This post is not meant to be a lecture on how to manage your finances or a judgement on whether or not you should cut back. As you consider these numbers, I want you to also think about the needs of your community, needs that United Way does its best to provide for, and how much those needs cost. For example, it costs just over $100 to provide the recommended twice-yearly dental care visits for a child, on site at his school. $780 can provide a second chance for a homeless family, including a temporary home and resources to stop a downward spiral.

The year 2012 is approaching, and maybe you are already considering your New Year’s Resolutions. As you do, I propose that you think about whether 60 nutritious meals* for a needy individual are worth a small sacrifice on your part—a sacrifice as small as cutting out one latte a week.

Find out what else a weekly United Way gift can buy at http://uwolmsted.org/give/what-your-dollar-buys.php

*60 nutritious meals can be provided for a gift of $1 a week—the equivalent of one DVD kiosk rental each week.

Last month, we wrapped up our Winter OuterWear initiative, which aimed to provide coats, gloves, scarves, and more to those in our community who would otherwise be unable to obtain them in time for winter.

While we were only able to provide coats 2,561 of those individuals at our distribution, those who did not find a winter coat in their correct size were given a coat voucher to be used at the Salvation Army Thrift Store.

A big thank you to our community partners, who were a huge help throughout the initiative. We really appreciate the efforts of Dison’s Cleaners, HyVee, Cumulus Broadcasting, Mayo Clinic, and The Salvation Army.

Thank you, as well, to our volunteer interpreters from Mayo Language Department, Migrant Head Start, and the general community. These volunteers provided interpreting assistance to over 100 families during the distribution.

Finally, we wish to thank the 250 individuals who volunteered more than 800 hours during the entire Winter OuterWear intiative. This is in addition to the hours put in by the staff, interns, and drive/drop site partners!

Winter has not yet started—there is still time to help! You can help by donating any extra coats, boots, snowsuits, gloves, scarves, or anything else that would benefit your neighbors during the winter season. Make donations to The Salvation Army and provide someone else with a warm winter!

 This is probably what you’re thinking as all the stores ready their Christmas displays and announce their layaway programs, and your friends talk about getting started on their holiday shopping. While we might think it’s too soon deal with holiday preparations, the truth is that winter is right around the corner.

For some people, this can be one of the hardest times of the year. Many of our neighbors worry about how they will keep their families warm, give their children Christmas presents, or provide a traditional holiday feast.

With this in mind, the seemingly early arrival of the holiday season brings with it various opportunities to give of ourselves and help ease the stress of our struggling neighbors.

Here are some holiday-related volunteer opportunities to get you started:

Hiawatha Homes Festival of Trees – A Celebration of Giving

November 22-27, 2011

Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, MN

The Festival of Trees helps Hiawatha Homes to provide residential, in home, and community-based programs to individuals with disabilities in our community. Volunteers are needed to be Gift Thyme Shoppe Helpers, Door Greeters, Floor Ambassadors, Ticket Takers, Holiday Café Helpers, Children’s Carnival Helpers and more.

Click here to find more information on the Festival of Trees volunteer opportunities!

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Gift of Life Transplant House – Thanksgiving Feast

November 24, 2011

Gift of Life is asking for volunteers to help provide a memorable Thanksgiving Feast for the guests and caregivers staying at the Transplant House during the Thanksgiving holiday. They are in need of a variety of prepared side dishes, desserts, vegetables, salads, etc.

Click here to find out when and where to drop off your donations for the Thanksgiving Feast!

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In addition, the Salvation Army has many Christmas volunteer opportunities. You could be matched with a child and go to ShopKo, to help that child select Christmas gifts for his or her family. Maybe you would like to assist families in need in registering for the Salvation Army’s Christmas programs. You could even take two hours out of your day and be a bell ringer for the Red Kettle Christmas campaign; every two hours of bell ringing raises an average of $100+!

Click here to explore all the projects the Salvation Army has for volunteers to participate in!  

(And if you make a fun video like this one, be sure to send it to us!)

Many of us have hopes and dreams; dreams as extravagant as becoming a sports star or as simple as learning a new hobby. Some dreams are more urgent, such as urgent as being able to feed your family and buy warm clothes for a Minnesota winter. Along the way to those dreams, we have met people who have inspired and influenced our path. We have met people who have mentored and guided us along the way.

For many in our community, they are still looking for that inspiration or that mentor; someone who can provide encouragement to a person when they are the most overwhelmed by doubt. Doubt that creeps in at the end of the month, when some parents have to choose between food and warm clothes for their children. Doubt lurking in the classroom, where a student faces obstacles and wonders if they can pass this class, let alone graduate or go to college.

Doubt cripples hopes. Doubt kills dreams. And the only known cure is support; from family, from friends, and from the community.

This is where the United Way and partner organizations step in. Living United, we can conquer doubt, revive dreams, and make tomorrow a better place.

What will YOU differently this year to make a difference in someone’s life?

Who knows. Through helping someone else, you might find the life you change…is your own.

Join the United Way at Taste of Rochester this weekend. If you have not yet done so, read Scott Heck’s campaign kick-off letter. Visit the Be the 1 blog for other inspiring stories.

This style of dance is referred to as “tribal dance.” The word “tribal” really supported the image I was witnessing on the stage. Each dancer supported the others through movement. It was a communal experience and one which communities of all types could learn from.

Within the realm of volunteerism, too few people step up to take that lead role.  But within a volunteer community, you are not alone. Those around you do not want you to fail. There is a wide support network to help you as you help others.

Think of how much we could accomplish if we all took our chance in the spotlight. You could grow as an individual and also help the community grow as a whole.

Locally, there are plenty of opportunities to take that role. If you want to start small, two or three hours would help Running Start for School distribute backpacks to students August 23, 24, and 25.  With a larger leap, you could apply to the Emerging Leaders in Giving as a Design Team members. Take the volunteer pledge.

Together, we can help support each other and our community. Join the Live United tribe.

Some days, as we go from one life crisis to another, it seems like super powers would be a great addition to our lives. We get caught up in a mental cycle telling ourselves we are too busy or not important enough to really make a difference. Having super powers would solve all that.

But with these excuses, we sell ourselves short.  You don’t need Bruce Wayne’s money or Superman’s fame.  Simple, everyday moments can be enough to make a big difference in someone else’s life.

We have super powers; each and every one of else.

A friend of mine posted on Facebook about a recent trip through drive-thru with two lanes. He and another car both started to pull forward at the same time. He stopped and let the other car go first. When he reached the window to pay, he found out the other car had paid his bill. That story sprouted wings and not only made his day better, it made mine and a lot of other people’s days a bit brighter.

You never know how far your actions will go. From the person who takes a coffee to a co-worker who is having a bad day to the neighbor who helps out when daycare falls through. No matter how small a gesture we make, we have the super power of making a difference in the lives around us.

How’s that for super powers? You can read about the difference one person can make on Danielle Teal’s blog Bethe1. You can learn how to make a difference in a child’s life through mentoring. Help out a neighbor. Read a book to a child.  Join the Olmsted County United Way and the  local community at the Stuff the Bus Finale and Running with Angels Benefit this Saturday at the Wicked Moose.

There are so many ways, so many places we can fit our skills and talents. If only we would take the time.

That’s the Challenge – Who will you use your super powers on? Who’s life will you make a difference in TODAY?

Looking back now, I wonder how much of that excitement extended into the school year?  Did it also help me mentally feel present and ready to learn?

Many kids in our community don’t necessarily feel the same excitement. Back-to-school can bring stress to a family where school supplies and other needs pinch an already stretched budget. Working with community partners, the Olmsted County United Way has an annual “Running Start for School” campaign where eligible K-12 students receive the school supplies they need to be prepared that first day.

The goal this year is to register 3,094 students to receive school supplies. Any child in Olmsted County who receives free or reduced lunches is eligible to receive school supplies. Students at Longfellow must register by July 15. All other students must register by August 12. You can register a student by calling 507-287-1958.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

• Collect school supplies and drop them off at one of our Drive/Drop Partner locations
• Volunteer to help with sorting and distributing school supplies
• Join us at our FILL THE TRUCK event on Friday and Saturday August 5 & 6 – stay tuned for news
• Make a donation - $45 will provide one backpack filled with school supplies

Have some fun. Enjoy these pictures of back-to-school supplies from previous eras. Did you have any of these? What are your favorite back to school memories?

Trapper Keeper

Calculators

Add to this 97 million high-skilled employees are needed by American businesses and only 45 million Americans have the skills needed. The jobs market is directed away from low-skill jobs. “By 2020, three-quarters of the job market will be high-skill and only 26 percent will be low-skill.” The impact of high school dropouts is not just felt by that student or the local community. Nationwide, this creates a workforce where the significant population of the available workforce are without the education needed to compete¹.

Early childhood development is one of the best tools we have as a community to combat the problems that come with students dropping out of high school.  Studies have shown that young children are capable of learning and have an interest in learning that should be encouraged. For at risk children, whose risk factors make them more likely to fail in school, intervention through early childhood education increases their chances for success in school². By the time a child reaches middle school or high school, it is often too late to provide the important support needed to avoid high school dropout.  Studies have shown that, with students who had early school education, more students were employed at age 19 and fewer were on welfare³.

But we still have many students who did not have those opportunities. We need them to succeed as well. Education is a cycle that is part of our culture, our communities, and our economy. An educated workforce fills a need employers have. People with higher education are less likely to need assistance, which provides relief to government budgets that are stretched thin.

When talk comes to budget discussions and things to cut, it is too easy to not spend the money now, when it could make the most difference. Instead we delay action and end up paying more down the road. And the cycle continues.

Until we become the change that is needed. Live United. Participate in the community and help make it a place where all have the opportunity to succeed.

What changes can you see that would benefit the education of our future work force?

¹Across the Great Divide – Perspectives of CEOs and College Presidents on America’s Higher Education and Skills Gap March

http://www.civicenterprises.net/pdfs/across-the-great-divide.pdf

²National Research Council (2001) Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers

http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309068363

³National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson University

http://www.dropoutprevention.org/effective-strategies/early-childhood-education

Early Childhood Development provides investment in human capital for future workers. When given support during years 0 – 5, a child will succeed in school and provide contributions to society. Without that support, a child is more likely to drop-out of school. Several studies show that investment in early childhood development pays off. The benefits received through early childhood development far exceed their cost.²

Education is in the best interest of our workforce, our economy and our future. But currently 68% of the nation’s 4^th grade students are unable adequately read “…a devastating statistic when research confirms that a child who is reading poorly in 4th grade is unlikely to graduate from high school.³”

The seeds for future graduates start with early childhood education. The years 0-5 are crucial in the development of a child. Success in early childhood is a definite indicator of future success in grade school, high school, and college.

Learn more about the impacts early childhood education:

At the United Way, we are involved with early childhood development and school preparedness through our work with Imagination Library and Running Start for School, as well as working with local community partners such as:

• Civic League Day Nursery
• Good News Children’s Center
• Child Care Resource and Referral
• Tri Valley Opportunity Council
• Byron Community Education

We invite you to join the movement. Share with us YOUR ideas on how we can impact our community through education of our future generations.

¹Center for Study of Social Policy Policymakers’ Fact Sheet Series 2010-5 “Building a 21st Century Workforce to Strengthen State Economies”

²Rob Grunewald and Arthur Rolnick “A Proposal for Achieving High Returns on Early Childhood Development” March 2006

³Center for the Study of Social Policy Policymaker’s Face Sheet Series 2010-6 “Investing in Grade Level Reading Improves School Success and lays the Foundation for Economic Productivity”

Did you know childhood literacy can have a huge impact on later education? The start to literacy begins at home as children learn to read. The United Way believes in providing children with education opportunities as early as possible.

According to the National Institute for Literacy:

“The years from birth through age 5 are a critical time for children’s development and learning. Learning to read begins well before children enter school.

Children who develop more literacy skills in the preschool years perform better in the primary grades. Providing young children with the critical precursor skills to reading can offer a path to improved overall achievement.”

See report: Early Literacy: A Community Commitment

Which is why, on June 14^th, we will be holding our Sixth Annual Power of the Purse. This event raises funds for the Imagination Library. From birth to age five, enrolled children are provided with one book per MONTH. Any child from birth to age five who is a resident of Olmsted County can participate. Currently, 61% of eligible children participate.

Please consider donating a purse or participating in our purse auction. By providing books to this program, we can have a large impact in the life of a child that will ripple through our community for years. And be sure to enroll all the children YOU know so that they may also enjoy the wider world that can be opened with a book.

Share: What helped spur you to read as a child?

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