Boise, where “there weren’t any of the problems you see in big cities, like hunger of homelessness.”
We discovered that people wanted to do something they just didn’t know what or how or where. Also no surprise, whatever the what, how, where was, it had to be something that could be worked into a life full of jobs, kids, school, commuting; the stuff of life. What we needed was a perspective commitment, not a time commitment. We had to get people out there on the front lines of need, so that they could see it firsthand. The story tells itself; we just had to give people a chance to hear it. It was the perfect example of how United Way could bring people together to address issues in our community.
Thus was born the United Way Direct Impact Response Team, (D.I.R.T.)
DIRT is a loose knit group of volunteers who give one lunch hour a month to volunteer at a project that is dirty or otherwise difficult to recruit help for.
There are only three criteria for DIRT projects:
1. They help people
2. There’s an opportunity for education
3. The project is considered undesirable or too difficult for traditional volunteer groups
Anyone can come and everyone is welcome. The format makes it easy for people—all people, to do a little something that takes them out of their daily routine and into the community to places they may not otherwise see. It is a chance to gain a different perspective on our community, without a large time commitment that might thwart their inclination to do something.
Founding DIRT Clod, Holly Sue Kerns, said this about getting DIRTy:
Holly Sue Kerns, Founding DIRT Clod
“What I love the most about DIRT is that I have gotten to work with so many different types of people in our community and have had such a great time doing it. I have worked with many non-profits in the past and have gotten a bad taste in my mouth because I felt like I was caught up in red tape and meetings–never really feeling like I actually helped someone. With DIRT I see the end result of what I am doing and who I am helping. I just love it.”
Wanna get DIRTy? Sign up here: www.dirtclods.com
Posted August 2nd, 2008 by admin
By Kylie Poppen, Junior, Riverstone International School United Way Intern
Every student looks forward to Spring Break – a week long recess from school. Some schools affectionately call it “slack week.” But this last spring break, nearly seventy high school students passed on slacking and decided to make a difference instead.
This was the first year for “Break Through.” Break Through is an alternative Spring Break option for volunteer students throughout the Treasure Valley, combining meaningful service learning projects with lots of fun. I was one of the four students who had the opportunity to serve on the Steering Committee for Break Through this past year.
Building benches during Alternative Spring Break
Last October, Neva Geisler, the United Way Volunteer Center Director, challenged us to put together a project that would persuade students to give up part of their Spring Break to work – to help others and build community. After brainstorming project ideas, we decided to partner with the Original Gangster’s Basic Academy of Development.
OGsBAD, is not exactly what it might sound like. It is an alternative school in Nampa that provides youth at risk of gang involvement with positive alternatives through tutoring, job training, recreational activities, and just plain caring. Steve and Paula Terrano and Bob LaChance are the leaders of OGsBAD and worked closely with us in developing the project.
Nelson Henderson, an author, once said: “The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” Both selfless giving and plants played a major role in our project.
OGsBAD had purchased the entire lot surrounding its building. It was a city block of mostly sand, dirt, and rocks. OGsBAD vision, and our goal for Break Through, was to transform that empty lot into a place where OGsBAD students, the neighborhood, and the community could come together.
We spent several months of intense planning, mapping, and fundraising for the project. And in the end, we exceeded our goals. Nearly seventy students from at least eight different area high schools and some of the students from OGsBAD participated in the two-day event.
Together with the kids from OGsBAD, we created a 300 foot pathway across the property complete with trees, bushes, rock and bark. We put in a sand volleyball court, built benches for the path and courts, removed some walls in the building for further renovation, and painted a giant mural on an interior wall.
Break Through was not just hard labor though. On the night between the two days of, we were hosted by the neighborhood for an authentic Mexican dinner and learned how to dance the salsa. But, the student volunteers agreed that probably the most important part of Break Through was the learning component. After the first day, three young people who attend OGsBAD told us about their experiences with gangs, their struggles to achieve a better life, and the positive impact of OGsBAD programs.
The Break Through project was a very successful combination of community service, learning, and fun. With the projects we completed, OGsBAD is already taking shape as a real community spot. Student volunteers said that they really enjoyed the project, that it ended way too soon, and that they can’t wait for next year’s project.
View more images on Flickr
