On December 3rd, United Way held an Investment Volunteer Reception at Beside Bardenay to celebrate the kickoff of this process. The event, sponsored by Intermountain Community Bank, was attended by United Way Staff, Board members, and volunteers who will commit their time over the next few months to ensure that these funds are invested in quality programs.
Over 80 volunteers will review grant applications, attend site visits and engage in discussions with non-profit leaders in the Treasure Valley. To see a complete list of programs that have applied for funding, visit 2010-11 Grant Applicants (PDF).
The volunteers’ funding recommendations will be made to United Way of Treasure Valley’s Community Impact Council, which presents the recommendations to the Board of Directors in March, 2010.
Community leaders from across the valley raised shovels Tuesday to officially break ground on the long-awaited Substance Abuse and Mental Health Crisis Center in Boise. The new facility is scheduled to open its doors March 1, 2010.
“After years of constructive conversation, I’m proud to announce that we now have construction – and as important as conversation can be, in this case construction is what is needed,” Mayor David Bieter said. “The ground we break today represents a new and necessary addition to our services – not only for those in need in our community, but also for taxpayers who expect those services to be delivered in a cost-effective manner.”
The 9,200-square-foot facility will extend emergency sobering services, detoxification services, and mental health crisis services to Boise Valley residents in need. The facility is planned to provide a sobering station, 12 beds for detoxification and eight beds for mental health crisis.
Construction cost of the facility is estimated at $2.7 million, with an annual operating budget of $1.8 million. The facility will be owned and maintained by the Boise City/Ada County Housing Authority.
Other funding partners include United Way of Treasure Valley, Region IV Mental Health Board, the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation, Boise City/Ada County Housing Authority, Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center, and the Community Detox Coalition. Additional construction funding was provided through federal funds brought home by Idaho’s Congressional Delegation.
450 pounds of pancake mix, 2,250 pieces of bacon, 150 gallons of coffee and the first ever Celebrity Flip Off Competition was a recipe for success for the Community Campaign Kick Off! Thanks, Treasure Valley, for coming out and showing your support of our community. And thanks to our sponsors, Simplot, Albertsons/SUPERVALU and KTVB Channel 7, for helping make this event possible!
Last Friday, United Way hosted some 50 volunteers for an interactive experience “living” in the state of poverty. In a simulated community, participants played the role of a family member. These families faced various situations from a single parent who loses a job to being a homeless senior citizen, and were forced to confront how they would survive. The simulation was followed up by a brief, but eye-opening look at poverty in the Treasure Valley, facilitated by UW Impact Council Member Jim Owens.
It’s difficult to really know what it is like to experience another person’s reality, especially when that reality entails crisis, but the poverty simulation gave everyone pause. Here’s one volunteer’s reaction–from Lauren Moore, branch manager for US Bank, and former United Way Loaned Executive:
This simulation was more “real” than I thought it would be. My “family” behaved just as the simulation instructed them, which made the real life challenges of a struggling teen, a single mom, and an juvenile stuck in the middle a scary reality. I feel extreme sadness about the poverty situation in the Treasure Valley, now more than ever, and my heart truly goes out to those people struggling financially and emotionally. The key is education and support, and there aren’t enough resources available yet. All I have to say is, “Push Onward, Soldiers!!”
Ada County Commissioner Sharon Ullman attended and shared her experience on her blog, saying:
Although I have some background with these issues, I still found the process to be educational, from the perspective of truly understanding what life can be like for people who are living in poverty.
To hear more about Commissioner Ullman’s experience, visit her blog.
The poverty simulation is a powerful tool that provides a glimpse into the complexities of poverty, and can be facilitated by UW staff and volunteers. If you are interested in hosting a poverty simulation please contact Kathy Wold, VP of Resource Development, at kwold@unitedwaytv.org.
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About United Way of Treasure Valley
United Way of Treasure Valley advances the common good by focusing on education, income and health. These are the building blocks for a good life -- a quality education that leads to a stable job, enough income to support a family through retirement, and good health. Our goal is to create long-lasting changes that prevent problems from happening in the first place. We invite everyone to be part of the change. Together, united, we can inspire hope and create opportunities for a better tomorrow.
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