Give a Little, Give a Lot

The following column was submitted by Pam Stone, Executive Director of United Way of Marion County.

I was recently invited to a meeting in which I was the only attendee other than the person who called it. She looked at me dejectedly and said, “I’m happy to lead the charge, but I can’t do it alone.  I need help.”  The whole experience got me to thinking, which I admit can be a dangerous thing, but in this case it seemed relevant.

United Way of Marion County is tasked with creating long-lasting changes in our county by addressing the underlying causes of problems. We’ve targeted education, income and health as three primary ingredients for a good life; it takes a quality education that leads to a stable job, income that can support a family through retirement and good health.  No one seems to argue this point with us, and everyone agrees that this is difficult work that won’t happen overnight.

So how do we plan to do it?  Well, like the young woman above, we are more than happy to lead the charge, but we can’t do it alone. It will take money, volunteerism and advocacy, none of which we can provide exclusively. That’s why we chose our 2013 campaign theme: It takes one person to change one life. UN1TE.

When the phone rings at work, we answer it with, “This is your United Way,” and we mean it.  We are here to provide the time, knowledge and expertise our county needs to begin making changes.  For example, when Marion City Schools called us to partner with them on a research-based reading project, we were more than happy to use our abilities to recruit the volunteers needed to make the project a success. Working only half the school year, every child in the program improved their reading skill; most improved significantly.

In another example, we work closely with state government on your behalf to research statistics and inform legislators regarding the priority issues we see in our county.  Last year, we advocated for funds to bolster drug and alcohol abuse prevention, treatment and recovery, along with early learning and a number of other issues.

With your help, we’ve been able to raise nearly a million dollars each year to fund results-based programming.  Did you know that only about one in ten of the Marion County population donates to our cause? Imagine what would happen if we could move that needle even five percent!  The beauty of United Way is that any gift – even a small one – is added to the gifts of many others, magnifying it into something that will do what no single gift can.  Together we can do what no single organization can.  The key word is “together,” meaning with your help.

Many people believe that if they don’t have a lot of money to give, they can’t help, but that’s not true.  The volunteers who give their time to the reading program above know that. Those that advocate for us by allowing us to use a photo of them or speak to a group on our behalf also know that.  I’m really hoping that those who can afford to give only a little know it, too.

Research tells us that many people don’t participate in United Way because they were never asked. Well, I am asking now – join us. Give a little, give a lot.  Give an hour, give a day. Open your heart and find your voice.  We must all take responsibility for the changes we want to see in our community because none of us can do it alone.

Pamela J. Stone
Executive Director
United Way of Marion County