Living United

A friend and colleague at another United Way send me a blog post yesterday.  We have an on-going debate on what it means to be in and a part of a community as a young professional, a discussion that’s particularly important given it’s our job to change our respective communities.

One would probably be hard pressed to find a young professional that is not interested in improving his/her community.  However, as a young professional that did not really know her neighbors in the last two cities she lived in, I’ve recently begun to question my peers’ and my own definition of “community.”  Is it a town, a neighborhood?  In this day and age, how do we connect with one another?

In the blog post I received, Rich Harwood echoes these concerns by pointing out that we now pick and choose our news on the internet and live in increasingly homogeneous areas.  As a result, is it becoming more difficult to engage in the diverse efforts necessary to change a city, neighborhood or region?  I’m just not sure, but here’s what Rich had to say…

to “live united” means seeing and hearing one another; it means that the poor, minorities, people living in particular neighborhoods, would not be pushed aside and be made invisible; that the voices of such people would be heard and heeded; that people’s concerns would be on the public agenda and actively addressed.

Unfortunately, Rich points out that this type of engagement, pushing us out of our comfort zones, does not necessarily come without risk for local nonprofits like United Way.

More to the point will funders and supporters see their discomfort increase as they confront issues and situations that are not easily solved, that are not amendable to simply to giving hand-outs, that require genuine change - even change in relationships and power? Will they balk and backtrack when they realize that to have true impact may mean shifting funding from their “favorite” groups to others whom they do not know and may have dismissed in the past? 

United Way is currently grappling with this issue, particularly here in Central Alabama.  Check out Rich Harwood’s entire post and let us know your thoughts and opinions on this topic, as you are apart of the very “community” that will help us devise a solution to this issue.

In all of the hustle and bustle of the Election and then Thanksgiving, we were not able to post all of the excellent content we recieved by young professionals on staff here at United Way of Central Alabama.  However, we don’t want you to miss out, so here’s a great post by Courtney Newton:

I can’t believe this election is over. I mean really, can you think of another time in your life when you thought so hard and feverishly over your own vote?  This election was a shinning example of what Democracy is really about. It celebrated our right to choice. It gave opposing sides an equal voice in the national arena, and forced dialogue amongst varying viewpoints. Each candidate was clear about what they intended to do, and only rarely could it be said that each candidate agreed. It was a hard fought race, that in many ways I am sad to see end. My hats off to both candidates for providing a national forum for Americans to exchange in meaningful conversation about a variety of issues that will, and arguably, always have been at the core of what makes America great!!! Goodbye, Election Season 2008, I hope 2012 will bring the same, if not more Enlightenment!!!

Courtney works with community groups to develop collaborative solutions for local issues.  In the spirit of a previous election post by Josh Westerhold, we challenge you to capitalize on the thought provoking debates from this past year’s political debates and take action locally to change our community.  Join Courtney in organizing your friends, family, or neighbors to make a difference and let us know what you’re doing.  We’d love to join forces!

It may come as no suprise that CNN is reporting long lines and empty shelves as a sign of times for food banks. If you’re like me and you’d rather not see green beans or cranberry sauce for at a few months after the big Turkey Day, consider dropping your extra cans by a local food bank to help re-stock their shelves.

Although United Way is typically viewed as a local agency responding to local needs, the recent fluctuations in our economy, environment, and even politics have highlighted the fact that global issues impact all of us in one way or another.  After all, the Live United slogan says, “Reach out a hand to one, influence the condition of all” - a statement that can be applied across the Atlantic just as easily as it can be applied in our neighborhood.

Therefore, to highlight one pressing international issue, checkout a recently published article by Newsweek that provides first-hand accounts of what is occurring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its ties to previous international tragedies, such as the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

“Five CNDP soldiers stopped me on the road in the middle of the day. They sent me with a large group of other men and boys–some as young as 12, others as old as 40–to Murambi where they said we would transport boxes of ammunition for the rebel soldiers. They beat us badly so we couldn’t resist. When we got to Murambi, they didn’t order us to transport boxes, but instead gave us military uniforms and taught us how to use weapons. Then after three days, they put us all in an underground prison. We stayed there for four days, and new recruits joined us everyday. On the fourth day, they called us out of the prison and took us to Karuba. That night, I managed to escape with two other recruits, and we ran all the way back to Ngungu. The others who remained behind were sent to Kitchanga for military training. I want to go back to our home in Numbi, but I’m scared. If the CNDP soldiers find me there, they will kill me.”

As we surround ourselves with family and friends this week to give thanks for our blessings, let us remember not only our less fortunate neighbors but also threatened families and communities in other parts of the world, because we now know that - one way or another - their fate is intertwined with our own.

It is the most frequently asked question at every social event, community meeting, or networking reception for any United Way employee these days.  “So, how’s the Campaign going?”  Of course we always have a saavy response for the question, but this year I’ve been thinking about it a little more.  The question is no longer just about the well-being of United Way, but about the well-being of philanthropy and the nonprofit sector.  With needs rising and disposable income falling, how will a community respond?  Well, here’s an interesting analysis from the New York Times on the subject.

In short: was philanthropy, like the housing and financial markets, riding a bubble that has finally burst? So far, few fund-raising experts or nonprofit leaders are predicting an implosion in giving, a long fall from the more than $300 billion that was donated last year in the United States. But nonetheless they acknowledge that their world has changed and are preparing for leaner times.

A little fun to brighten up your day.  Turns out those crazy cats at the mothership, United Way of America, decided to Flash Mob Union Station in D.C..  90+ United Way of America employees, all sporting kick-butt “Live United” tees, swarmed the station and froze in place for 3 minutes to raise awareness about the importance of Living United. 

First watch the viral invitation and then check out the result!

Please help continue to advocate to your friends and family the importance of Living United.  The community needs it now more than ever.

 Thanks Louise Kenny from United Way of America for forwarding the link. Very Cool!

United Way of Central Alabama was recently given $56,700 by the IRS to assist with our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. This program matches trained volunteers with low to moderate income individuals and families to provide free income tax preparation. You can read more about the IRS’s donation here.

Also, be on the lookout for a volunteer opportunity with VITA coming soon!

One of the issues United Way is examining lately is that of our overall community health.  Rising health care costs for businesses and Alabama ranking #2 in a list of most obese states indicate that it is time for the health and human service sector to act….but how?

Some of United Way’s new efforts and those of many partners around the state can be summed up in this video by the Healthiest Nation Alliance.

We would love to know what you think of this video or your own perspective on how to improve our community health.  Leave us a message and let’s start “a movement that moves us!”

Many volunteers help tell the United Way story every year by giving their time to speak to companies about United Way.  A common thread throughout many of their moving stories is the fact that life’s unexpected challenges can often spur spontaneous generosity that gives rise to long-term community change. 

In the spirit of our inspiring campaign stories, the Young Leaders Society’s most recent selection for our Live United Book Club is Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson.  The book tells a story about building educational opportunities for women in Pakistan.  Between the lines, however, the book illustrates that community change and those who drive it travel a rough road, but their destination of changing lives makes the journey worthwhile.

Please join us in January to discuss Three Cups of Tea and how we can apply the lessons of the book to change our own community.  Then, check out the Christian Science Monitor’s article on one of the lives changed in Mortenson’s book.

By all accounts November 4th will go down in history as one of those days you will always remember “where you were when…”

No matter your political persuasion you can not help but see the wave of renewed excitement in civic affairs we are seeing in our country, and that is never a bad thing. 

The other story of note is that it appears that the youth vote did come out. After years of excuberance followed by letdown, the 18-29 year old demographic has finally spoken. The message is loud and clear, we will take ownership in where our country and world is heading. Don’t get lost in the exit polls telling you which candidate or party won the majority of young votes. Instead notice that perhaps all of the myspace-ing, facebook-ing, and …(cough)…blogging has moved a generation into action. We don’t just make great YouTube videos, we organize, we campaign, and we vote. 

But now what? Will November 4th mark both our coming out party and our retirement from civic affairs or will be take the passion of a day or a season and turn it into a habit of social consciousness. Is the job done when the last ballot is cast and counted, or will we continue to look for ways to stake a claim to the future of our communities. Will our new President change everything in our community that we want to see improved or will we take the next step ourselves by giving, advocating, and volunteering for a better tomorrow? 

November 4, 2008 was a day to be remembered but I want to encourage you to make every day a day of living united and improving our communities.