IN THIS ISSUE

Big Brothers/Big Sisters Provide Life-Long Effects

Allstate Does Done in a Day

Appointments Available for
Tax Program

United Way Seeks Young Philanthropist Nominees

Akron Dental Society

Pneumatic Scale Angelus

Campaign Progress

This City Reads!

Volunteer Coordinator Training Offered

Enter Your Kids in the Creative Art Contest

Need a Will?

Visit our Blog
 

Volunteer Celebration
Thursday, May 1, 2008
4:30 to 6 p.m.
St. Joseph's Party Center

Day of Action
(formerly Day of Caring)
Friday, June 20, 2008

Help Shape a Child's World with

You can donate securely online or call 330.762.7601 for more information.

Brown Bag Seminars are a great way to provide informational and educational seminars to your employees in the workplace.  They work well as an addition to your United Way campaign, or can be held any time of year. Click here to learn more!

Youth & College Brown Bag Seminars also now being offered!

BE A VOLUNTEER

The life-long effects of youth mentoring programs are embodied in Cathy Parker and Lisa Neighbor.  Recently, they shared their inspirational story.

A phone call from a telemarketer -- 'for each magazine subscription you buy, a donation will be made to Big Brothers/Big Sisters' -- inspired Cathy to volunteer for the organization.

Lisa was a 12-year-old from a dysfunctional family in Barberton.  "My Mom was a paraplegic after an accident, and because she was having difficulty dealing with her situation, she wasn't there much for us," Lisa recalled.  "Mom did a wonderful thing though when she signed us kids up for Big Brothers/Big Sisters."

They were matched together by a new case manager, Gary Voelzow.  When the two spent time together with Cathy's family, Lisa saw what a normal, healthy family was like.  And while those few hours a week for the two or three years they were an official 'match' couldn't immediately overcome the influences of Lisa's home environment, the seed was planted.

Despite making what she readily admits were bad decisions (dropping out of school and getting married at 16), Lisa always felt Cathy's gentle nudges trying to get her back on the right path.  Cathy recalled, "We stayed in touch over the years, and I would always ask if she'd started working on her GED yet.  I knew she was capable of so much more."

And eventually, Lisa realized it too.  She broke away from all the negative influences in her life and returned to school.  Not only did she get her GED, she went on to college, got her degree in the medical field.  She's turned her life around, and she feels that she and Cathy are now truly sisters.  She was a babysitter for Cathy's children through the years, and now she's watched them grow up and get married.        

After all these years, Cathy and Lisa still get together on a regular basis.  Cathy works for ExxonMobil here in Akron, and Lisa is a surgical assistant at Aultman Hospital.  Gary Voelzow is now the Executive Director of Big Brothers/Big Sisters. 

And Cathy never subscribed to those magazines.  She made a much bigger commitment.

Pictured in both photos left to right: Cathy, Gary and Lisa.

INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING?  SEE CURRENT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES >
 

Akron Dental Society Chooses United Way as Their Way to Make a Difference in the Community
Akron Dental Society members again opened their hearts and wallets to improve our community with a $1,800 overall increase in contributions to the 2007 United Way of Summit County campaign.

The Akron Dental Society has a long and distinguished history of supporting United Way through a number of initiatives designed to encourage its membership to participate in the annual campaign. Each year The Dental Society dedicates the cover of its September monthly Bulletin to a United Way theme, United Way speakers are featured at a monthly dinner meeting of the Dental Society during the campaign, and the Dental Society sends letters of request to individual dentists to increase their gifts or to begin giving to United Way. A big "thank you" to the members of the Akron Dental Society for their enthusiastic support!

Pneumatic Scale Angelus Weighs In
Pneumatic Scale Angelus of Cuyahoga Falls recently wrapped up their 2007 United Way campaign with a weighty increase over 2006. The company saw a 36% increase in overall giving and a 72% increase in Leadership Giving, marking the greatest increases in their very generous history of contributing to United Way of Summit County!  Thank you for your commitment to our community, and keep up the great work.

Enter Your Kids in the Creative Art Contest
The United Way Youth Initiative Creative Arts Contest is underway! Students in grades K-12 living or attending school in Summit County are invited to participate in the contest by illustrating the theme: 'Everyone Can Make a Difference.'  Details can be found on the entry form. Deadline for submission is Friday, March 14th at 4:30 pm. Open and print a copy of the official entry form (pdf file).  View the winners from last year.  For more information contact Margaret Sell at 330.643.5516 or msell@uwsummit.org. 

Need a Will? United Way Can Help!
You have worked hard to accumulate assets throughout your life.  But what happens to your assets if you die without a valid Will? Your property can be distributed according to state laws, regardless of your intent to provide for family and loved ones. 

If you need a Will and have total assets less than $338,333 -- meaning the value of your home, cars, insurance policy, retirement account, etc. -- United Way of Summit County can help.  United Way is partnering with LEAVE A LEGaCY® to sponsor "Write A Will Month" during May 2008.  Local attorneys donate their time to write simple wills at no cost to eligible individuals. 

LEAVE A LEGaCY® does not solicit gifts or promote particular organizations.  They educate people about the importance of having an up-to-date Will and encourage donors to leave something to the charities that have made a difference in their lives.  If you are eligible and want to create a new Will or revise a current Will, contact Charlene Corlett at 330.643.5537 or ccorlett@uwsummit.org.  Your response will help us recruit the right number of attorneys and schedule private meeting rooms. 

Creating a Will means you decide how your assets are distributed at your death.  And, remembering United Way of Summit County in your Will is a wonderful way to make a meaningful gift that will have a lasting impact in our community.