There are some things that you just
can’t put a price on. A baby’s smile. Hearing your child say “Mom” for the
first time. Giving your family a safe home in which to live. Seeing the pride in
someone’s eyes when he gets his first job.
These are the things that are happening
every day in our community because of local investments in United Way and its
partner agencies.
Each spring, United
Way volunteers in Haywood County decide how to invest the money you’re giving
to the charity, but they are not just giving money. They are giving hope to our
friends and neighbors — maybe even to you.
“Investing this money is such an
exciting time for our United Way volunteers,” said Jackie Collins, community
investment chairperson for Haywood County. “This is their opportunity to really
change lives. They get to learn more about the needs of their community and the
services that are available to meet those needs. Our volunteers focus on
maintaining funding priorities, encouraging partnerships and identifying
programs that do the best job delivering services to address county
needs.”
Volunteers were impressed with the
results local programs are producing. These results show how important United
Way is to the community.
• WRAP reports that
98% of the abuse victims it serves now feel safe.
• The Cerebral
Palsy Center reports that 86% if its adult day habilitation clients are
achieving their personal service goals.
• Girl Scouts
reports that 25% of their scouts earned recognition for their development of
math & science skills.
• Aspell Recovery
Center reports that 60% of its clients remained alcohol and/or drug free six
months after treatment.
• STAR Center
reports that 50 of its service recipients were placed in full-time employment.
• The Carl Perkins
Center reports that 90% of participants in parent education & counseling
improved their family management skills.
With these facts in
mind, volunteers invested over $118,400 in these local programs:
Believing in
Youth - Anderson Early Childhood
& Family Resource Ctr. - $5,000; Boys & Girls Club/Brownsville Unit -
$2,706; Fellowship of Christian Athletes/FCA - $1,000; Girl Scouts/Reelfoot
Council - $500; Reading Railroad - $3,000; and YMCA - $3,962.
Caring for Senior
Adults - Brownsville-Haywood Co.
Senior Center - $9,000; Foster Grandparents Program/SWHRA - $2,500;
Homemakers/SWHRA - $2,500; and Nutrition for the Elderly/SWHRA - $6,500.
Empowering
People with Disabilities - Ben
Rich Center/Madison-Haywood Dev. Services - $9,000; Cerebral Palsy Center/West
TN - $1,000; Jackson Center for Independent Living/JCIL - $1,000; Kiwanis
Center for Child Development/WTHC - $1,000; and STAR Center - $1,000.
Meeting
Emergency & Basic Needs -
American Red Cross/Jackson Area Chapter - $2,825; Habitat for Humanity -
$2,000; and Mustard Seed - $48,841.
Strengthening
Families - Aspell Recovery
Center/TAMB - $1,000; Carl Perkins Ctr. for the Prevention of Child Abuse -
$12,000; JACOA/Jackson Area Council on Alcholism & Drug Dependency, Inc. -
$1,000; and WRAP/Wo/Men’s Rape Assistance Prog. - $1,118.
United Way is about
changing lives. By working together, we are getting results that no one can
accomplish alone.
United Way is a
local, volunteer-driven organization that helps strengthen the community.
Through United Way, individual pledges and payroll deduction campaigns are
combined to create a fund that supports local health and human service programs
and agencies.
To learn more about this year’s investments or to
find out how you can help, contact United Way of West Tennessee, at (731)
422-1816. More information is also available at www.unitedway.tn.org.