United Way Assignment #2

The United Way of the River Cities executive director was at Marshall University Thursday and said United Way has begun moving in a new direction.

            Laura Gilliam, the executive director of United Way of the River Cities said that United Way wants to begin aiding people with skills and opportunities before they reach a crisis point. The Student Government Association and Faculty Senate invited her to speak in the John Marshall Room of Marshall University’s Memorial Student Center.

            The money United Way has put into the community is for safety-net services, she said. These services provide people with food, shelter, medication and other basic needs.

            “Since 1922 we’ve put millions of dollars back into this area and we still are seeing the same problems,” she said.

            In early 2000 United Way participated in Community Needs Assessment. For the assessment they partnered with other organizations to poll service providers, residents and people who are recipients of services to find out what the major problems in the community are, she said. The results of the survey led United Way to the decision to focus on four major areas of improvement in the community: learning and earning, health and wellness, families and children and basic needs and unforeseen hardships.

            United Way has already begun the shift to community improvement. The substance abuse prevention partnership conducted a survey in the health and wellness focus area. She said the survey was about community awareness of substance abuse that was ranked one to 10, one being in denial of abuse and 10 being active and assertive to fix the problem.

“Cabell County was at a two. One of the things they (substance abuse prevention partnership) have done is raise the awareness and readiness of the community. Last year when they did the assessment it was up to a five,” she said.

            Marshall students can become involved with United Way and their partners simply by volunteering their time.

            “We have different opportunities that come up periodically, we will have one time events where we need a bunch of people to come and help,” she said.

            She said there are other ways to volunteer, such as taking pharmacy bags with substance abuse information to local pharmacies and helping people in the community with their taxes.

            Although United Way seeks to improve life in the community by new means, fundraising and monetary donations still impact the work. United Way Worldwide is practicing a one-on-one fundraising strategy she said. An individual relationship with the donor is becoming more popular. She said they can find out what each individual’s passion is and give them opportunities to invest in the work.

            United Way of the River Cities plans to raise 1.25 million dollars in fundraising this year, she said, but the new direction and community work are more important than the amount they want to raise.

            “We do want to lead with the work that we’re doing, not the dollar amount,” she said