Living United

Football and Rain

Two months ago, the University of Virginia’s Department of Athletic Marketing & Promotion contacted us and offered us a large group of tickets to a home football game as part of their community outreach. We consulted the football gods and our calendars and decided on the October 24 game against Georgia Tech. We knew that GT was supposed to have a strong team this year.

We contacted our volunteers and many local small business people who always go above and beyond the call of duty for us and offered them tickets. Our staff looked forward to bringing family and friends to the game. Our campaign volunteers used ticket giveaways as incentives.

We had a lot of fun in the month preceding the game in being able to thank so many people by giving them and their families tickets to a football game. Several people told us it was going to be their first UVA football game since they could not afford to buy tickets for an entire family.

We watched the weather reports – looked like chance of rain. We told folks to bring ponchos and towels to keep their seats dry. The big day dawned – RAIN! At first there were just a few minor showers. But as soon as they kicked off, the skies opened up. Soon the stands started to empty, even though the game in the first half was pretty good. Those clad in ponchos seemed to last the longest, and some toughed it out to the end, including Kent Williamson of Paladin Media Group, pictured here with his family.

If nothing else, the game was memorable for the misery of sitting there in the pouring rain. That and watching folks create a terrific mudslide on the Hill.

Too bad watching the game did not turn out to have been as much fun as giving the tickets away to   appreciative folks. Still, we now have the story of “Remember the year UVA gave us all those football tickets…?”

So little time, but such a big impact!

It took five minutes.

Kim had written a public service announcement (PSA), and asked me to record it. I adapted it for two voices, thinking that as long as Jay James would be sitting there recording the PSA at WINA, he could read a few lines, too. He’s the professional, after all, the one with The Smooth Radio Voice.

I’d read over the script several times, trying different inflections and different speeds (the spot had to time at just under 60 seconds). On Friday, I made a copy of the script for Jay and headed over to the studios of the Charlottesville Radio Group (WINA AM1070, 97.5FM 3WV, Z95.1FM, and AM1450).

I arrived a few minutes early, so I would have time to get some water and read the script one more time. Moments after I arrived, however, Jay rushed out to greet me. What, no time for vocal exercises? No warm-up? Not even time to stretch?

Jay and I headed back to the booth. I waved at Jane Foy through the window of the studio where she and Rick Daniels were doing the “WINA Morning News with Rick and Jane” show. I love those guys!

In the booth, Jay cranked up the microphones and computer, and glanced over the lines. “Let’s do it!” he shouted, and pointed at me. “Any time, Miss Caroline Emerson from the United Way,” he said, and I blurted out the first line.

The PSA has a serious topic: we’re talking about how your support of the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area helps local people with all kinds of needs, from counseling abused children to assistance with obtaining prescription medication.

Sixty seconds later we were done and listening to it. I asked for a do-over, just to make it a little better. We recorded it again, this time a little cleaner, and that was that.

Even though the PSA was on a serious topic, as always when Jay James is involved, I had fun recording it. Take a moment to listen to it and see if we captured the spirit of giving, advocating, and volunteering for the United Way.

Thank you to Jay James for his ever-cheerful willingness to help the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area. He doesn’t just wear the shirt, he lives it!  And many thanks to the good folks at the Charlottesville Radio Group for their years of support.

Posted by Caroline Emerson.
 

Have you noticed a theme?

Perhaps, like me, you were watching The Biggest Loser last night and you saw the Blue Team contestants leave the gym and enter the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank to stuff backpacks for hungry children.  Perhaps you were wondering why they spent time volunteering when they should be working hard to drop those pounds. 

Well, The Biggest Loser is just one of 90 shows on ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC that are promoting volunteerism during the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s iParticipate week, October 19-25.  You’ll probably notice the PSA’s, as well as the scripted programming that will appear during your favorite shows.

What’s this all about, you might be thinking?  Volunteer rates for Americans remain around 26%, as they have for over 40 years.  That means that only 1 in 4 of us give back to our community.  Imagine, if you will, that there are no volunteers.  Nobody to mentor children, nobody to deliver meals to the homebound, nobody to fundraise for organizations, nobody to respond to your car accident or house fire.  Volunteers make an enormous contribution to our community everyday, allowing our nonprofit organizations to do more, serve more people, and impact more lives.  Now imagine if everyone gave a little time to support the programs that serve children, aging adults, animals or the environment.

You can be part of that movement. Should you feel inspired by the volunteerism you witness on TV this week, the Volunteer Center is here to help you identify how you can get involved, whether you have one hour a month or an hour a day.  Visit our website or call me at 972-1705 to learn more.

Posted by Shaele Wood.

Thank you Day of Caring Volunteers!

With the United Way Laurence E. Richardson Day of Caring nearly one month behind us, we continue to celebrate the amazing contributions of time and talent provided by volunteers from local businesses on September 23, 2009.

The Charlottesville Newsplex honored all of the Day of Caring teams in this Thank You ad that they ran following the event.

Additionally, this video was created from videos that a team of Day of Caring volunteers captured during the Day.  Enjoy!

Posted by Shaele Wood.

Holiday Assistance Deadlines, Already!

Well it’s October 1st. It’s getting a bit cooler but by no means feels like the holiday season is upon us already…or is it? Here at United Way we are gearing up for the holiday season as holiday assistance deadlines are already upon us. It’s been a hard year in our country, we all know it. We want everyone to know it is okay to ask for help this year. If your financial situation is unsure, go ahead and apply for assistance. It’s better to ask for the support now and later be able to say ‘thank you but I will not need your help’ than to struggle through the holiday season. 

Click here to view the flyer with all of the contact information you may need.  Please note you may only apply for assistance at one agency, so carefully review the eligibility information to see which agency could best serve you.  Any questions, give us a call at 434.972.1701.

Posted by Leah Hill