LIVING UNITED
2013, ISSUE IV
Central Ohio Unites to Fight Poverty Unprecedented Local Media Effort Mobilizes Our Community to Help People Build Pathways out of Poverty On Thursday, October 10, Unite to Fight Poverty was launched. It is an unprecedented collaboration of local media and businesses to raise awareness about poverty in central Ohio and to inspire action. Television, print, radio, outdoor advertising and online communications featured stories of how United Way is helping people build pathways out of poverty.
“The support we received from local media and businesses for the Unite to Fight Poverty effort was phenomenal,” said Dan Bradley, Chair of the Communications Cabinet for United Way and Vice President and General Manager of NBC 4.
From 4:30 a.m. through 11:30 p.m. on October 10, the four major local television stations’ newscasts shared inspiring stories of our neighbors and friends who are overcoming poverty with the help of United Waysupported programs. From 7-7:30 p.m., the stations broadcast a special half-hour television event, while regularly scheduled shows continued, all commercial breaks presented stories along with information on the scope of the poverty issue in our community. This broadcast reached more than 197,000 households.
• The AFL / CIO posted web banners on their websites featuring the United Way partnership • Atlas Butler is featuring Unite to Fight Poverty on the digital board at its headquarters along Interstate 71 • Columbia Gas included United Way inserts in the 410,000 customer bills for September • Columbus Blue Jackets players are featured in Unite to Fight Poverty messages • MediaSource produced a Unite to Fight Poverty public service announcement • White Castle is including United Way information in take out sacks
For the first time ever, anchors Colleen Marshall and Cabot Rea from NBC 4; Yolanda Harris and Bob Kendrick from ABC 6 / Fox 28; and Kristyn Hartman and Jerry Revish from 10TV came together to create a joint message inviting everyone to join them in Uniting to Fight Poverty that aired on all of the stations to begin and end the event. WOSU generously provided the facilities where the joint message was produced.
In addition to media support, many of United Way’s corporate and organized labor partners participated:
The October 10 event built tremendous momentum and awareness and the Unite to Fight Poverty effort is continuing throughout the year as media partners continue to tell the stories of real people building pathways out of poverty.
Unite to Fight Poverty Media and Corporate Partners Television • WCMH NBC 4 • WSYX ABC 6 / WTTE Fox 28 • WBNS 10TV • WOSU TV Radio • CD 102.5 • Clear Channel Radio • Columbus Radio Group • North American Broadcasting Company • RadioOhio • Radio One • Wilks Broadcasting Print • Columbus Alive! • Business First • Capital Style • Columbus CEO • The Columbus Dispatch • Columbus Monthly • Columbus Parent • The Columbus Post • Outlook Columbus • (614) Magazine Outdoor • CBS Outdoor • Clear Channel Outdoor
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Online Extra: Watch the Unite to Fight Poverty stories that aired on local television at ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------liveunitedcentralohio.org/unite-to-fight-poverty and share your favorite on Facebook. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Corporate / Labor • AFL-CIO • Atlas Butler • Columbia Gas • Columbus Blue Jackets • Donatos • MediaSource • White Castle
President’s Update I hope you were watching one of our local television stations on October 10 at 7 p.m. because you witnessed history in the making. For the first time ever, all four local commercial stations came together for the Unite to Fight Poverty event that raised awareness about poverty in our community and how United Way is helping people build pathways out of poverty. This unprecedented “roadblock” was the centerpiece of a much larger effort that included major media across central Ohio. It was led by our Communications Cabinet Chair Dan Bradley, Vice President and General Manager of WCMH NBC 4 and his
team of volunteers: Jean Nemeti of The Columbus Dispatch, Brian Dytko of Clear Channel Radio and Rick Dabrowski of CBS Outdoor. I can’t thank these dedicated volunteers enough for leading what was the biggest media event in United Way of Central Ohio’s history. This is one more way your United Way is a national leader and one more big way we are mobilizing our community to fight poverty. Sincerely,
Janet E. Jackson President and CEO United Way of Central Ohio
Franklin County Kids Launches Thanks to a generous grant of $454,675 by the Franklin County Commissioners, United Way is partnering with the South-Western City School District to launch Franklin County Kids: Ready, Set, Learn. This program will expand the work pioneered by the first-in-the-nation Columbus Kids effort. Now in its fourth year, Columbus Kids has been successful in connecting with almost 11,500 children ages 2 ½ through 4 who will attend Columbus City Schools. The program conducts Learning Checkups every six months to identify developmental delays. When issues are found, a child is either referred for services or provided early learning materials that their parents can use to increase important school-readiness skills. Franklin County Kids will use the same successful approach, providing feedback to parents regarding key developmental milestones and insight
on how they can become even more effective as their child’s first teacher. Columbus Kids works with more than 250 community partners, so all children can participate, whether they are attending an early learning center, an in-home care provider, or are cared for at home. The program has achieved concrete results with more than 79% of all participating children improving or maintaining the scores from their first Learning Checkup to their most recent. Even more notable, of the children identified as needing a referral for more intensive services, 74.1% showed improvement on a subsequent Learning Checkup. United Way is actively reaching out to partners in the South-Western City School District to build a network of support for this crucial work which will help children succeed in kindergarten and beyond.
$51.8 Million Goal Set for 2013 United Way of Central Ohio announced the 2013 goal of $51.8 million. It is more than $600,000, or 1.25%, higher than the 2012 campaign’s final result of $51.2 million. The goal was presented to the United Way of Central Ohio Board of Trustees by 2013 Campaign Co-Chairs, Anne and Jack Partridge. Jack Partridge is President of Columbia Gas of Ohio and Chief Regulatory Officer of the NiSource Gas Distribution Companies and a United Way board member. The 2013 Labor Co-Chair is Glen Skeen, Secretary Treasurer of the Communications Workers of America Local 4320. “The level of poverty in our community is simply unacceptable,” said Jack Partridge. “When we reach our campaign goal we will be able to invest more in the effective United Way-supported programs in
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education, income, health and home that provide people with pathways out of poverty to stable, productive lives.” “Anne and Jack are passionate about fighting poverty,” said Deanna Stewart, Senior Vice President, Institutional Advancement, at United Way. “Under their leadership we are confident we can build awareness and mobilize our caring community to come together and support United Way.” “Most people don’t realize the level of need that exists in central Ohio,” said Anne Partridge. “When we tell them 1 in 5 families with children in central Ohio lives in poverty, they are amazed and inspired to help.” The 2013 campaign ends on March 31, 2014. Results will be announced at the Celebration of Excellence on May 7, 2014.
LIVING UNITED
In Depth: Empowering Neighborhood Leaders
An important strategy of United Way’s Home Impact Area is empowering neighborhood leaders to strengthen the communities where they live. We take many effective approaches to implementing this strategy, including providing leadership classes and training, bringing leaders together to share best practices and providing grants to neighborhood grassroots organizations.
Neighborhood Partnership Grants The Neighborhood Partnership Grants program is designed to provide resources to neighborhood organizations and resident groups creating positive impact in low- and moderate-income areas of Franklin County. Funded projects are selected on a competitive basis and are designed to increase resident involvement. Projects support capacity building at the neighborhood level, engage diverse stakeholder groups, and showcase local talent. The program is supported by The Columbus Foundation, United Way, Bob Evans, and PNC.
Allen Carrel, Betty Saunders and Ken Williams The 2013 NPG program awarded 61 grants totaling $209,425. In total, the program has allocated received a grant to help transform a vacant lot in more than $1.7 million since 2007 to over 350 neighborhood organizations. Ganther’s Place into a thriving community garden.
Neighborhood Best Practices Conference 250 people attended the sold-out 4th annual Neighborhood Best Practices Conference on October 5. Attendees participated in sessions focused on innovations for creative communities using holistic approaches to community building. The conference, which is hosted by the City of Columbus Community Relations Commission and United Way, has become an important learning event for local neighborhood leaders. Ian Beniston, Deputy Director at Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, delivered the keynote speech on efforts to fight blight in Youngstown’s Idora Neighborhood, highlighting best practices that can be replicated in central Ohio. At the conference, grants of $250 each were awarded to five neighborhood groups to support their ongoing programs. Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman spoke of the important role that strong schools play in creating and maintaining strong neighborhoods. And long time community leader Peggy Murphy was awarded the Dan Charles Award, celebrating visionary leadership in strengthening communities.
Columbus Community Relations Commission’s Napoleon Bell and United Way’s Ryan Edwards with community leader Peggy Murphy.
Neighborhood Leadership Academy The second class of the Neighborhood Leadership Academy was inducted on October 10. The academy is an in-depth eight-month program which aims to give leaders the tools and information they need to effectively lead improvement efforts in their communities. The focus of the Academy is on advocacy, communication skills, effective collaboration, and consensus building, and places great emphasis on community assets. It is made Front row (from left) Dale Pyles, Tress Augustine, Robin Watson, Brittany Browne, Becky Walcott, possible by grants from Fifth Third Bank and Anne Heidrich, Muriel Ziglar. Back row (from left) Jason Morton, Teresa Ghee, Aaron Hopkins, Kim Campbell, Nicholas Stanich, Candy Carr, Daniel Hansen, Jim Alavi, Brandyn McElroy, Funmi The Grote Foundation (Donatos). Oladejo-lawal, Kristian Rose Anderson
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The Columbus Volunteer Challenge Builds a Legacy of Service, Mobilizes More Than 6,000 Volunteers Central Ohio’s Premier Volunteering Event Includes United Way’s 22nd Annual Community Care Day The Columbus Volunteer Challenge mobilized more than 6,000 volunteers to work on more than 300 projects over five days of service. The city-wide volunteer event focused on lifting up and highlighting the importance of service to others. Led in partnership by the City of Columbus and United Way of Central Ohio, the 2013 Columbus Volunteer Challenge united the efforts of more than 70 partner organizations to improve lives and strengthen our community. “We wanted to make the Columbus Volunteer Challenge a lasting legacy of service from our bicentennial year,” said Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman. “And thanks to the more than 6,000 volunteers who have stepped up to the challenge in 2013, that legacy is going strong.” “The Columbus Volunteer Challenge is a great example of the caring power of our community,” said Dawn Tyler Lee, Senior Vice President of Community Impact at United Way. “The work accomplished over these five days of volunteering will strengthen our schools and neighborhoods and make a concrete improvement in the lives of thousands of people in central Ohio.”
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A wide variety of volunteer projects took place which will have both immediate and long-term benefits to our community, including: • Community garden building and maintenance • Training volunteers to become youth mentors • Teaching English to non-native students • Clean up and painting of local nonprofit and school facilities • Litter pick up through the City of Columbus’ “Pick It Up” program • Stocking food pantries • Assembling baby supply kits, personal care kits for local adults in need, and school supplies • Assembling care packages for military personnel serving overseas The key partners that came together to plan and organize the Challenge were: HandsOn Central Ohio, Keep Columbus Beautiful, Columbus City Schools, The Ohio State University, and MediaSource. United Way of Central Ohio’s 22nd Community Care Day is generously sponsored by longtime United Way supporters Kroger and Bob Evans.
-----------------------------------------------------------Online Extra: -----------------------------------------------------------Read volunteer stories at columbusvolunteerchallenge.org ------------------------------------------------------------
LIVING UNITED
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LEADERSHIP GIVING
United Way of Central Ohio’s Leadership Giving groups offer the opportunity for donors to learn more about how their contributions are helping improve lives in central Ohio, develop meaningful service projects and network with other community and business leaders.
YLG Celebrates 21 Years of Giving More than 100 YLG members and their guests gathered at the newly-opened Pizzuti Collection on September 19 to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the giving group and kick off the 2013 campaign. In 2012, YLG’s generous members raised more than $2 million. Jessica Monfort, a longtime YLG member and former Co-Chair, was honored with The Robert S. Crane Jr. Young Philanthropist Award for her outstanding service and generosity.
Ann Pizzuti and Jessica Monfort
Marketta Thomas and Peggy Simmons
Diane McCloy, Anne Partridge and Mary Partridge
Oyauma Garrison and YLG Co-Chair Molly Glaser
YLG Co-Chairs Steve Driver and Molly Glaser were also recognized for their leadership of the group.
PRIDE Council Appreciation EvenT On October 13, more than 100 PRIDE Council members and their guests gathered at Barcelona for the third annual Appreciation Event. PRIDE Council Co-Chairs Steve Cooney, Brian Dozer, Matt Hall, Sue White and Kevin Tyler were recognized for their leadership as was Nationwide Financial for sponsoring the event. Janet Jackson presented Chief Kim Jacobs with the PRIDE Impact Award which recognizes significant impact in the LGBT community and central Ohio, and contributions to United Way of Central Ohio’s mission through leadership and community involvement.
Chief Kim Jacobs and Janet Jackson
Tom Grote and Kevin Tyler
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Dan Alipio, Bo Chao, Tammy Stahler and Roderick Liptrot
Mike Maly, Joe Davy, Anne Casto, Sue White
LIVING UNITED
COMMUNITY
BUILDER Key Club, Tocqueville Society and Cinquefoil Fellowship Partner with Champion of Children for Exclusive Discussions by Education Experts
Key Club
On October 8, Key Club and Champion of Children donors and their guests gathered for an enlightening panel discussion entitled “The Silent Epidemic: The educational needs and challenges of young African American males.” The in-depth discussion explored current challenges and served as a call to action for the audience to become personally involved in helping young African American males by providing positive role models and mentoring. The discussion was moderated by Todd Tuney, Executive Director, City Year Columbus. Panelists included Sharon Davies, Executive Director, The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity; Colon T. Lewis, Principal, Gahanna Middle School West, Former Principal, South High School, and Dr. James Moore III, Associate Provost, Director of the Todd Anthony Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male. Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman shared opening remark.
Kevin Boyce, Adam Troy and Scott Reeves
Carla Williams-Scott, Mysheika Williams Roberts, Anthony Landis, Terri Williams Ifeduba and Tasha Booker
Dr. James Moore III, Sharon Davies, Todd Tuney, and Colon T. Lewis
T.J. Miller, Qiana Williams and Hannah Powell-Tuney
Tocqueville Society and Cinquefoil Fellowship On September 23, Tocqueville Society, Cinquefoil Fellowship, and Champion of Children donors participated in an exclusive conversation between nationally renowned psychiatrist and author Bruce D. Perry, MD, PhD, Senior Fellow of The ChildTrauma Academy, and Judge Algenon L. Marbley, U.S. District Judge, Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division and Co-Chair of the Columbus Education Commission. The theme of the thought-provoking conversation was “Our Children’s Brains: The Lasting Effects of Love, Loss and Neglect.” A key point of discussion was the fact that positive human interaction is critical to the healthy development of young brains. Roughly 85% of core brain structures that provide the foundation for complex feeling, thinking and behaving are “organized” by age three.
Drs. Steve and Pat Gabbe, Dr. Bruce Perry, Anne Partridge, Judge Algenon L. Marbley
Lolita Augenstein, Janelle Simmons and Ed Cohn
Julie Buzard, Mary Lou Langenhop and Jane Whyde
Barbara Siemer and Ann Pizzuti
Eydie Garlikov and Linda Kass
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360 South Third Street Columbus, Ohio 43215-5485
give at LiveUnitedCentralOhio.org
LIVING UNITED 2014 Champion of Children Signature Event to Feature Author Paul Tough February 11, 2014 at The Southern Theatre
The 2014 Champion of Children Signature Event will feature Paul Tough, author of the best selling book How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character. In the book, Tough examines the effects of adverse childhood experiences on child development, learning and behavior and highlights key character traits that must be developed to help children overcome challenges and succeed. Tough identifies parents as “the antidote to toxic stress” and asserts that parent engagement is one of the most crucial elements needed to obtain educational success. Paul Tough’s first book, published in 2008, was Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America which examined Geoffrey Canada’s focus on providing holistic support to children in poverty.
Tough is a contributing writer to The New York Times Magazine, where he has written extensively about education, parenting, poverty, and politics, including cover stories on character education, the achievement gap, and the Obama administration’s poverty policies. His writing has also appeared in The New Yorker, Slate, GQ, Esquire, and Geist, and on the op-ed page of The New York Times. Tickets to the Signature Event will go on sale to the public beginning December 2. For more information, go to liveunitedcentralohio.org/ champion-of-children. If you are interested in a corporate or individual sponsorship please contact Elizabeth Trotman at 614.227.8705 or elizabeth.trotman@uwcentralohio.org.