Posted December 29th, 2009 by admin
Each year, funds from United Way of Treasure Valley’s Community Fund are invested in programs and initiatives that impact in our community in three areas: Education, Income and Health.
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.
Posted August 4th, 2009 by admin
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.
Posted August 19th, 2008 by admin
By Betty Sims, United Way Impact Council Member
I retired from Micron Technology several years ago and began casting about for an interesting and meaningful volunteer activity. While my husband and I had both been United Way contributors during our work lives, the organization dropped off the radar screen when we retired, and I simply followed up on an item in the newspaper about their need for volunteers.
In short order I was introduced to the staff, the mission and their style of doing business and was immediately impressed with the quality of professionalism and commitment of the staff, but of equal importance their ability to live “frugally”. I learned a critical piece of information: their administrative costs are covered by separate donations, so that every dollar contributed during their annual campaign goes directly to agencies and people who need it. This looked like an organization I wanted to give time and money to.
I became part of the team of volunteers whose task is to visit the agencies which have applied for funds, sort through all of the requests and finally recommend how campaign contributions are to be distributed. Now I began to see the hard part – not enough money for all the worthwhile requests. Once again, I was impressed with the leadership of United Way’s staff, committed to helping those in crisis, but ultimately working with the community to find lasting solutions.
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.
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