Any event that involves over 2,300 people, 65
businesses, 113 nonprofits/public schools and 234 volunteer projects take the
coordination and involvement of many.
As I reflect on my second and our
office’s 21st United Way Laurence E. Richardson Day of Caring, I
can’t help but to feel grateful. I’m grateful for all of the people,
organizations and groups that came together to bring over $304,000 of volunteer
hours into our community on a single day.
I want to take this time to thank you.
Thank you to the sponsors who made the breakfast possible (State Farm), provided lunch for our staff (Raising Canes) and covered the event on the radio (WINA) and television (Charlottesville Newsplex).
Thank you to the nonprofits and schools that hosted volunteers and organized meaningful projects for local businesses.
Thank you to the thousands of volunteers who took time away from work to spend
time making our community a better place to live.
Thank you to the companies that allowed their employees to miss time from work to volunteer painting houses, landscaping and much more.
Thank you to the United Way staff who spent time in the weeks leading up to the United Way Day of Caring to help print signs, bring up and sort supplies from our basement, and arrive so early in the morning to set things up.
People always thank me for the work that I do behind the scenes to plan the day, but I don’t (and can’t!) do this event alone. It’s because of the wonderful team leaders, thoughtful project coordinators and my supportive colleagues that this event is able to happen each year and make such a difference in Charlottesville and the surrounding counties. Without the support and teamwork of the thousands of people involved in even the smallest details of this community-wide event, the United Way Day of Caring wouldn’t have such a lasting impact on our community.
Thank you!
Posted by Jessica Snyder, United Way Volunteer Center Director
The United Way Laurence E. Richardson Day of Caring.
The United Way Day of Caring.
The Day of Caring.
Or, in our office shorthand: DOC.
Our office is in “All hands on deck!” mode in preparation for our annual volunteer extravaganza next Wednesday, September 19th.
This year, we have 2,300 volunteers registered for 234 projects at 113 nonprofits and schools. There are teams from 65 local businesses and organizations, with the University of Virginia and UVa Health Systems providing nearly 1,000 of our volunteers. Our good neighbor, State Farm Insurance is sending around 100 volunteers, and Lexis Nexis and the CFA Institute each send around 70 employees to volunteer. And other local businesses send from 2 to 50 employees.
That means a whole lot of local businesses allow and encourage their employees to spend a day volunteering in our community. And we can’t forget those employees left behind to keep things running.
Jessica Snyder, our Volunteer Center Director, is seeing her
9 months of preparation come to fruition and is deftly handling the thousand
details that make the day run smoothly, not to mention taking the last minute
changes in stride. The rest of us do what we can do help her. We haul the signs
out of our basement, print new signs, arrange pick up of traffic cones, alert
the media, assign our board members project sites to visit to thank the
volunteers. The spread sheets detailing every one of the projects are voluminous,
and the details (weights for balloons? – check) are numerous, but necessary to
making such a huge undertaking seamless. It is fun, it is exhausting and
somewhat overwhelming, but on that day, at the kick-off breakfast at Albemarle
Square, when the State Farm Singers are lifting up their voices in joy, and the
hundreds of volunteers are full of energy to make a difference in our
community, it all seems worth it.
Posted by Kim Connolly
Sometime the best solutions are the simplest ones.
Four years ago, during a visit to the Charlottesville/Albemarle Regional Jail with the Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Charlottesville class, it was clear to me that many of the inmates were young men under the age of 25. That led to a question for Charlottesville Police Chief Tim Longo: At what age do we need to reach youth before they turn to criminal activities or drugs? His answer, that kids are deciding between school or gangs as young as the age of 10, stunned us.
So often these kids are a reflection of their environment. Something as simple as a mentor who will take an active interest in their lives, can change a kid’s outlook on life and raise their expectations for themselves. Think about it – who mentored you? A parent, a teacher, neighbor, coach, older sibling? They might not have thought of themselves as a mentor, but the positive attention they gave you meant a lot, and you probably wanted to live up to their expectations for you.
There are so many kids in our community – from elementary school kids who are struggling with reading, to middle school students who are latch-key kids, to high school students who don’t see the point of school – who could use a friendly adult to encourage them and help them see a future for themselves.
There are also many wonderful organizations in our community that provide these opportunities for kids, and for the adults who want to help them. Mentoring takes many forms – from reading a book with an elementary school student, to sharing your passion for music or sports with a group of teens, to taking a child to their first museum visit or college sporting event.
Which is why the United Way’s Volunteer Center became part of the Leadership Charlottesville class project – Mentor. Tutor. Pass it on! – and has continued the month-long public awareness campaign about the importance of mentors and tutors for our youth. We are joined in this effort by our sponsors: MichieHamlett Attorneys at Law; the Omni Hotel, Charlottesvillle; Monticello Media radio stations, The Daily Progress and NBC29. Please join us on Thursday, January 26 between 11:00 and 2:00 at the Omni Hotel for a mentor and tutor opportunity fair, where you will be able to meet face to face with representatives from 17 local organizations that need volunteers to work with kids. You can find an organization that is the right fit for you – your time, your interests and your style.
January is National Mentoring Month. All month long, we are running guest posts from volunteers, staff and the kids who benefit from these organizations. We hope you will subscribe to our blog feed, or keep checking back to read their stories. And put January 26 on your calendar!
Posted by:
Kim Connolly, Vice President of Marketing & Communications, United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area.
Years ago, when I was working at a nonprofit in another state, I had an assistant who was one of the most outgoing, happy and hardworking persons I have ever met. She was also the same age as me (30) and had a 14 year old daughter. Yes, the math says she was 16 when she became a mother. One day, as we were driving to a meeting, she pointed out a large evergreen bush in front of an unoccupied industrial building. She told me the story of how one year, she could not afford a Christmas tree and so instead took a very large branch from the back of that bush and brought it home and decorated it for her young daughter.
Having grown up in a protected suburban bubble, this was the first time I had realized that for many families, a Christmas tree is a big expense. Perhaps that is why I so wholeheartedly embraced the Target stores’ Share-A-Tree program when their store opened in Charlottesville.
For 21 years, Target stores across the country have donated a couple of special display Christmas trees to their local United Way to give to families or a local nonprofit organization. We are so fortunate that our local store manager may actually be Santa’s special envoy, because he donates ALL of the store’s display Christmas trees to us each year. This year there were 24 trees.
We try to spread the joy every year by working with a different local organization to identify families who are struggling to make ends meet. These artificial trees enable families to keep money in their pockets each holiday season by eliminating the need to purchase a new tree each year. Whether you are a real or fake tree aficionado, you can agree that this makes good economic sense for these families.
In past years, we have worked with the Charlottesville City Public Housing Association of Residents, Love Inc.(which put us in touch with local churches), MACAA and GRACE in Greene County. This year, it was not hard to see that the people in hard-hit Louisa County, the epicenter of the August earthquake, could use some extra holiday cheer. So we contacted Donna Isom at the Louisa Resource Council, who immediately began finding homes for the trees. Two of the trees, which were quite high-tech looking as they were made of black tinsel, were given to Computers4Kids here in Charlottesville, to be decorated using a technology theme.
Ryan McKillip, regional manager of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, has provided us with a box truck for the fourth year in a row, and looks forward to volunteering to pick up and deliver the trees each year. Henry Graff, reporter for NBC29, joined as a volunteer last year when we delivered to his Greene County neighbors, and has now made this an annual volunteer effort (of course producing a news story along the way). The three of us are beginning to be a well-oiled machine.
Here is the link to our still photos from the day, and below is Henry’s story.
In addition, Bryan McKenzie of The Daily Progress, put his signature spin on the story in his column this week. Many thanks to the good folks at Target’s national headquarters, and many more to the employees of our local store for embracing and enhancing this wonderful concept.
Give. Advocate. Volunteer. That is what is means to Live United.
Posted by: Kim Connolly
On January 11, I walked into the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area as the new Volunteer Center Director. In less than ten months, I would have to pull off the 20th anniversary of the United Way Laurence E. Richardson Day of Caring. I had big shoes to fill and I was nervous about whether or not I’d be able to meet the expectations.
Planning for the event started early in the spring, but no amount of planning could have prepared me as much as living through the experience. I knew that as much as I prepared and planned, I’d have to see, hear and feel the United Way Day of Caring to really understand it. The experience of that day is something that I will never forget.
I woke up at 2:15am on September 21st to the sound of my alarm and I got ready for the day, leaving my house at 3:30am to start my hour commute to Charlottesville. Our staff started right away to prep the parking lot for the 500 people we expected that morning.
Hundreds of balloons, two television interviews and one radio interview later, it was time to kick-off the breakfast. The rally flew by with performances by State Farm’s Choir, speakers and great food provided by State Farm.
From the breakfast, we all headed out to visit as many project sites as possible to thank the volunteers. The rest of the day felt like a flash and before I knew it, we were back at the office putting all of our banners and signs back in the basement… and the day was over.
Now, just 256 days after I started and two days after the United Way Day of Caring, I can’t help but reflect on the experience:
This community is amazing! I was really touched by seeing the joy of both the volunteers and the people they worked with.
I owe a HUGE thank you to all of our sponsors, my colleagues, our United Way Board members, all of the nonprofits, schools, volunteers, the media and the local community for making the 20th United Way Laurence E. Richardson Day such a success story and for helping to make my job so rewarding!
Posted by Jessica Snyder
United Way Volunteer Center Director
We are so fortunate to have great relationships with all the media outlets in Charlottesville. Recently, our good friends at WINA, sponsors of our One Fine Day for the United Way, a Day at Keswick Hall, Club & Estate, recorded the following public service announcement for us.
And, our friends at Charlottesville Newsplex and Comcast Spotlight collaborated to created this terrific television spot.
Plus, event sponsor The Daily Progress is running this ad on Sundays for us.
Hurry up and sign up for your spot on the golf course or a relaxing day at the estate. We have sold out the golf tournament the last couple of years. Call Caroline Emerson at 434-972-1701.
Posted by Kim Connolly
Tuesday kicked off the five day extravaganza known as Car Wars: The Revolution. Our friends at the UVA Community Credit Union created this event, which features the four largest car dealers in the area: Battlefield Ford, Brown Auto, Colonial Auto and Jim Price Auto. They bring their inventories of new and used cars to the John Paul Jones Arena so that the public can come in and compare, test drive and get a great financing deal from the credit union, all in one location. No driving up and down Route 29 or Pantops trying out all the car models you are considering.
So what does this have to do with the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area? We are the beneficiaries of the car sale. The more cars are sold, the bigger the donation we will receive at the end of the sale. So if you are in the market for a new or used car, come on down! You'll get a great deal and the community will get a helping hand.
We had a lot of fun with Chewbacca, Princess Leia and C-3PO, who will be making appearances at various times during the sale this week. Eric Pritchett of NBC29 did live interviews during the evening news, and Caroline Emerson, our Vice President and Campaign Director, had some fun with Chewbacca during her interview.
Enjoy the slide show!
The United Way Home Run Club is in full swing, having officially started on the first of April. Many thanks to David Coleman who hit a three-run home run in Saturday’s game against Virginia Tech.
On Monday night, representatives from our Team Captain, CenturyLink, and our all Star Players, The Daily Progress, Union First Market Bank and WINA, gathered at Cheeseburger in Paradise for the Coach’s Corner show on WINA, featuring UVa Baseball Head Coach Brian O’Connor.
(From left to right: Fred Greer, The Daily Progress; Rod Gentry, Union First Market Bank; Coach Brian O'Connor; Caroline Emerson, United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area; Simone Alley, CenturyLink; Mike Bisceglia, WINA.)
Coach O'Connor was clearly enjoying the moment and appreciative of the extraordinary week the team had experienced: being ranked #1, Will Robert’s perfect game, and then sweeping the Hokies. Will, a young man whose academic credentials (he is graduating from UVA this year after only 3 years) are equally as impressive as his athletic ability, also did a live interview.
We are looking forward to an exciting series this weekend against Georgia Tech.
Come on and join the Home Run Club! We’ll be running quarter page ads in The Daily Progress every Sunday tracking the home runs and prominently recognizing our Team Members.
Listen for our ads on WINA during the games.
And, while we are having so much fun, let us remember that all of the funds raised through this effort will go to help local families and individuals struggling with many challenges. So, we all win.
Posted by Kim Connolly
We at United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area have known for a long time how fortunate we are to have Martha Trujillo as part of our staff. Her cheerful, postive attitude and her sense of compassion for those who need help make her the perfect person to run our Information and Referral Center. As the person who answers our main phone line and who sits at our front desk, she helps people who call or walk in for help every day.
Martha came to the attention of CVille Weekly through her work as president of Creciendo Juntos, and they soon realized what we already knew - that all roads in the Latino community eventually lead to Martha here at the United Way. Then she takes that knowledge to another level with her volunteer commitments with Creciendo Juntos and at the UVa Medical Center as an interpreter.
Pick up a copy of this week's CVille Weekly to read about Martha. She epitomizes our mission: to serve community members with the greatest need, or at the greatest risk, in ways that make our entire community a better place to live for the long term.
We have been very fortunate to welcome some new staff members in the past few months, and would like to introduce them to the public.
Melissa Beth Behl joined us in the fall as our Insurance for Children Outreach Worker. Her job is to make parents and referring nonprofit agencies aware of the availability of the Family Access to Medical Insurance Security (FAMIS) program for uninsured children. She walks families through the application process. They really appreciate having the personal touch of someone they can meet face to face and call when they have questions.
Melissa has never done press interviews, but when she sat down with NBC29 recently, she was confident and passionate about helping families.
Leigha Rae also joined us in the fall as our data assistant.
We have to keep a lot of data here – much of it required by our auditors and the IRS for our many programs. We also need to stay on top of keeping track of our donors so that we can thank them promptly for their support and keep them informed of how their gifts are working to make a positive difference in our community. Leigha has quickly become someone we depend on for her attention to detail and her ability to pitch in where needed.
And finally, Jessica Snyder joined us two weeks ago as our new Volunteer Center director. Her head must be spinning from all of the meetings various staff members have brought her to as we try to introduce her to the many people and organizations she will be working with in the community. We have also brought her along to sit in on radio and TV interviews and PSA tapings as she will be doing many interviews in her high profile position.
She keeps showing up each day, so we have not scared her off yet! She has already begun work on and promotion of the nominations for the United Way Student Service Awards. After that, she will dive right in to planning the United Way Laurence E. Richardson Day of Caring.
We are thrilled to have Melissa, Leigha and Jessica as part of our United Way family. If you see them out and about, please introduce yourself and encourage them in the work they do for our community.
Posted by Kim Connolly
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