January 14, 2016 [Date]
Mailing 1 October 2015
Prefix FirstName LastName Company Address, Unit City, State Zip Code Dear [first name], United Way stands for OPPORTUNITY and HOPE. We have been friends for a long time, going through struggles together and trying to figure out our purpose in life. We both have caring parents, but our families deal with the same issues faced by many other families living in poverty, issues like homelessness, illness, and unemployment. We had goals. We knew that we wanted to attend a good college, but we just didn’t know how to get there. We want to take a moment to share with you our story and ask you to give other youth and families in our community the same opportunities. In 2013, our pre-engineering class visited Diebold, Inc. through a United Way program called Get Connected. It was so much more than a field trip. We learned how to network, and we began building relationships with Diebold professionals and United Way volunteers. With help from our United Way Get Connected mentor, we learned how to use those skills to build other professional connections in the community. Our new connections gave us strategies to succeed and achieve our goals of becoming engineers. Our mentor helped us with college and scholarship applications as well as financial aid forms. Because she was so invested in our success, she made sure our families were connected to other United Way services and support. This helped us focus our attention in the classroom. Where are we now? This spring, we graduated from Timken High School. We are now enrolled at the University of Mount Union, majoring in mechanical engineering. Our mentor helped us create a vision for how we will succeed, and we are working hard to get there. We invite you to watch our story along with others in this community who are grateful to United Way and its donors. View the video at uwstark.org or scan the code to the right.
2015 BE the ONE Video
[first name], we would not be where we are today if it weren’t for the generosity of people who believe in United Way of Greater Stark County. Please consider making a gift to United Way to help build a stronger community where children and families reach their potential. You provide OPPORTUNITY and HOPE for students, families and those in need in Stark County. Thank you for taking a moment to hear our story. ONE CARING PERSON can shapes someone’s future. We hope that you will BE the ONE. Warmest regards,
Isaiah Smith & Marcellus Bertram Students, University of Mount Union