Posts Tagged ‘children and youth’

Community Support Equals Community Success

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

By now, many of you have met the 2011 Live United Campaign Chair, Scott Heck,  and his alter ego, Scotty Idol. As he showed you a different side of his personality, he asked that everyone do something different FOR someone this year: mentor a child, speak up for education, check on an elderly neighbor, or make a contribution.

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.

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Join the Live United tribe.

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

Low lights flickered off the scarfs and pictures on the wall as group of belly dancers weaved onto the stage. The dancers took turns choosing what motions the entire group would do. First, one dancer would step forward to lead. The rest of the dancers mimic her motions, supporting her through dance. This leader would then step back and another dancer would come up to replace her. All dancers had the opportunity to be in the spot light and the transfer of “power” took place seamlessly on the stage.

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.

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You Have Super Powers

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011

As a kid, did you ever want to be Superman with the ability to fly? Or Batman, a regular guy who had all sorts of cool skills and gadgets? My personal favorites were Wonder Woman and the Flash; I loved that both had the power of speed.

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?

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Help Local Students Get a “Running Start” on School

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011

Back-to-school excitement. The cool new backpacks, Trapper Keepers (remember those), and all sort of paper, pens, and pencils. Going shopping and picking things out really got me excited for the new school year.

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:

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

Hot Air Balloon Trapper Keeper

Calculators

Little Professor Calculator

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What if you could save $908 per year?

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

Every high-school dropout costs Minnesota taxpayers $908.96 per year or $415,986 over lifetime of the high school dropout. Despite progress being made with improving high school graduation rates, one-fourth of students in high school will not graduate with their class.

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

 

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Impact a Child – Imagination Library

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

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 14th, 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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“How are the kids?”

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

   willowblog

   When children succeed, they are more likely to create successful futures for themselves, their families, and their communities. Because today’s children will become the next generation of workers, parents, and leaders, we can only create a prosperous future by giving them the developmental building blocks they need to succeed in those endeavors.
   The research points to what these “building blocks of success” are for children. They include nurturing families, early education, quality health care throughout childhood, nutrition, safe communities, and adequate housing. Successful children must have these building blocks as their foundation.
   Just as a house built on a faulty foundation cannot stand up to stress, children also suffer when their development is interrupted by the effects of poverty, unattended health problems, unsafe environments, or relationships that aren’t nurturing. These interruptions, known as “toxic stress” can permanently damage a child’s brain functioning and ability to fully develop.

  The Building Blocks for Successful Children

Access data on the status of Olmsted County children across key indicators in education; economic well-being; family and community; health; safety and risky behaviors at the Kids Count Data Center.

Download a copy of  The Building Blocks for Successful Children, the 2009 Minnesota  Kids Count data book.

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