Posted September 12th, 2008 by admin
Posted by Neva Geisler, Director, Volunteer Engagement
An L.E. is a ‘Loaned Executive’, a person from an area business who is ‘on loan’ to UW during the Fall campaign. This year, we have 18 LE’s, people from a variety of fields: banking, health care, utilities, students, and VISTA volunteers.
Back Row: Scott Burnham (Wells Fargo), Mike Kingery (Intermountain Gas Company), Tanner Aasheim (Payne Financial), Brian Liberty (Idaho Power), Ross Valentine (KeyBank), Matt Ward (Home Federal)
Middle Row: Melanie Roper (VISTA), Emilia de Leon-Montero (VISTA), Mellissa Larson (Home Federal), Alison Harry (Saint Alphonsus), Connie Aschenbrenner (US Bank), Kelly Bohnsack (Bank of the Cascades), Justin Stiffler (Boise Cascade)
Front row – holding the sign – Roberta Russell (Blue Cross), Joshua Zickefoose (US Bank), Roger Aguilar (Intermountain Community Bank), Amy Humpherys (Boise Cascade), Beth DeRieux (St. Lukes)
When the LE’s arrive in the office it feels as though the cavalry has arrived, and none too soon, as we have some 300 workplace campaigns scheduled for the next three months. It would be impossible for the 12 person UW staff to manage that kind of a schedule, so for us, the LE’sare what makes it all happen. And when we talk about our low administrative costs, this is partially how that happens–our workforce doubles during the campaign, but it’s a volunteer workforce, sponsored by the Treasure Valley business community.
The LE experience can be a life-changer. A lot of people come to the role appointed by their companies, who recognize the networking and leadership development potential of the program, and others are sponsored by businesses as temporary employees. LE’s arrive in August, get a couple of days of orientation, then hit the ground running. They handle 5-10 workplace campaigns, fitting them in around their regular jobs and responsibilities. It’s a lot of work, and they do it with an approach that’s like a team heading for the NCAA championships. It’s kind of spectacular, really; people who come from all different places in life, all juggling multiple responsibilities, all retelling a story that many have just heard for the first time. They’re passionate, committed, and they work tirelessly. It is nothing short of inspiring.
And on the life-changing front, it can be a little disorienting when the whole deal is over. As an LE you hear stories you can never forget, so when your tenure is over and you’re back in your regular job (likely enjoying the sanity that is restored with the extra 10 hours back in your week), it’s hard to let it rest. The story’s still there, but the audience isn’t quite the same.
Last year’s LE’s weren’t going to go for that–they were changed and they couldn’t just go on the way they had before. They still had the passion and they wanted to share it. Plus, they liked each other, which is a really nice side benefit to being an LE; if you’re lucky, you’ll come away from the experience with a bunch of friends who are like old Army buddies.
And so LEAP was born.
LEAP–as described by Kelly Parker, 2006 LE Alum and Relationship Banking Officer with Bank of the Cascades (enthusiastic LEAP member, reluctant blogger):
Today is a milestone in my life. I’veofficially entered the world of blogging – I’m a blogger. What has compelled me to make this leap, you might ask? Involvement in the United Way and spreading the word in my community. Last year my company asked me to be a Loaned Executive. They wanted to pay me to go out and ask people in our community to giveto United Way. Apprehension was my first reaction – until I learned about the process and the positiveimpact they make in our community. I quickly became a believer and a passionate spokesperson……..and then the Loaned Executiveexperience ended. I had just gained the experience I needed to be truly effectivein my community and now my outlet had vanished. Alas, I was not alone. Other fellow Loaned Executives shared in my opinion and LEAP was born. LEAP (Loaned ExecutiveAlumni Philanthropists) is a new group created to bridge the past and the present – to be a resource for upcoming Loaned Executives and to unite past Loaned Executives. As the Vice President of this emerging group, I’m excited and encouraged to see the synergy that is building. What a rewarding experience to not only see the needs that people are facing but to know there are agencies ready to fill those gaps. Together, we are making the Treasure Valley one heck of a place to live.
So, LE alumni–you out there? Share your story here.
Posted September 5th, 2008 by admin
Posted by Neva Geisler, Director, Volunteer Engagement
The DIRT Clods were at the Boise Samaritan Village yesterday, helping stage an on site fair for the residents who weren’t able to make it to the Western Idaho Fair. The Boise Samaritan Village is a not-for-profit assisted living and nursing facility that serves those in need of long-term care, regardless of ability to pay. This is where you go if you’re a 35 year old who’s sustained a brain injury and have no health insurance, or where you go if you need Alzheimer’s care and can’t afford it, but your Medicaid hasn’t come through yet.
You would think, given the historical nature of these kinds of places, that it might have an institutional feel–but it doesn’t. Precisely because of things like an on site fair. The staff at the Samaritan Village know their residents by first name. They joke around with them and each other. By and large, it’s a fairly happy place.
I would know none of this if I hadn’t been there yesterday, seeing inside the place with my own eyes–which is something I would never choose to do of my own accord. Those kinds of places freak me out. They make me confront my own mortality, and nobody likes to do that. And despite the happy nature of the place, and the great feeling I got from helping out, I couldn’t wait to get out of there so that I could stop thinking about scaring things like getting older and dying. I’m grateful that places like the Samaritan Village exist, and I am in complete admiration of the people who work there everyday, but it’s not my cup of tea. I’m too scared of it.
And I’m not alone. A lot of the DIRT Clods told me they were going to sit this one out. These are great people who are committed volunteers. I mean, they’ve pulled carpet out of medical quarantine units:
(definitely DIRTy)
But direct service volunteering can be intimidating. Sometimes it’s easier to do things that help people when you’re not actually interacting with them. And I think this is one of the things that keeps people from volunteering–the intimidation factor of working with people.
So just like jobs, neighborhoods, colleges, spouses, the right fit is important, and the wrong fit feels awkward. And also just like jobs, neighborhoods, colleges and spouses; choices abound, and though some may be wrong for YOU, none of them are wrong.
If you’ve had a volunteer experience that wasn’t good, maybe it was because it wasn’t the right fit, and if you’ve never volunteered before, maybe the notion of what volunteering is seemed somehow undesireable, or boring, or scary, and that held you back. But I can guarantee you that there’s something out there in the world of volunteer opportunities that will make your heart sing. Maybe you’re not a people person, but you can do this:
(that’s us, scraping out 30 years’ worth of bird poop from an old cell block at the Old Pen)
So if you’re not volunteering, maybe now’s the time to find your fit. Maybe you’re a Jessica, who relishes the dirty jobs but sits the people ones out (seen here with an ancient bat carcass) or maybe you’re a Frank, who loved the Boise Samaritan Village fair so much he signed on to be a regular volunteer:
Are you a Frank or a Jessica? And aren’t you kind of curious to find out?
Posted August 29th, 2008 by admin
Posted by Neva Geisler, Director, Volunteer Engagement
More than 1200 people showed up to support the community over a plate of flapjacks at yesterday’s campaign kickoff breakfast–doubling last year’s attendance.
This was a first time event for United Way. In the past, we’ve done your basic big event breakfast, $30 tickets, reserved tables, a program of the coming year. But that kind of event never quite felt consistent with UW’s broad community focus. Anybody can give or volunteer with UW, and anybody might be a beneficiary of a UW program, so it seemed like we should kick off our campaign with an event that anybody could come to. And thanks to some great sponsors: Simplot, Albertson’s/Supervalu, KTVB, we were able to throw the kind of party that reflects how we feel about this year’s campaign and the work ahead of us–a celebration OF community and FOR the community where everyone could be a part of it. The fact that our numbers doubled makes us feel like we really got it right.
Check out our Celebrity Pancake Flippers!
Governor and Mrs. Otter Flipping Flapjacks for United Way
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
