United Way Stands for Advocacy – RetireSafe Honors Rep. Meehan

(Pictured Left to Right) Malcolm Jackson, finance manager of United Way of Pennsylvania; Thair Phillips – president of RetireSafe; U.S. Representative Patrick Meehan, Doreen Storey – president of United Way of Southeast Delaware County; Tony Ross – president of United Way of Pennsylvania; Bo Sanders – campaign director of United Way of Southeast Delaware County.

Recently, RetireSafe honored United States House of Representatives Congressman Patrick Meehan with the Standing Up for America’s Seniors Award in recognition of bipartisan Congressional leaders who have affirmed their steadfast support of issues that affect America’s senior citizens. 

In United Way’s nonpartisan advocacy work, we look to stand with leaders in our community who make a difference in all levels of civic engagement.  Our advocacy efforts build awareness, increase civic engagement and mobilize volunteers to become active participants in public policy.

Stuff the Bus

United Way of Southeast Delaware County Stuffed the Bus with more than $2,500 dollars worth of school supplies during our annual Stuff the Bus campaign! Stuff the Bus helps students in Delaware County access much-needed school supplies, such as paper, pencils, backpacks and more. We recognize that many students start the school year without the necessary supplies that help them succeed and often need replacement supplies as the school year progresses. The goal of Stuff the Bus is to provide thousands of school supplies to area elementary schools, middle schools and agencies serving children at the beginning and middle of the school year.

This year’s Community Partners include: William. A. Schmidt Co., Sun East Federal Credit Union, Sunoco, Engineered Arresting Systems and Kimberly-Clark Corp.

Thank you for all your support!

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Your business can host a Stuff the Bus campaign between mid- June  and the end of September, during which time employees can drop off items at a centralized office location.  United Way will provide easy-to-print marketing materials and coordinate the pickup and distribution of the items from your site.  Each participating company will be recognized on United Way’s electronic communications and annual report for their participation.

Donors can also drop off supplies at United Way of Southeast Delaware County, 2310 Providence Ave. Chester, Pennsylvania 19013, year-round.

United Way of Southeast Delaware County – Community Organizing

United Way of Southeast Delaware County is looking to expand its role as a community organizer in southeast Delaware County. United Way is reinforcing communication and collaboration among residents, businesses, government and social services and as such is encouraging the creation of a Civic Engagement Committee that will guide and champion our community efforts. Our primary goal will be to increase the organized capacity of people to care for one another in Southeast Delaware County. United Way actively encourages the participation of community members in the formation of this  committee and will support committee members in identifying problems and taking action to achieve solutions.  This Committee will be focusing on education as the main target of our civic engagement.

United Way of Southeast Delaware County – Meet our AmeriCorps*VISTA

Hi I’m Connie, and I am an AmeriCorps*VISTA at United Way of Southeast Delaware County. Choosing to participate in community service can come in many forms. There are many ways you can make a difference. I joined AmeriCorps*VISTA because I wanted to be a part of a collective solution where individuals who engage in service can have an impact over a larger amount of people. I consider membership in AmeriCorps as crucial to my participation in community service, as it unites all members in determining what is needed, how to fix what is needed and where to go when fixing is needed. It brings us together in helping us learn that others do care about their neighbors no matter where they live.

Vistas at Work!

“You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.”

Clay P. Bedford

Hello,

          United Way of Southeast Delaware County focuses on three major impact areas: Education, Income and Health, and we also offer various programs and services that support community members in those areas. As a Vista, my work is designed to build capacities for these community- wide projects and ensure that they are visible and accessible to community members in Delaware County. Currently, I am working to have the first Born Learning Trail installed and made accessible to all parents and caregivers of children from birth to six years of age in Chester, Pennsylvania.

The Born Learning Campaign aims to improve the health and well being of children birth to 6 years old through strategies that impact access to services and public awareness concerning the physical/nutritional needs of young children. With our Born Learning Campaign, Healthy Babies Healthy Minds, United Way is taking a particular focus on outreach efforts and programs that focus on children’s health and nutrition.  We know that over 50% of SNAP/Food Stamp recipients in Delco are children under 18 years old. We also know that as of 2008 9,362 children in Delaware County were uninsured. Lack of nutrition and access to health care are risk factors that could greatly stunt the growth of a child in their early years.

United Way plans to address these risk factors by providing extensive parent/guardian workshops for community members to gain information about health care access for their child as well as healthy eating habits. With the successful installation of the Born Learning trails we will be able to increase awareness among parents/guardians of things they can do as a way to be active in their child’s development, offering an outdoor learning experience that will build curiosity and  pre-literacy skills critical to school readiness

Meet our Americorps Vista – Joy Clark

Greetings,

My name is Joy Clark, and I am one of two Americorps Vistas at United Way of Southeast Delaware County this year.  I am originally from Chester, Pennsylvania; however I have spent time in North Carolina, where I earned a Bachelor of Arts in communications studies at Elizabeth City State University. During my time at Elizabeth City State University I  became a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, served as Miss Elizabeth City State University 07-08, as well as Miss Black Pennsylvania 2008 .

After graduating in 2008, I came back to Chester to care for my mother, as she suffered a brain aneurism in my senior year at college. While caring for her, I completed my final fellowship year with Crozer Chester Medical Center. I was awarded the fellowship in 2004 after graduating from the Village Charter School in Aston, Pennsylvania. The fellowship, designed to give young leaders in the city of Chester professional work experience, allowed me to build on my leadership skills, as well as ultimately supervise a school based mentoring program at Columbus Elementary School in Chester.  During this time, I realized that I wanted to devote my life to working with youth in broken communities, to foster positive learning experiences, and support community development through youth leadership.

Currently I am pursing that passion as a graduate student at Eastern University’s Campolo College of Graduate and Professional Studies. I am studying urban studies with a special concentration in youth leadership and plan to use my service year with United Way to build capacities with the existing programs United Way offers as well as develop new opportunities for the benefit of youth.  I welcome feedback and support from anyone dedicated to shining a light on the dark places in our service area, so that collectively we can work, share, and Live United.

Meet our Board- Marcella Manning!

Hi, I am Marcella Manning. I work as the Quality Leader at Kimberly Clark in Chester and I volunteer on the Board of Directors for the Southeast Delaware County United Way.
I have moved around quite a bit during my work career but one constant is that I have had always donated to United Way through payroll deductions. I never got involved much beyond that, until I came to the K-C Chester mill.

I remember early in my career, one of the tools that the giving campaign committee used to spark interest was to show a video. The video showcased the work United Way Agencies were doing in the community. At the time, I was expecting my first child, and I remember crying though the entire film. Even though I had donated before, I hadn’t had the direct emotional impact until that year. I think that when you are getting ready to have a family of your own, you start to think about all the potential blessings and heartbreaks that can happen.

At the Chester mill, I was impressed with the Days of Caring activities and got involved with helping to run the giving campaign and encouraging other employees to donate. But I never understood the business aspects of running a non-profit agency.

I was invited to join the Board of Directors by another K-C employee and said “yes” without knowing exactly what I was agreeing to do. In the last year I have learned that the United Way staff members are talented and dedicated people who work hard to serve this community. I have also learned that my experience in business processes and particularly strategic planning can be applied to the United Way’s work. And I have enjoyed working with the other Board members and staff.

I’m glad we have the United Way to act as the bridge between those who have needs and those who have the means to help fill those needs.

Meet Our Board- Terri Lannon!

Hi! I am Terri Lannon. I have been involved with the United Way Board for about three or four years now. Time flies when you are having fun and helping others! I am the Executive Vice President, Chief of Staff (crazy title I know) at Sun East Federal Credit Union. I have been at Sun East for fourteen years. I was invited to be on the Board by chance when a person who was serving from Sun East previously was leaving the Board for other commitments. So, I was lucky enough to be asked to be part of this worthwhile group. Since joining the Board, I have taken on the role of Community Impact Chair. This has allowed me to get even more involved and had been an extremely rewarding opportunity since I get to work with even more great people, United Way staff, and the agencies that partner with United Way.

Before I started with United Way, I was not really aware of the work they did. My company ran a campaign, I attended the meetings we had and Sun East matched funds that our employees contributed but I really did not know much more than that. I had always been searching though for ways to volunteer and get involved in my community. My employer, Sun East, is very committed to the community and allows us many chances to do what we can to get involved, so United Way was a great way for me to get even more involved. The philosophy of credit unions is “people helping people”. That philosophy fed right into United Way’s mission and was a natural fit.

There are so many of our neighbors, friends, and family members that need help from time to time, even more so recently with the economy. That’s exactly what United Way does. There are so many outstanding companies and agencies that exist to provide services to those in need of some sort of help. United Way partners with those agencies and companies and helps them to provide the support that people need. It is a win-win for all involved!

The volunteering and getting involved concept does not end at work though for me. My husband and two daughters also do what they can to get involved and do what they can to help others. We all Live United! Even kids can do things to get involved at school, home, etc. It is contagious too once you start. You will find yourself looking for more ways to do more, which is fantastic! My younger daughter has changed the words of Peaches and Herb’s song Reunited to be Live United. You remember how it goes, Live United and it feels so good……try it! It will be stuck in your head!

I feel as though we have an obligation to do what we can to share our talents, resources, and time with others. Everyone has something to share. Try and get involved and what better way to start than with United Way! It is a loving, caring group of people, much like family, who all want to help improve the lives of others and improve our communities. You meet so many wonderful people from all walks of life. I would invite and challenge people to come out and help us in some way. If you can give money to the United Way, that’s great but there is so much more someone can do. You won’t be sorry! Volunteering for such a great cause reaps benefits you never could have imagined.

On Target with Giving

Target Concordville HR Staff - Sarah & Danaë - Present Team Contributions

 

United Way of Southeast Delaware County was pleased to receive a call from staff at the Target store in Concordville (Glen Mills).  Team members at the Target store collected a total of $218.10 to be contributed to the Community Impact Fund – United Way’s community-building focus on education, income and health.  Bake sales, raffles, individual contributions and district-wide fundraisers helped this Target store’s United Way Campaign to reach approximately $3,700 in contributions.  The local store gained 80% participation from team members and reached 144% of the fundraising goal.  Target is an active, nationwide supporter of United Ways and encourages team members to give, advocate and volunteer year-round.

 

United Way of Southeast Delaware County- Meet our Board!

Today’s “Meet Our Board” blog is Mark Brandon from Sunoco. Mark  has volunteered with United Way and been an enthusiastic member of our board. Thank you Mark for your blog!

I volunteered to participate on the United Way of Southeast Delaware County Delaware County for a number of reasons. I was Operations Manager in Sunoco Marcus Hookrefinery at the time, and wanted to get more involved in the community. I feel that my main responsibility on the board is representing the many very generous coworkers that work in Sunoco and contribute a significant portion of the funds being managed by this United Way. I want to make sure their funds are being used efficiently and wisely so the generosity continues.

Since I have joined, the strong community leaders that volunteer their time to this cause have been inspirational to me. They not only have validated that the donations are going to good community causes, but that they personally have a stake in it, and they are equally committed to help the folks in the community.

This experience has helped me grow as a person and I am proud to be part of this Board. I let people know about it any chance I get.