  I feel so privileged to be associated with the
United Way of the Greenbrier Valley, especially
in these unsettled times as we work hard to
provide stability in an unstable environment for
the most at-risk among us.
It is our overall goal to advance the common
good by focusing on education, income and
health. These, United Way believes, are the
building blocks for a good life and a productive society. The thirty-two partner agencies that applied for funding last year operate programs and services which promote these goals.
In addition to providing funds to our partner agencies, United Way of the Greenbrier Valley also supports four community initiatives we helped launch: Born Learning, Warming Hands and Hearts, the Familywize Prescription Drug Discount card and our United Way Day of Caring in which we partnered this year with the student TOUCH Committee of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine.
It is my goal that in this year the Board of Directors of our United Way will create a strategic plan to lead us to even greater community impact. We will work to help identify community needs and bring together the resources necessary to meet those needs through our donors, United Way partner agencies, local businesses and faith-based organizations.
We fund our partner agencies and our United Way initiatives through the generosity of local individuals, businesses and foundation. This year more families are hurting and in need of assistance. At the same time, we face special challenges in fundraising as a result of the very difficult economic climate in which we find ourselves.
Nonetheless, it is my goal to raise funds in our 2009 campaign sufficient to support our partner agencies and our initiatives at least at the same level as last year. Fortunately, we operate in an amazingly generous community. I'm confident that our donors will give what they can, even in these trying times, so that we can meet the increased needs of our target population. Fulfilling an ambitious campaign goal - that is, to create opportunities for everyone - has never been more important. When we all participate and do our part, we can create lasting change in our community. We are all in this together.
I’d like to close with words of Anne Frank who wrote, “No one has ever become poor by giving.”
Susan Hewman
2009-2010 President |
to main page
send
e-mail
