Unitedway2015

clevelandbanner.com

Cleveland Daily Banner— October 18, 2015—1

A special feature of

2—Cleveland Daily Banner—Sunday, October 18, 2015

www.clevelandbanner.com

Dear Friends, Tanya Mazzolini

What an incredible year we have had at The United Way of Bradley and Polk County! We have grown and expanded to meet the demands of a community in desperate need of help and services. We will continue to grow in the next year as we come together to initiate even greater change throughout our community.

I want to thank you for contributing your time, resources, and energy in making an impact in the lives of over 15,000 people locally! If you’re not currently involved with us, I urge you to take a moment to see what we’re about and how we’re changing lives.

Each one of these 15,000 people has a unique story. They have dreams interrupted by trials and needs. These are people from all walks of life who found themselves in hardship, and you answered the call to give them a hand up. You made a difference!

That difference is a child receiving food over the weekend when they may have gone hungry, a woman fleeing an unhealthy home life with a place to run to, a bag of groceries for the veteran who found himself in need, and many others. You met each one of these people where they were. Whether through volunteering your time or giving of your resources, you are a difference maker. Thank you!

In looking forward to what this year holds, I’d like to share a quote from Mother Teresa: “To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.”

United Way is the lamp within our community — offering hope, help, and encouragement to so many. We thank you for filling the oil with us to ensure that we have the capability to reach all who experience hardship. Change is within our grasp when we all come together to give.

This is not The United Way or My United Way. It is OUR United Way! And, we are headed in the right direction. I look forward to what this year and the coming years will bring, and seeing the changes in the lives of the people in our community.

When we Live United and Give United, we will BE United!

Thank you,

Tanya Mazzolini United Way Board Chair

www.clevelandbanner.com

Cleveland Daily Banner — Sunday, October 18, 2015 — 3

Afterschool Network youth recipients of Duracell’s Community Outreach Duracell’s outreach program began when employees reached out to help the victims of the 2011 tornadoes that touched down in Bradley County.

Its community outreach program has once again reached out to local residents, this time targeting local youth.

United Way of Bradley County and Duracell worked together closely to identify the local youths who would receive the product of this year’s outreach — bicycles.

Not only did Duracell employees assemble the bicycles, they purchased helmets and locks so the youth would be safely prepared.

The United Way utilized its local Afterschool Network to identify youths ranging in age from 6 to 13 who are members of the Boy Scouts Cherokee Area Council, Cleveland Boys & Girls Clubs, Girl Scouts of the Southern Appalachians, Y-CAP, ANDOR, and the YMCA. The outreach program has been tremendously successful for both the recipients and the Duracell employees, according to plant manager Delita Cobb.

Employees met with the 50 children who had been identified at both the Cell Make Facility and the Duracell Pack Center on a Friday afternoon. After a buffet lunch, presentations of bicycles were made.

Every bicycle was specifically selected for each youth, according to age, height, and gender. To top it off, each bicycle had a personalized name tag.

Each of the youths were screened by their respective organizations, and most individuals did not have a bicycle. For some children from the Boys & Girls Clubs, these bicycles became a new mode of transportation, eliminating the need for them to walk 30 minutes one direction to the club.

Duracell administrator Robert

Chastain said the Cleveland Target store partnered with Duracell in the purchase of bikes.

The Duracell sponsors worked with their specific students explaining the bicycle and its operation, and making sure tires were inflated and the bikes ready to enjoy.

Duracell, the manufacturer of high-performance alkaline batteries, is one of only three Duracell plants in the U.S., and the sole producer of C-cell and D-cell batteries.

Duracell has operated its Bradley County facilities since 1961. The Cleveland packaging facility is the only one of its kind in North America, packaging batteries for all three U.S. plants at the Bradley County locations. The batteries made and packaged in Cleveland are then distributed throughout the U.S. and to Europe, Asia and Latin America.

The company and its employees are widely involved in Cleveland and Bradley County, with local community organizations and activities.

www.clevelandbanner.com

Cleveland Daily Banner—Sunday, October 18, 2015—3

Afterschool Network youth recipients of Duracell’s Community Outreach Duracell’s outreach program began when employees reached out to help the victims of the 2011 tornadoes that touched down in Bradley County.

Its community outreach program has once again reached out to local residents, this time targeting local youth.

United Way of Bradley County and Duracell worked together closely to identify the local youths who would receive the product of this year’s outreach — bicycles.

Not only did Duracell employees assemble the bicycles, they purchased helmets and locks so the youth would be safely prepared.

The United Way utilized its local Afterschool Network to identify youths ranging in age from 6 to 13 who are members of the Boy Scouts Cherokee Area Council, Cleveland Boys & Girls Clubs, Girl Scouts of the Southern Appalachians, Y-CAP, ANDOR, and the YMCA. The outreach program has been tremendously successful for both the recipients and the Duracell employees, according to plant manager Delita Cobb.

Employees met with the 50 children who had been identified at both the Cell Make Facility and the Duracell Pack Center on a Friday afternoon. After a buffet lunch, presentations of bicycles were made.

Every bicycle was specifically selected for each youth, according to age, height, and gender. To top it off, each bicycle had a personalized name tag.

Each of the youths were screened by their respective organizations, and most individuals did not have a bicycle. For some children from the Boys & Girls Clubs, these bicycles became a new mode of transportation, eliminating the need for them to walk 30 minutes one direction to the club.

Duracell administrator Robert

Chastain said the Cleveland Target store partnered with Duracell in the purchase of bikes.

The Duracell sponsors worked with their specific students explaining the bicycle and its operation, and making sure tires were inflated and the bikes ready to enjoy.

Duracell, the manufacturer of high-performance alkaline batteries, is one of only three Duracell plants in the U.S., and the sole producer of C-cell and D-cell batteries.

Duracell has operated its Bradley County facilities since 1961. The Cleveland packaging facility is the only one of its kind in North America, packaging batteries for all three U.S. plants at the Bradley County locations. The batteries made and packaged in Cleveland are then distributed throughout the U.S. and to Europe, Asia and Latin America.

The company and its employees are widely involved in Cleveland and Bradley County, with local community organizations and activities.

4 — Cleveland Daily Banner — Sunday, October 18, 2015

www.clevelandban-

ImpacT areas The Dream: That every child gets to school ready to learn and prepared to succeed.

The Reality: Nearly 37 percent of our kids get to school without the skills they need to succeed academically. This gap in skills does not usually get closed and children from lowincome areas fall further behind. If a child cannot read on grade level at 3rd grade the chances of them graduating high school is almost nonexistent.

The Solution: Provide children with books before they enter school, educate parents on the importance of reading, and make sure they have access to age appropriate books once they are in school. It really is that simple.

How You Can Help: A pledge of $10,000 for three years will support our work around school readiness and early learning. You can get books in the hands of children who need them and place a Reading Oasis in a local elementary school. Marketing, branding, and naming opportunities are available as a part of this sponsorship.

The Dream: That every child has access to high-quality preventative and sick care.

The Reality: 18 percent of children in our region do not have health insurance, and a large percentage of parents have said that getting off work to get their child to the doctor places a strain on their schedule and finances. Children who do not get seen by a doctor are sick more often, miss more school, and have worse academic outcomes than those that get seen more frequently.

The Solution: Telemedicine is an innovative and cost-effective solution to getting children the care they need. By providing local schools with specialized medical equipment a doctor can see the child remotely, diagnose them, and even write prescriptions.

How You Can Help: The equipment for each school is a one-time cost of $10,000, this provides an entire school’s worth of children with access to critical sick care.

The Dream: Families are stable, employed, and saving money.

The Reality: 92 percent of working, low-income families do not have any money in savings.

Helping families move toward independence means that they have money saved for a crisis, a stable job, and start building assets that increase in value over time.

The Solution: Helping ensure that people are trained for the jobs of tomorrow and have the skills to break a cycle of dependency and poverty. Our job training partnerships help participants build the soft and technical skills necessary to gain long-term employment.

How You Can Help: For $12,000 you can scholarship 12 hardworking, but undertrained, people into a job training program. The job placement rate for program graduates is 88 percent and every person who finds employment adds an additional $17,000 a year to the local economy.

www.clevelandbanner.com

Cleveland Daily Banner—Sunday, October 18, 2015— 5

Do no harm: Answering chronic poverty with crisis response “Toxic” is not a word traditionally associated with charity. Charity invokes goodwill and generosity, caring for one’s neighbor and helping the less fortunate.

“But what if charity is more than that?” asks Matt Ryerson, president and chief executive officer of United Way of Bradley County.

“What if giving a fish is necessary on occasion, but making a habit of it robs the receiver of the chance to learn how to fish, and permanently change his situation?”

This was the message author and founder of FCS Urban Ministries in Atlanta, Bob Lupton, challenged United Way donors and partners to take a hard look at.

“What we call ‘charity’ might actually be toxic, and ultimately, hurting those we are intending to help,” said Lupton as he addressed a roomful of United Way supporters.

United Way of Bradley County was proud to host Lupton to close the Community Action Network’s spring leadership training series.

Lupton’s ideals are based on human dignity and empowerment.

He noted, “Everyone has something to contribute. Never do for others what they have the capacity to do themselves.”

According to Lupton, this does not mean that providing emergency help is ever out of the question.

“Addressing a crisis issue with a crisis response is absolutely the right response.

Addressing a chronic issue with a crisis response leads to people getting hurt.”

Lupton’s message resonated with many. In fact, so much so that United Way has hosted lunch’n’learns throughout the summer months to continue the conversation and help with evaluation of what is and is not

ROBERT LUPTON signs a copy of his book, “Toxic Charity,” during a visit May 27 in Cleveland.

toxic.

“This is a paradigm shift,” said United Way of Bradley County Board Chair Tanya Mazzolini, “this is not something that is recognized or changed overnight.”

Lupton said it took nearly a decade to realize something was fundamentally wrong, that he was not empowering people to reach their fullest potential.

“Lupton’s ideals resonate because they embody what United Way believes is its goal: to find sustainable solutions to problems, and be the best stewards we can of the resources that are entrusted to us,” remarks campaign co-chair Matt Jenne.

Campaign co-chair Matt Tolbert agrees, saying, “We do our best to maximize the impact of each gift. Last year, volunteers and staff spent more than 4,000 hours reviewing proposals to ensure that the best decisions are made.”

These are the kinds of questions we ask at United Way. In order to make sure that we, collectively, continue to serve our community with excellence, steward resources, and change lives.

FCS Urban Ministries oath: 1. “I will never do for others what they have the capacity to do for themselves.”

2. “I will limit my one-way giving to emergency situations, and seek always to find ways and means for legitimate exchange.”

3. “I will seek ways to empower the poor through hiring, lending and investing, and use grants sparingly as incentives that reinforce achievements.”

4. “I will put the interests of the poor above my own (or organizational) selfinterest, even when it may be costly.”

5. “I will take time to listen and carefully assess both expressed and unspoken needs, so that my actions will ultimately strengthen rather than weaken the hand of those I would serve.”

6. “Above all, to the best of my ability, I will do no harm.”

6—Cleveland Daily Banner—Sunday, October 18, 2015

www.clevelandbanner.com

Former Vols coach Phillip Fulmer headlined United Way Campaign Kick-off “As the coach for the Tennessee Volunteers, Phillip Fulmer was never satisfied with just being good enough,” said United Way President and CEO Matt Ryerson. “He was dedicated to ensuring that everyone around him performed at their peak, constantly pushing his players and coaching staff to be the best they could be.

“The United Way shares that conviction; we are continuously pushing our partners and ourselves to do our best possible work.

The people we serve and our donors deserve that," added Ryerson. "That's why we were so excited to have Phillip Fulmer speak at our 77th Annual Campaign Kick-off Luncheon."

Clearly, Fulmer’s strategy worked, as his longtime coaching career was mostly associated with the University of Tennessee, where he served as the head football coach from 1992-2008. With a record of 152-52, his .745 winning percentage ranks in the top five in modern football history.

During his tenure, Fulmer coached and mentored 18 All-Americans and 92 NFL draft picks.

A champion player himself at UT from 1969-71, he served as co-captain on the ’71 team. Fulmer’s teams were consistently tough, winning the school’s first BCS national championship in 1998.

Fulmer won two SEC titles as a head coach and then led his squad to win or share the SEC East title seven times.

Fulmer built his program by motivating his team to victories when the pressure was highest. His motivation was rooted in his role as a principled mentor, encouraging his young men to grow socially, spiritually, academically and athletically.

Many analysts also praised him as one of the game’s top head coach recruiters.

Fulmer said he chose to pursue coaching because of all the mentors he had growing up.

“They made a difference in my life. I’m asking you to do this with all the children you’re with.”

Fulmer explained that in golf, a shot hit onto the green will leave a divot. “If you fix the divot, it will heal. If you don’t, it will scar. That’s the way it is in life,” Fulmer said. “You’re going to have to make changes for the future, and leadership matters.”

Most recently, Fulmer was inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. He is one of the youngest coaches to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, which signifies FORMER VOLS Coach Phillip Fulmer signs a football for the respect he received from his peers being select- a fan during the kickoff of the United Way campaign. ed on the first ballot.

Fulmer resides in Maryville with his wife, Vicky.

They have four grown children and six grandchildren. In addition to his involvement with many He appeared courtesy of Avondale Partners LLC., civic and charitable causes, he is a founding part- which generously made a $1,000 contribution to ner at Knoxville-based BPV Capital Management. “kick off” the United Way’s 2015 campaign.

FORMER VOLS COACH PHILLIP FULMER signed autographs and posed for photos with fans duirng the United Way Campaign Kick-off.

www.clevelandbanner.com

Cleveland Daily Banner—Sunday, October 18, 2015— 7

United Way of Bradley County brings volunteers together for Days of Action It’s already a record breaking year for United Way of Bradley County’s volunteer efforts. In three short years, the numbers for the Day of Action have grown from just 100 to more than 300 volunteers.

As part of a larger community effort to changes lives in the Ocoee region, United Way of Bradley County mobilized volunteers in two Days of Action, one in Polk County and one in Bradley County – both bigger than ever before.

“Volunteers are the driving force behind everything we do at United Way of Bradley County,” stated Matt Ryerson, president and CEO of United Way of Bradley County.

“On these two days, we see people from all walks of life coming together to make life better for their neighbors, but it’s not a once (or twice) a year effort.” Ryerson said.

Engaging volunteers is a year-round priority for United Way of Bradley County.

Last year, over 15,000 hours of volunteer time were invested in our community through United Way of Bradley County, giving time to enroll children in Imagination Library, create Born Learning trails to promote early learning, paint, clean, and beautify schools and parks, build capacity within our nonprofit sector, conduct needs assessments to guide United Way led neighborhood revitalization efforts or create solutions for homelessness.

That’s part of the bigger vision that United Way of Bradley County is advancing, identifying needs and creating solutions. United Way spotlights education, income, and health because they are the building blocks for a good quality of life and a strong and healthy community.

United Way works to engage the community in solutions to our region’s toughest challenges.

“We’ve made it a priority to get our supporters involved. More and more people are answering the call to give of their time to make our community a better place,” said United Way campaign co-chair, Matt Jenne. “We’re working to connect people with

what matters most to them and get them actively engaged in this work.”

Efforts also expand beyond Bradley County. The Polk County Day of Action took place on Saturday, June 20 in Benton. With over 40 volunteers, projects included painting, cleaning, restoration, and beautification at South Polk Elementary, People Helping People, and the Benton Unit of the Boys and Girls Clubs.

The Bradley County Day of Action took place on July 31st and mobilized over 280 volunteers at more than 20 project sites, with project supplies donated by Elder’s Ace Hardware.

“This effort mobilizes corporate teams in a positive and impactful way,” said United Way campaign co-chair Matt Tolbert, “these partnerships are critical to building a thriving community here in the Ocoee region and we are so grateful to those participating companies.”

Whirlpool Corporation, Elder’s Ace Hardware, Life Care Centers of America, Cleveland Utilities, Duracell, Lonza, Mars, Inc., Cleveland Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club of Cleveland, Check Into Cash, Eaton Corp., Publix, Cleveland State Community College, Coca-Cola, and Target have all had corporate volunteer teams participate.

Immediately following the Bradley County Day of Action, United Way kicked off their annual campaign, which generated $2.3 million dollars last year.

8—Cleveland Daily Banner—Sunday, October 18, 2015

Day of action

www.clevelandbanner.com

www.clevelandbanner.com

Cleveland Daily Banner—Sunday, October 18, 2015— 9

10—Cleveland Daily Banner—Sunday, October 18, 2015

www.clevelandbanner.com

Volunteers In Service to America: Building capacity, changing lives Envisioned by President John F. Kennedy in 1963 and made reality in 1965, the AmeriCorps VISTA program is designed to help provide urgently needed services locally.

For those who are unfamiliar with the program, it is most easily described as the domestic arm of the Peace Corps. Instead of going abroad, members are placed in local organizations that work to alleviate poverty. The purpose of a VISTA is to build the capacity of the organization in a sustainable manner.

In 2012, the United Way of Bradley County took the AmeriCorps VISTA program as an opportunity to launch Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library locally.

Jaynese Waddell, now the United Way’s director of Community Impact, was the first United Way VISTA. Three years later, there have been more than 20 VISTAs for various nonprofit organizations. The United Way currently manages a cohort of 14 who serve in Bradley and Polk Counties.

Members make a yearlong, fulltime commitment to serve on a specific project at a nonprofit organization or public agency.

AmeriCorps VISTA members are passionate and committed to their mission to bring individuals and communities out of poverty.

They focus their efforts to build the organizational, administrative, and financial capacity of organizations that fight illiteracy, improve health services, foster economic development, and otherwise assist low-income communities.

The United Way of Bradley County currently sponsors 14 VISTA members serving throughout Bradley and Polk County.

Through the efforts of these

Jaynese Waddell, director of Community Impact, Valerie Hampton, Kathy Silvers, Rachael Caffrey, Haley Tomlinson, Sara-Jean Harden, Kory Vance, Andria Seals, Rosanne Felix-Santiago and Cindy Lawson are members of the United Way VISTA cohort.

VISTA members alone, over 3,000 clients have been served, 475 volunteers have been recruited, and nearly $65,000 has been raised to support the organizations. The positive impact is in the spirit the program brings to a community, including selfless volunteerism, serving those in need, and helping our community’s most vulnerable.

Organizations where VISTAs have served include ANDOR, Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton, Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland, Bradley County Housing Coalition, Community Action Network, Court Appointed

Special Advocates, Family Promise of Bradley County, Impact Cleveland, Karis Dental Clinic, Tri-State Therapeutic Riding Center, Y-CAP and as VISTA Leaders.

Outside of their regular duties, VISTA members also plan and participate in two service days during their year of service, one on Sept. 11 as part of a national day of service and remembrance, and one on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to honor the spirit of service King exhibited for his community.

This Sept. 11, the current cohort of VISTAs planned an event to com-

memorate the faithful service given by the firefighters and others on Sept. 11, 2001, and to honor the brave members of the Bradley County Fire Department.

The event, “A Salute to the Bravest,” was held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Sept. 11, at the Bradley County Fire-Rescue station at 260 Inman St. W. To find out more about the AmeriCorps VISTA program or how it’s implemented through United Way of Bradley County, contact Cindy Lawson, cindylawson@unitedwaybc.com, or 423-479-2020.

www.clevelandbanner.com

Cleveland Daily Banner—Sunday, October 18, 2015— 11

What is the Volunteer Center?

Volunteers are a powerful force in any community. In fact, last year alone, nationally 62.6 million volunteers donated $173 billion worth of time to their favorite causes and nonprofit organizations. Last year through your local United Way, volu nteers gave more than 15,000 hours of their time to serve and make a difference.

The Volunteer Center is the Ocoee Region’s way to get connected and make a difference with their time. This includes an online, volunteer matching program where more than 50 organizations post opportunities. Visit volunteerocoee.org.

12—Cleveland Daily Banner—Sunday, October 18, 2015

www.clevelandbanner.com

Eva vanHook, director of Family Promise of Bradley County, conducts a housing census.

Pam EdgEmon of the Bradley County Housing Coalition conducts a census.

Housing in Bradley County: What you need to know The United Way of Bradley County works to identify need and create solutions. One such identified need was housing. Poised as a collaborator to help meet community needs, United Way started some conversations which have transformed into the Bradley County Housing Coalition.

The Housing Coalition is a now a thriving collaboration of local nonprofits, government officials, and business leaders working together toward the ultimate vision of affordable housing for all residents.

This group has led the efforts in conducting a countywide homeless census for the past two years, during which it found that more than 100 adults and children in Bradley County face homelessness at any given time. The coalition has also found through a census at the Bradley County Justice Center that 75 inmates (nearly 20 percent) were homeless and/or expect to be homeless upon release.

The coalition is working to coordinate the current organizations that serve residents facing homeless-

ness, as well as other housing issues such as unaffordable housing, landlord-tenant issues, etc.

The end goal is to effectively help these people make the transition from any of these housing issues to affordable, stable housing.

The coalition is working to create solutions to meet identified communitywide needs in a holistic and sustainable manner. One of the most pressing needs is more affordable housing.

“Many people don’t realize that there is a hard-working segment of our population that simply cannot afford housing,” said Sarah

Haratine, the facilitator of the Bradley County Housing Coalition.

“Those working in the service sector, or the single mother providing for her family that works at a local restaurant, are often not able to afford one of life’s most basic necessities – a roof over their head.”

The federal government states that anyone paying more than a third of their gross income on rent or mortgage is “cost-burdened.”

The housing coalition is starting to create solutions to issues like these. A solution might look like working with the private and public sector to develop more affordable

housing within mixed-income neighborhoods.

“As we develop solutions, we want community members’ feedback,” Haratine stated.

“So we plan to conduct a housing survey through nonprofit agencies and churches this fall. This step will ensure that those who are affected have a voice in the process.

We also are seeking invested community members and other organizations with an interest in affordable housing that can be part of our planning process.”

In an effort to continue to raise awareness and educate the community on the need, the Housing Coalition will host a countywide housing symposium at First Baptist Church of Cleveland on Nov. 20.

The symposium will be open to anyone who wants to learn about the state of housing in Bradley County, and how they can become part of the solution.

To learn more or to get involved, contact Sarah Haratine at sarahharatine@unitedwaybc.com or 423479-2020.

www.clevelandbanner.com

“Women are a powerful force, and when they have the venue to come together and make changes they are passionate about, you better just get out of their way!” says Matt Ryerson, CEO of United Way of Bradley and Polk County.

This is precisely why the United Way formed the Women’s Leadership Council this spring.

After surveying the community it found that the majority of women were concerned about the same needs facing our youth today.

The two areas that were chosen to have the Women’s Leadership Council rally behind were school readiness and middle school lead-

Cleveland Daily Banner—Sunday, October 18, 2015— 13

ership. With an alarming amount of children in our area beginning kindergarten unprepared for school, the members of this council have joined with the local schools to support educating parents on the importance of reading with their children with the Read20 program.

This council is working with The Imagination Library to ensure access to age appropriate books.

Middle School Leadership is working to help girls in our community during a time that by scientific standards they are “losing their voice.” Girls going through this transitional time in life become less engaged and often-

CAROLYN JACKSON, Nicole Flowers, Janey Cooke and Candice Natola were among those attending the Women’s Leadership Council.

times stop striving for things that do not seem to fit a feminine role.

The Women’s Leadership Council is reaching out to these girls to show them the importance of taking leadership roles, going after things they are passionate about and working towards goals in their lives.

The Council is working within the local schools to help in making a positive difference in these girls’ lives.

“We are very excited about what this council is doing, and truly believe that we can help our community in reaching out to our local youth,” says Nicole Flowers from Regions Bank. “Women play

an important role in all areas of life, and investing our time and resources into ensuring that we help to leave a positive legacy and empowering the next generation of women is absolutely essential.”

We invite you to be part of the solution that’s happening worldwide and in your community.

Learn more about how you can be more involved in your United Way — and connect with interesting, dynamic women who are making a difference.

For more information on the United Way Women’s Leadership Council, please contact Candice Natola at CandiceNatola@ UnitedWayBC.com.

14—Cleveland Daily Banner—Sunday, October 18, 2015

www.clevelandbanner.com

How do we inveSt? The organizations we invest in help real people — which is why real people just like you determine where the donations go.

Corporate donors, community members and individuals from philanthropic and community organizations make up our Community Impact Panels.

These dedicated volunteers pore over each grant proposal and identify the local programs that align with our strategies and goals to create a lasting impact.

With more than 500 nonprofits in Bradley County, identifying which programs align with our goals and strategies is no small task.

Some 118 volunteers along with our Community Impact Team spend an average of 33 hours per proposal – that’s nearly 4,000 hours – determining which partnerships will create the most lasting impact in our community.

Program Spotlight: 2-1-1 Before Christina was referred to our financial stability agencies, her life was in crisis. She had just left her abusive husband. She and her two children were living in a homeless shelter and needed help getting settled in their new life.

With the help of The United Way’s financial stability programs, Christina was able to receive assistance in finding an affordable place to live, help with her first utility payment, and her first set of necessities to get her started.

Christina is currently enrolled in a nursing program at a local college and is well on her way to the financial freedom she had only dreamed of before.

Each day brings new challenges. Sometimes we don’t know where to turn when unexpected things happen.

Who would you call if you need information on afterschool programs? Help with a utility payment or counseling?

Even if there are programs to help you, they won’t do you any good if you don’t know about them.

A little over a year ago, in August 2014, the United Way of Bradley County, in partnership with the United Way of Greater Chattanooga, provided a solution to this problem. Now, by simply calling 2-1-1, people in the Ocoee Region can be connected with a knowledgeable, trained operatot who will refer them to a program that meets their need.

In just one year, over 2,100 people have called to get access to services they or a loved one so desperately needed, just like Christina.

www.clevelandbanner.com

Cleveland Daily Banner—Sunday, October 18, 2015— 15

United Way Partners Andor Benton United Methodist Church Boehm Birth Defects Boys and Girls Clubs Bradley Baptist Association CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Centerstone Cherokee Area Boy Scout Council Cleveland Emergency Shelter Cleveland Family YMCA Community Action Network Copper Basin Crisis Center Copper Basin Health Care Foundation Copper Basin High Key Club Copper Basin Rural Community Association Ducktown Basin Museum Family Cornerstones Family Resource Agency Girl Scouts of the Southern Appalachians Girls on the Run GRAAB Coalition Helping Paws Healing Hearts

Home Delivered Meals Imagination Library Impact Cleveland Karis Dental Clinic Lee University Developmental Inclusion Classroom Legal Aid of East Tennessee Lions Club Museum Center at 5ive Points New Hope Pregnancy Care Center Ronald McDonald House Charities — CareMobile Signal Centers Telemedicine The American Red Cross The Caring Place The HOPE Center The Refuge Tri-State Therapeutic Riding Center Wesley United Methodist Church — Sac Pac Program YMCA LiveStrong Program YMCA’s YCAP Program

16—Cleveland Daily Banner—Sunday, October 18, 2015

www.clevelandbanner.com