A “Warm” thank you for 40 years

By Scott Marier, Executive Director, Westerville Area Resource Ministry

Westerville Area Resource Ministry, WARM, is celebrating 40 years of community service. The last four decades are marked by milestones of growth; growth in need, growth in partnership and growth in best practices.

Although WARM is a self-supporting nonprofit, we did not weather the last four decades alone. At each marker, there were people who stepped in and made a difference; churches, businesses, civic organizations, schools, individuals and families. They each had a part. They each took on the work of helping others, which is at the heart of WARM’s mission.

In celebration of our anniversary, we wanted a way in which we would be able to say “thank you” to as many people as we could. The challenge was how to thank a community of close to 90,000 people. How do we thank people who have consistently given of their resources so that, collectively, we could address the issues of poverty within our community? As part of the acknowledgement of the last 40 years, we fashioned a three-pronged approach to celebrate those who have stood with us and create opportunities for others to join in.

The Family Fun Fest, held in August, was a huge success. The food, games and sponsors were wonderful. The participation was indicative of Westerville – all hands on deck. The event was our opportunity to give back a portion of the kindnesses and blessings we have received over the years.

Throughout this year, we have conducted small acts of “Thanks 4 Giving;” actions in which we recognize support- ers who have given their time, talent and treasure with “thank you” cards, treats or coupons. This has allowed us to personally touch thousands of individuals with no strings attached – just a way to “Pass on a WARM Thanks!” We will continue this practice in the remaining months of 2012.

In September, we will hold our inaugural Gala event to assist in raising awareness of hunger and the accompanying concerns of our neighbors in need. Proceeds generated will impact the key solutions to addressing the effects of situational and systemic poverty.

As we look to the coming years, we are committed to addressing the future needs of the community by increasing programs and services, building organization infrastructure to manage continued growth, implementing best practice strategies that address poverty indicator trends, and expanding facility capacity to support rising service demands. Our mission remains clear: to be obedient in loving others by being aware of the poverty needs around us, and willing to take action to remedy those needs.

It is in loving our neighbors as ourselves that we will witness lives transformed as we restore dignity and hope, by offering a hand up, not a hand out. This is best done together.

On behalf of our board, staff, volunteers and the clients we serve, we wish to thank the Westerville community for your generous support over the last 40 years. We are looking forward to what is yet to come.