What a year it’s been!
We developed a partnership with Operation Warm and Fuccillo Subaru to provide winter gear to children and families in need, launched a virtual monthly learning series entitled “Lunch & Learn UNITED” where we offer a number of topics facilitated by local experts and open it up to the community with no cost to attend, facilitated a handful of Bridges Out of Poverty trainings across the North Country, received grant funding and entered into a new partnership with Morristown Central School District to offer SACC programming for children, assisted a number of ALICE families in need, and made meaningful connections across the area through a variety of events like the Community Food Drive, which brought in the most donations to date this past year – just to name a few of the things we accomplished in 2024 thanks to your support!
Together, we touched the lives of tens of thousands of individuals across the North Country, including many children who now have brighter futures. Single parents are able to keep their jobs and provide for their children thanks to transportation assistance and childcare services, students and families are provided with cleaning and personal care items, victims of domestic violence are brought to safety, children make connections with positive role models during afterschool programming, and homebound seniors receive healthy meals delivered to their homes – and these are just a few examples of the power of our collective giving!
We will be sharing our annual report with everyone in the new year, but in the meantime, we wanted to share with you a few of the many instances in which lives were impacted by UWNNY thanks to the generosity of the communities we serve, putting some faces to the numbers, if you will, to demonstrate the impact we can achieve when we work united toward a better tomorrow. Below are two ALICE (Asset Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed) cases and snippets of impact from two of our partner agencies that were able to assist individuals thanks to some help from United Way:
ALICE: A young mom was working part-time and really struggling to keep up. When offered a full-time job in a nearby community, with higher pay and benefits, she didn’t think that she would be able to accept it because she could not afford the gas to and from while she waited for her first paycheck. United Way provided coaching (she needed to hear that she could do this!) and gas cards, which took the pressure off. We are happy to report that she loves her new job and is quickly gaining stability and confidence!
In another instance, a single mother working at a local college, is doing her best to raise her special needs son. Starting over after a bad marriage, mom was so proud that her car is almost paid off. Lo and behold, it was in need of repairs, and she was beside herself trying to figure it out. When told that United Way could help, you could hear a pin drop … and then a little sniffle followed by words of gratitude.
Partner Organizations: WCTA, Inc. is more than just transportation to seniors and disabled persons in the Carthage area. For most riders, the staff are the only family they have. According to Executive Director Heather Tanner, one of the ladies has no family in the area, so Heather is her health care proxy. Another lady is also completely alone here, so Heather has gone with her for her medical procedures. “Our riders do not have a means to get out of their homes to shop, socialize or access personal care,” she said. “Our mission has been to make it possible for those in impossible situations. We go to their door if they need that extra help. We carry their bags. Due to the personal care, we have developed close relationships with our riders. We are often referred to as their closest friends because of the level of personal care and concern that each rider receives.”
Recently, Renewal House received an after-hours call and assisted a client who reached out after experiencing several years of abuse in her home. Through the immediate access to services, safe housing, and emotional support, she found the stability to rebuild her life— receiving assistance to continue her education, securing a stable job, and eventually moving into a safe, independent living situation. In another instance, a mother and her children were in a crisis situation, but she was not yet ready to leave. A week later, she was. An advocate met the family in a safe location and wound up being able to provide safe housing immediately, along with food and supplies to assist them. The survivor had a full-time job and was juggling that while trying to find a rental in an area that accommodated her, her three children, their school schedules and her work schedule. With assistance from Renewal House, this survivor now as stable housing for herself and her children, and they are out of their situation and safe.
We are incredibly proud and humbled to be able to play a role in such amazing work being done in the North Country through our strong network of nonprofit partner organizations. None of this work would be possible without the incredible generosity and support we receive from businesses and individuals like you. Thank you for believing in our mission to unite communities, resources and partners to collaboratively address local needs, foster impactful programming, and enhance quality of life. Here’s to the new year and continuing to work toward a brighter tomorrow for all!