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Merrill Lynch Brings Campaign Kick Off "Carnaval" to Greater Mercer County |
UWGMC staff all dressed up for Carnaval
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Craig Lafferty thanks featured speakers:
Dr. Teena Cahill and Furnie Gaines
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The unusually warm weather helped to create the perfect atmosphere as guests entered the ballroom at Mercer Oaks Country Club on October 19, to help kick off the 2006/2007 charitable giving season with “Campaign Carnaval.”
Over 100 invited guests were transported to the streets of Rio de Janeiro as they were greeted at the door with beads, masks and the rhythmic sounds of calypso music. Once inside, the fun and fantasy began with an endless buffet of authentic Brazilian food, cotton candy, frozen drinks, popcorn and entertainment by a roving magician.
A celebration to kick off a year long donor drive that allows work place employees, individual donors, and corporations to make contributions in support of UWGMC Community Impact Fund.
Special guests being recognized and celebrated were the Campaign Coordinators from over 100 companies in greater Mercer County. These are the assigned individuals in each company who are given the task of leading and managing the UWGMC campaign within their company.
Campaign Carnaval was generously underwritten by Merrill Lynch. Debbie Shepherd, Regional Managing Director at Merrill Lynch, was presented with an award for her vision and leadership in engaging Merrill Lynch in this endeavor.
Dr. Teena Cahill, Wisdom and beyond, Princeton, treated attendees to a special presentation and inspirational message called, “Wisdom for Leaders who take care of others—nurturing the nurturers.” Dr. Cahill’s moving message was specifically designed to address the audience and left everyone inspired and ready to adapt what they learned in both their professional and personal lives.
Following Dr. Cahill came a very touching real life story of how support from UWGMC-funded programs can change lives. Furnie Gaines of the Trenton Rescue Mission spoke about his battle with homelessness, alcoholism, and depression and how he became a success story through the help he received. He is now living a clean, sober and fulfilled life.
Craig Lafferty, President and CEO of UWGMC closed Campaign Carnaval by presenting an array of fabulous gifts won as door prizes by a few lucky Campaign Coordinators.
UWGMC thanks all of the Community Champions who helped to make the day a success—Merrill Lynch, Dr. Teena Cahill, Furnie Gaines, Hyatt Regency Princeton, Lowes of Hamilton, McCarter Theatre, Ostrich Nursery and Landscaping LLC, Rats Restaurant, Robbins Jewelers, Salt Creek Grille, Sydney Albert Salon & Spa, The Ferry House, Tre Piani Restaurant, Whole Foods Market and Dennis James, magic and comedy performer.
UWGMC is looking forward to a great campaign year, and we thank everyone for all of the help and support with “Campaign Carnaval.”
Thank you for generously underwriting this event!
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| Craig E. Lafferty |
Dear Friends,
The time for the Fall Harvest is arriving. The temperatures have begun to drop. Families are planning outings to visit their favorite places to see the vivid shades of nature’s most colorful season. Family traditions are an important part of connecting the generations. Gathering pumpkins and fall foliage set the stage for celebrating the bounty of the harvest.
As you think about making your plans to celebrate the season of harvest, take a moment to reflect on how you learned the tradition in your family of giving to charity. Is this something you learned from your parents or grandparents? Quite possibly your parents gave to United Way (or maybe to The Community Chest or Red Feather Campaign).
Today is a good time for you to pass along this tradition to members of your family. Share with those closest to you why you give to United Way. Your example will improve the community and lives of people for generations to come.
Craig Lafferty
President and CEO
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County Executive Brian Hughes and the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders have honored Ana Berdecia, Dr. Lucy Guzman, Carlos Hendricks, The Honorable Rolando Torres, Jr., and Lydia Santoni Williams for their collective contributions to the Latino community.
In a ceremony held at Mercer County’s McDade Administration Building on October 3, these five outstanding leaders were honored during “Hispanic Heritage Month – A Celebration of Latinos”.
Ms. Berdecia is the co-chair of UWGMC’s Latino Vision Council. Dr. Lucy Guzman, Carlos Hendricks, and Lydia Santoni Williams are also members of this Council.
The Honorable Roland Torres, Jr. serves as the Vice Chair for the New Jersey State Employees Charitable Campaign which is managed by United Way of Greater Mercer County.
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Ready to Roll: The Salvation Army Takes to the Streets |
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Everyone has seen the bright red shield on the side of The Salvation Army mobile kitchen during the time of a disaster. The mobile kitchen was on the scene of the recent flooding that hit Trenton in late June of 2006.
Now the mobile kitchen is taking to the streets to help feed some of Trenton’s hungry families. Joining forces with volunteers from Cadwalader-Asbury United Methodist Church, The Salvation Army has returned to the neighborhoods in Trenton where hungry children and families can be found.
Volunteers are cooking hot and nutritious suppers on Friday evenings. Preparation for dinner begins about 3:00 pm in the afternoon and the mobile kitchen begins its rounds at about 5:45 pm. Serving plates of spaghetti, bowls of stew, or baked chicken to upwards of 200 people in an evening is demanding and rewarding.
The call to help Trenton’s most vulnerable families and children has been a part of The Salvation Army’s mission for many decades. Placing the mobile kitchen on the streets is one more way that volunteers can help to make life just a little better. For more information on how you can help, please contact The Salvation Army at 609.599.9373.
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Left: Salvation Army volunteers takes to the streets.
(from left to right: John Bernard, Bonnie Williams, Iven Ansley, Sandra Cristofori, Ray Regan, and Captain Chuck Balcom)
Right: Cooking dinner for Trenton's needy families.
(from left to right: Sandra Cristofori, John Bernard, Bonnie Williams)
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| United Way completed our year-long Community Needs Assessment in September 2006 with four Donor Focus Groups. The process started last summer with extensive secondary research into four target impact areas: Helping Children Succeed, Fostering Self-Sufficiency, Caring for Seniors and People with Disabilities, and Accessing Healthcare. Staff and volunteers reviewed the literature for evidence based best practices and gathered demographic data on Mercer County. During February and March 2006 we distributed over 3,000 surveys to the community and received 350 responses. This primary research data was then analyzed and integrated with the secondary research data to produce an initial list of our community’s most pressing needs and possible solutions.
Staff and volunteers then began the process of prioritizing the needs and formulating questions to ask our Community Focus Groups, which were held in Trenton, Hamilton, Lawrence, and Hightstown. The comments received in these groups corroborated the findings from our research and helped us to focus on those issues that were most important to Mercer residents. We then held four “Key Informant” Focus Groups, one for each impact area, with leaders and experts from our community in each area. Once again our findings were validated, and key informant responses helped us to narrow our focus even further.
Based on these initial four assessment steps, staff and volunteers developed three “Vision Statements,” one each for Helping Children Succeed, Fostering Self-Sufficiency, and Caring for Seniors and People with Disabilities. It was decided to address some of the issues of Accessing Healthcare under the other three impact areas. In addition, we are recommending that issues that cannot be addressed through our grant process be addressed through “advocacy strategies” under each of the four impact areas. This will broaden our reach in using UWGMC resources other than funding throughout the next grant cycle. The full Resource Investment Plan will be presented to the UWGMC Board for approval in November 2006.
Staff and volunteers will recommend the following three “Visions,” as well as several Advocacy Strategies. Under Fostering Self-Sufficiency, our vision is “Increased economic opportunity, stability and self-sufficiency for all Mercer County residents, especially indigent and low-income families and individuals and non-English speaking populations.” Under Helping Children Succeed, we envision that “All children and youth reach their fullest potential in a safe and nurturing environment.” Under Caring for Seniors and People with Disabilities, the vision is for “All seniors and people with disabilities to be able to age in place with dignity.”
The final step in our assessment process was to present this draft plan to our donors in four additional focus groups. Once again we received validation that we are on the right track in focusing on these visions and advocacy strategies. If there was one clear message that we heard throughout this process, it is that people want UWGMC to be more active, vocal and visible in bringing the community together, fostering collaborations and coordination of services, and holding agencies accountable. People want to see UWGMC taking a leadership role in our community by partnering, leveraging resources, and measuring results.
The Resource Investment Planning group of staff and volunteers are putting the final touches on the resource investment plan that will be presented to the Board and culminate in a Request for Proposals (RFP) in January 2007 for funding to start in January 2008. Based on community feedback, we will be recommending that our next grant process focus solely on collaborations, as opposed to individual program grants. The RFP will be posted on our website, www.uwgmc.org, at the end of January. For more information, please contact Pat Cacacie, VP, Resource Investment, at Patrick.cacacie@uwgmc.org.
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Mid-Jersey/Bucks PA Tocqueville Society Receives Challenge Match |
The collaborative effort between Bucks, Burlington, Central Jersey, Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth and Warren United Ways received a boost in the form of a challenge match. The $100,000 match was created by the Tri-State regional office and an anonymous individual to help donors step up to United Way’s Tocqueville Society by giving $10,000 or more. ETS contributed $25,000 locally towards the match. The match is to be used for the 2006-2007 campaign and will be spent down in its entirety by the end of 2009.
Each United Way in the collaborative will solicit current or lapsed donors giving $3000 or more. Here’s how it works: if an individual steps up to a $5000 gift in year 1, the match will provide $5000 the first year of the match. The second year, the individual is asked to step up to $7500 and is matched $2500, and in the third year, the individual steps up to the full $10,000 on his/her own for at least the next three years. Contributors may also choose to step-up over two years.
Tocqueville Founding Vision and Benefits
United Way’s Tocqueville Society was named after Alexis de Tocqueville, who wrote Democracy in America in 1832. His observations about America are relevant to our goals for the Tocqueville Society today:
- Civic engagement as a way to support and encourage democratic processes and build the skill of citizenship
- Individuals engaged in community group interactions develop leadership skills for the greater good
- The role of civic associations like United Way are a supplement to government, particularly at the local level, and help people work together to get things done in a manner that is cohesive and respectful of individual interests and perspectives.
By becoming a Tocqueville member you are joining a local and national group of major leaders who provide today’s philanthropic leadership and work to improve the quality of life. This is particularly important as we work to maintain lasting change in our communities. Members work and meet with community business and civic leaders to create the social infrastructure of today and build the future of tomorrow.
The Mid-Jersey/Bucks chapter also ties in with United Way of
America’s Tocqueville activities, of which the Tocqueville Leaders Weekend is a cornerstone. The next weekend, “A Gathering of United Way Tocqueville Society Members and World Leaders,” will
be held at the Four Seasons Hotel, Atlanta, GA from April 26-28, 2007. Tocqueville Society members and major donors from around the
world will come together to share ideas and strategies for growing Tocqueville membership and gift levels in their communities and for leading their United Way in creating sustained improvements in community conditions. It will also celebrate the accomplishments and gifts of Tocqueville Society and Million Dollar Roundtable members. Invitations for this exciting weekend will be mailed in January to all Million Dollar Roundtable and National Society members as well as current Tocqueville Chairs. Contact Elise Mannella, Vice President for the Mid-Jersey Bucks regional office at 609.637.4904 for an agenda and additional information.
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Gerald Ricciardi from Jersey Central Power and Light presented Carolee Kueller a check from their annual campaign
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(Left) Jose Obando (pictured on the right) from Williams walked 400 miles over the past 6 months for the United Way of Greater Mercer County, raising over $4,000.00 with a company watch from Williams. He is joined by Andrea Brobst (left) and Rod Robertson (center) from United Way of Greater Mercer County as they walk the final miles.
(Right) Jose presents check to Carolee Kueller (left) and Andrea Brobst (center)
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Thanksgiving food Drive - November 6 - November 17, 2006
Help us bring the joy and bounty of Thanksgiving to local families by donating nonperishable items. For more information contact Eta Yager for details 609.637.4901 or eta.yager@uwgmc.org.
Holiday Gift Drive- December 4-18, 2006
Help us bring the joy of the holiday season to local children in need by donating gifts. For more information please contact Eta Yager for details 609.637.4901
or eta.yager@uwgmc.org.
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