Living United

An Eye-Opening Road Trip

Kim Connolly, our Marketing Director, Martha Trujillo, our Information and Referral Specialist, and local photographer Brad Hamilton, took a road trip recently to a migrant worker camp at an orchard in Nelson County.  The reason was to take photos illustrating our focus area of Access to Health & Wellness.  it is not easy to get pictures of real people receiving medical care, so we called our community partners at Blue Ridge Medical Center in Lovingston.  The United Way provides grants to two of their excellent programs that fall under their Rural Health Outreach Program: Wellness Passport and Latino Health Outreach.

Karrie Chaney, their Program Manager, invited us to join their lay health promoters on a scheduled visit to perform health screenings for legal migrant workers from Mexico.  Martha, a native of Mexico, was indispensable as she was able to ask the workers' permission to take their photos and learn their stories, leaving the health workers to do their jobs uninterrupted.

These hardworking men come here each year on work visas to work January through November on a large Nelson County orchard operation.  The orchard owner provides them with housing in a simple wood ranch home tucked way back in the orchard with plenty of bedrooms and a communal kitchen.  The men take turns cooking.  The orchard owner drives them in to town to go to the bank so that they can deposit their pay and send money home to their families in Mexico.  Martha explained to Kim and Brad that the economy is so bad in Mexico that these men can make much more here to support their families, even at whatever the rate is for orchard labor.  So they leave their families for 10 months out of the year - most of the men we met have been coming here for years.

The lay health promoters are all native Spanish speakers - enthusiastic, knowledgeable and capable - and the men feel comfortable with them.  If they detect a possible medical problem, they give the men referrals to the Blue Ridge Medical Center.  One man had diabetes, and was given additional information in Spanish on healthy eating and disease management.

When we think of poverty, we tend to think of urban areas, but the Blue Ridge Medical Center reaches out with their mobile health van to the many rural poor who may work on farms, at sawmills or in construction.  But true to their mission of helping the uninsured, the van even comes to Charlottesville to help urban low-income families.  They focus on prevention through regular check-ups and provide access to specialized medical care when necessary.  The folks at places like Blue Ridge Medical Center are walking the walk - they are Living United.

Posted by Kim Connolly.

It was a tough assignment, but someone had to do it.

Thursday, June 26 was the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce’s annual golf tournament, held this year at Old Trail.  None of our staff can claim to be a golfer, however, our good friends at BB&T were sponsoring the 15th hole and holding a contest there to benefit United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area. So Shaele Wood, Caroline Emerson, Kim Connolly and Kim’s son Sean volunteered to man the tent in shifts. It was a “Stick the Green” contest, and golfers could donate $10, and if they got the ball on the green, would be eligible for a 50/50 raffle or other prizes. First prize winner was John Sampson from Pepsi. Bobby Battle won 2nd, Rob Zombie 3rd.   

We were able to witness a vast diversity of local golf talent – from foursomes that we could have joined with little shame, to some SERIOUS golfers with some electronic gizmos to tell exactly the distance to the green. All seemed to be having fun, and we got to meet a lot of nice people and also visit with many good friends of the United Way.

Sean, a high school student, probably had the most fun as our official golf cart chauffeur and go-fer (any excuse to drive the cart!), and has already signed up to help at our own tournament in July: The Keswick-United Way Golf Classic, presented by State Farm Insurance and Keswick Hall, Club and Estate.  Save the date of July 28 for the opportunity to play golf and enjoy both lunch and dinner at Keswick for only $100 a player. Check out the flyer for sponsorship and registration information.  Hurry--the tournament is only open to 90 golfers!

Thanks again to our friends at BB&T for their generous support of United Way and for providing us with a beautiful sunny day next to the mountains.

Bryan Thomas setting up the BB&T tent on Hole 15.

 

Our friends from State Farm on the green.  State Farm is sponsoring our Keswick-United Way Golf Classic on July 28.  Click here for more information.

 

Many thanks to BB&T for supporting the United Way!

What does it mean to Live United?

When we Live United, we as individuals think outside ourselves and have the power to facilitate change. When we think of others lives as linked to our own, our compassion grows. When we reach out a hand to one, we influence the condition of all.  We change the lives of those who walk by us every day.

On June 4, the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area held our annual Board of Directors Retreat. The theme was strengthening our community through collaboration and access to health and wellness. Dr. Richard Lindsay spoke to the Board about the needs of our aging population and how our work could improve health outcomes for our community.  Gordon Walker of JABA, Erica Viccellio of the Charlottesville Free Clinic and Judy Smith of Jefferson Area CHIP shared their experiences and insights on collaboration among nonprofits.

 

Our board members received Live United t-shirts, signifying their commitment to Give, Advocate and Volunteer to make our community a better place for all. Directors were tasked with seeking opportunities for the United Way to innovatively address unmet needs in our community through collaboration.

 

 

United we can change what we see in our world.

 

We invite you to join us. Tell us how you Live United and you too will receive the t-shirt you should wear with pride.

Teaming Up for Food Drive Success

Saturday, May 10 was the 16th annual National Association of Letter Carrier’s ‘Stamp Out Hunger!” food drive. It is such an elegantly simple concept. Residents leave nonperishable food items in bags at their mailboxes and the letter carriers gather the food as they make their rounds. The United Way has been involved in this effort for a number of years. We help with marketing and promoting the food drive and our Volunteer Center helps to solicit volunteers to help sort the food at the main post office that day. In Charlottesville and Albemarle County, the food goes to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.

This year, the radio stations of the Monticello Media Group ran public service announcements in the week leading up to the food drive, and WCHV 1260 AM morning host Joe Thomas did interviews and continually plugged the food drive on his show. Proving the point that many hands make light work, members of the Civil Air Patrol, Monticello Composite Squadron, volunteered at the post office Saturday afternoon to help sort the 31,000 pounds of food that came in that day.

The combined efforts of the local Letter Carrier’s union, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, United Way, the Civil Air Patrol volunteers, and Monticello Media proves the point that united, we can change what we see in our world.

Posted by Kim Connolly.

11 Outstanding Students

Last night the United Way had the great pleasure of honoring 11 students from public and private high schools for their commitment to our community through volunteerism.  Their families attended the Celebration of Youth Service; principals and headmasters walked the stage with them; and Delegate David Toscano proudly shook hands with each one as he distributed the awards. 

We received 20 nominations in all, and our review panel had the difficult task of picking ONE winner from each school.  It amazed me that so many of these students volunteer dozens (if not hundreds) of hours each year while going to school full time, working part time, participating in sports or other extracurricular activities, and maintaining very high grade point averages.  It is clear to me, that these are the leaders for our future.

Of course, as the Volunteer Center Director, it made me proud to read these stories of young people giving back – swinging a hammer, caring for animals, teaching peers about sexual assault.  But even more, it comforted me as a parent of two small children.  There is still hope that my girls, as they enter high school in 10 years, will find ways to be involved in good.  In this age of drugs, STDs and I-64 shootings there are students who are making a difference in the lives of people around them.  They are tutoring, mentoring and caring for people outside of MySpace or video games. 

These are students who volunteer more than I do, have more passion than many adults I know.  These are the students who have the self-initiative to improve lives and community.  Let them be an inspiration for all of us.  Read their stories on our Volunteer Center website: www.BeAVolunteer.info. 

Congratulations to all of you.  And THANK YOU.

Student winners:

Miruna Dumitriu, Albemarle High School
Claire Barry, Charlottesville High School
Brea Thomas, The Covenant School
Michael Pesca, Ivy Creek School
Jessica Hoy, The Miller School
M. Mayo Rives, Monticello High School
Katie Smith, Murray High School
Sydney Tenhundfeld, Renaissance School
Madison Jones, St. Anne's-Belfield School
Hannah Firdyiwek, Tandem Friends School
Alexandra Triana, Western Albemarle High School

Many thanks to the media who covered our story.  Click each link to read or hear the story.

WINA Radio (or listen to the news clip), CBS19, NBC29 and The Daily Progress

Posted by Shaele Wood.

It's a girl!

The United Way is delighted to announce that Rylan Leigh Frazier was born on April 11, 2008 to Lisa and Dave Frazier and big sister Kayla.  Lisa is the United Way Finance Director...and we can't wait to have our newest baby in the office as soon as Lisa returns from maternity leave. 

Our office is the epitome of "family-friendliness."  Like many places, employees have the flexibility to take care of family matters: dentist appointments, sick days, parent/teacher conferences and aging parents.  But we took it up a notch two years ago when Lisa and I had babies within two months of each other.  Our daughters Kayla and Dylan came to work with us each day for their first year.  The babies certainly brought a new dynamic to the office, but a very welcomed one.  While Lisa and I learned to juggle babies’ needs versus work needs (and learned quickly that we needed some extra work time at home in the evening), staff was unbelievably supportive, watching the babies while moms were in meetings, wiping up spit-up, and just quietly shutting their doors if the babies were crying (which, of course, never happened).  As the babies got older, Lisa and I would trade “play group” time.  Kayla and Dylan would take turns, playing together in Lisa’s office, and then mine.  However, we did have to keep an eye on my daughter, Dylan, who was bigger and a bit of a bully. 

In just a couple of short months, the pack-n-play, binkies, and baby rattles will all be familiar sights and sounds as we welcome Rylan Leigh to the United Way office with open arms.  Welcome to the world, sweet girl! 

 

Posted by Shaele Wood.

Buried Treasures

Friday was “Clean Up Day” at the United Way- Thomas Jefferson Area. Two or three times a year we realize that it’s getting hard to walk around the stacks of boxes, and time to tidy up the wonderful old house we call home for the United Way. We declare a Clean Up Day, order pizza, and get to work.

The staff dove right in, sorting through about 50 boxes of materials and records: what to file, what to store offsite, what to recycle, what to…what IS that?

Our basement is especially interesting: only accessible via ladder through a hatch (sort of like Desmond’s station on “Lost”), it is rarely visited and often yields fascinating finds. This time around we discovered old coffeemakers, files of letters, and some photos.  The photos, of course, are keepers, but need to be identified. There are some excellent ones from what appears to be the 80’s—love those shoulder pads, ladies!

As this is the United Way- Thomas Jefferson Area’s 65th anniversary, we are currently working to better record, preserve, and share our history with the community. The newly-discovered photos will be added to our archives and perhaps incorporated into the illustrated timeline we hope to create.

Whew! We pulled it off!

The United Way staff has been plotting and planning in secret for months, and last night our plan was kicked into action!

To mark United Way President Cathy Train’s 20th anniversary of service to the United Way, we threw a surprise reception. Rather than try to get her to show up somewhere, and risk her crazy schedule ruining our plans, we decided to have the party immediately following a board meeting (she HAS to attend those). The trouble was, our regular board meeting spaces do not have separate rooms big enough to hold the party. So, we came up with a very convoluted excuse to have the meeting at the Omni Hotel.

Our board meetings are usually very lively, with lots of discussion, and often run over schedule. We were in a panic about this, especially as Cathy kept adding agenda items. We had guests arriving at 5pm, and it looked like the meeting might run until 5:30. Nooooooo! She wondered why I was so obsessed with trimming the agenda (I kept whining about wanting to get home).

All week we secretly harassed our wonderful board via email: "Be on time, please! Read your materials in advance, and have questions ready, please! If you are on the agenda, please keep things moving!" When most folks showed up EARLY for the meeting, everyone was stunned. What a great group of folks.

The meeting came to order on time at 4pm. Jon Nafziger, Kim Connolly, Leah Hill and I were the staff in the meeting with Cathy. As soon as the meeting started, the rest of our team sprang into action down the hall in the Ballroom. Alaina Schroeder, Lisa Frazier, Shaele Wood, Martha Trujillo, and Miriam Rushfinn rushed around, bringing in sound equipment, flowers, an electronic piano, etc. They arranged the room and coordinated with the great staff at the Omni.

Meanwhile, the Board meeting hummed along. Actually, it FLEW along. Suddenly we were way AHEAD of schedule, and on track to finish by 4:30pm! Darn those Board members for listening to us! I frantically texted the other room, and Jon coughed and rushed out to check on them. He came back a little pale, saying that the cake had not yet arrived, and they were still setting things up, and that the other guests had yet to arrive. Oh NO! With only a couple of quick agenda items left, it was up to Kim to stretch.

Kim had planned a very quick report on our upcoming marketing campaign. She was confident, whispering to us in the back of the room, "Don’t worry, I can talk and talk!" Boy, can she! She went on and on and ON. Cathy kept trying to catch her eye to tell her to wrap up, but Kim kept right on talking. She was great, and it was hilarious.

Mark Giles, our Chairman, was completely on the ball and asked another Board member for a quick  report on a community event. This got us to exactly 5pm. Mark them launched right into an announcement about Cathy’s anniversary, which was Leah’s cue to start a special presentation about Cathy (hilarious photos) and my cue to text the other room to Get Ready.

After the presentation, Mark led us all down the hall to the Ballroom. Cathy was overcome. Shocked. Delighted. Embarrassed. Thrilled to see her daughter, who’d flown in that afternoon. It was great!

Cathy is absolutely beloved by her staff and by this community, and with good reason, as she is an incredible leader who has done so much to serve those in need. The party was such a happy event, with so many people so very pleased to honor her. I haven’t seen that many wide grins in a long time. The toasts were funny and touching, and Cathy’s remarks were extremely eloquent. I was, and am, so proud to work for the United Way- Thomas Jefferson Area.

 

Posted by Caroline Emerson.

How Radio Works

When I think of Dick Mountjoy, I remember sitting in the WINA studio for my first ever on-air interview in the summer of 2000.  I was nervous, and he was so friendly and casual.  I was there to talk about the United Way Day of Caring, to tell his audience that the previous September we had 400 volunteers participate, and we were looking for more!  He was so easy to talk to and made the conversation so comfortable…I quickly forgot that I was talking to all of Charlottesville!  That summer I faxed him every time a new company signed up a team of volunteers, and he would announce it on the radio and encourage other teams to register.  That, my friends, is certainly the power of radio!  We saw our volunteer numbers nearly double and then grow again year after year with more than 2,300 volunteers participating in 2007.  I don’t think we could have seen that growth without Dick’s help to spread the word out about the Day of Caring.

That initial, nerve-wracking interview turned into many other interviews over the years—sometimes about the Day of Caring, sometimes about the Santa Fund or just United Way in general.  Among my favorites, of course, were those on the Day of Caring – in the freezing cold, pitch black, under a small tent with a flash light, in the middle of an open parking lot or field…broadcasting live at 5:00 a.m., where two hours later hundreds of Day of Caring volunteers would gather.  It was always cold out, but Dick was always warm and full of laughs. You’d have to be to start your day that early every day…and be responsible for waking up all of Charlottesville.

Here's Dick at the United Way Day of Caring Kickoff Breakfast where he was our keynote speaker in 2001 (left).  Also, Dick with Jim Richardson, Larry Richardson's son (for whom the Day of Caring is named) (right).

During his keynote speech, Dick spoke of a conversation he had with Larry, in which Larry asked Dick, “How does radio work?” Dick replied by telling Larry everything he knew about the technology – amplitude modulation, oscillators, carrier waves, and so on.

“No, Dick, that’s not it,” Larry replied. “Radio works by serving the community.” It’s a lesson Dick obviously took to heart.

I smile thinking about Dick and how much he cared about our community, though I’m sure he’ll be the one smiling down on us this September 17th as more than 2,500 volunteers come out to lend a hand.

Posted by Shaele Wood.

Governor Kaine Visits Cale Elementary Preschool Program

We were so pleased to welcome Governor Tim Kaine to Albemarle County on Tuesday, March 4 to visit a Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) class of four-year-old children at Cale Elementary School.  Before beginning his education roundtable, the governor had an excited audience of 4 year-olds who were eager to read, sit next to and talk to him.  It was obvious that both the governor and the students thoroughly enjoyed their reading time together.

The governor met with about 15 community and business leaders to support his proposed expansion of the preschool program statewide.  Most of these leaders are already members of the Smart Beginnings Leadership Council, which is working with the Partnership for Children and the United Way to promote school readiness for children through enhancing early care and education for children ages 0-5.  If you would like more information on Smart Beginnings, please visit the Smart Beginnings page of the United Way website.

Posted by Miriam Rushfinn.

Champion

We have lost a caring and dedicated champion – Mitch Van Yahres.  Mitch was always focused on the needs of others and, in particular, members of our community who needed a little help, who needed an opportunity to be independent and productive citizens.  As a United Way Board Member, Mitch always volunteered to help.  Energetically Mitch helped us raise funds for important programs serving children and their families, the elderly, those needing access to health and wellness and for the many services that strengthened our community.  Each year Mitch participated in our annual United Way Laurence E. Richardson Day of Caring by working at a local nonprofit and even more importantly visiting work sites and thanking the thousands of volunteers for their gift of time (as seen in the photo on the left).  I will miss Mitch - as will many in our community.  Mitch lives on in each of us as we pick up his mantle of service to others.

Posted by Cathy Train.

Bid, Buy and Support Your Community!

Add some excitement to your Valentine’s Day shopping!! The United Way- Thomas Jefferson Area’s “All Around Town Auction” starts TODAY and runs through February 12! 

Typically, silent auctions collect donated items or services for an auction held at a party. Most bidders will never visit donor businesses. This event is different: each participating business will display its donated item on the sales floor in a small display. Auction marketing materials encourage customers to visit participating stores, bringing new and increased traffic. 

Dinner for eight in your home, a spa package, jewelry, sporting goods and a month's parking downtown in the Water Street garage are just some of the items you can bid on. Best of all, all proceeds benefit the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area.

Donor businesses are on Ivy Road, on the Downtown Mall, on 29 North, at the Millmont Shops, and in other locations: there’s a bidding site near you!

Bid, Buy and Better your Community when you participate in the “All Around Town Auction.”

Click to find out more and to view all of the items available for auction: http://www.unitedwaytja.org/HomePage/Downloads/AllAroundTownAuction_2008.pdf

Posted by Caroline Emerson.

My Friend

With heavy heart the loss of Steve Nock sinks in to my world – a world now much smaller without Steve.  Steve approached life and living with the inquisitive nature of a wide-eyed child, the gentle and firm hand of a favorite professor, and the caring spirit of someone who knew every life mattered.  And did he ever know.  I count myself lucky to have known Steve and will cherish his friendship and the teachings he imparted along his way.  May we all walk a bit taller and care a little more because of Steve. 

Posted by Cathy Train.

In Memoriam: Steven Nock. Friend, Advisor, and Board Member

It is with sadness that I sit to write this blog about the passing of our friend and board member, Steven Nock.  Any one of us on staff at United Way could do it, all with different memories of Steve.  But we all share in common the gratitude for how Steve has impacted our organization, our community and our lives as individuals. 

I had the pleasure of meeting Professor Nock in my third year at the University of Virginia.  I attended his Sociology of the Family course, soaking up everything that he lectured about.  He was my favorite professor teaching my favorite class.  He then took me under his wing as my advisor to develop and implement an independent research project that evolved into my thesis.  He believed in my work, offered wonderful insights and direction, while allowing me to keep the project “my own.”  I am forever grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him. 

After graduating from U.Va., I took my position as the Volunteer Center Director at the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area. Shortly after starting at United Way, I attended our first board meeting and discovered that he was one of our long time board members.  What a pleasant surprise that our paths should cross again.  Though it still seems strange to call him anything but “Professor Nock,” Steve has impacted our organization in countless ways since he was involved with the creation of the United Way Information and Referral Center in 1975, and came on board in 1985.  In recent years, he offered us his professional skills as a demographer, to help us define and illustrate what poverty looks like in our community.  Click here to view the Community Profile that Steve so diligently worked on.

We, at United Way, will miss this wonderful person, our friend.  We invite you to share your comments about Steve so that we can all remember how he has touched many lives through the United Way.

Posted by Shaele Wood.

Charlottesville – The Other Side of Affluence

Hi. My name is Kim Connolly and I’m Director of Marketing & Communications here at the United Way. My job is to help people understand what we do and hopefully inspire them to get involved. Here is my favorite quote:

“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”

                                                                                     -- Jackie Robinson

I found it interesting that in Sunday’s Daily Progress story on the Barracks Road Goody’s store closing, the Charlottesville area was characterized as being too affluent to support a lower-end store like Goody’s. Granted, the Barracks Road Shopping Center does cater to a higher end market, but to characterize the entire area as being typical of that demographic brings to mind the ostrich’s head in the sand. (Click on the image to read The Daily Progress article.)

Sure, it’s nice to think of our community in terms of a tourism brochure, with the natural beauty and abundant recreational and cultural opportunities of Central Virginia and Charlottesville. But those of us in the nonprofit biz also get to see the flip side of that public image – the 25% of the population in Charlottesville that lives at or below the Federal Poverty Level, the 14% of families in our five county area without health insurance, the high rate of substantiated cases of child abuse in this area, and so on.

At the risk of sounding like a wet rag, we cannot ignore a significant percent of our population that cannot enjoy all this area has to offer because they are working 2 or 3 jobs, or don’t have a car, or cannot afford sports equipment or registration fees for their kids. Goody’s was one of the local stores that accepted vouchers from Santa Fund Families.

Check out this amazing blog to see what we see every day. http://www.voicesofpoverty.org/

Think about it - one in four of us in Charlottesville lives in poverty.

Open your eyes and get involved in the nonprofit organization of your choice.

Give. Advocate. Volunteer.

Welcome to "Living United"

Hello, and welcome to “Living United,” our United Way- Thomas Jefferson Area blog. Here you’ll find commentary by staff and volunteers from the United Way- Thomas Jefferson Area, located in Charlottesville, Virginia (www.UnitedWayTJA.org).

Today, you are hearing from Caroline Emerson. I’m the Vice President and Campaign Director, the person with the coolest job here (in my opinion): I work with many, many volunteers from all walks of life to raise dollars for the United Way- Thomas Jefferson Area. Some days I am giving a speech in a corporate cafeteria; some days I am meeting the clients of a local nonprofit program that we fund; some days I am making flyers; some days I’m meeting with local businesspersons; some days I am plunging the office toilet. Because we have such a small staff, I get the opportunity to do all sorts of things, and I never get bored.

We’re new to blogging and hope that you, our readers, will let us know what you’d like to hear about. We welcome your comments. We want you to get to know us, and we want to get to know you.

So, on to what’s new: this week we returned from our holiday celebrations to find our stocking (mailbox) full of donations from generous community members. Wow! Our annual Community Campaign is currently running well ahead of its total on this date last year. This is important because there are many, many needs that go unmet each year due to lack of funds. Thanks to everyone who has made a gift- you are appreciated! We still have a long way to go to reach our goal, but we can do it!