On May 7th, at The Conference Center at Mercer, many local United Way celebrities took a stroll down our red carpet and enjoyed an evening of Hollywood cuisine, awards and recognition.

Each year, UWGMC recognizes the outstanding work of our corporate partners and volunteer coordinators that show exemplary service to our community.

And the winners are ...

Spirit of Community – Advancing the Common Good

The Spirit of Community award is presented to a corporate partner who demonstrates a high level of service to our community through the United Way. The recipient, in addition to providing corporate support to United Way, encourages their employees to give, advocate, and volunteer with the United Way and the community at-large.

This year’s recipient is:
ETS

Gayle B. Crews Award

The Gayle B. Crews award is presented to the employee coordinator who best exemplifies the outstanding qualities of leadership, dedication and enthusiasm of the late Janssen Pharmaceutical employee, Gayle B. Crews.

This year’s recipients are:
Sandra Baumann
Tyco International Ltd.
&
Paul Fitzhenry
Tyco International Ltd.

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Craig E. Lafferty

Dear Friends,

I took some time recently to reflect on how the nation has fared over the nearly 4 decades that I have been in human services. My career began in the fall of 1970 – Richard Nixon was president and our nation was at war. There was restlessness in the nation and many of us who were children of the 1950s and 1960s were beginning our careers. Full of new ideas, we were stoked with a certainty that we could improve life for those around us.

I started my career working with troubled youth – kids who found themselves on the wrong side of the law – shoplifting, skipping school, running away from home, stealing a car. Kids who came from all walks of life – parents of means and those with very little. These were young people without a purpose driven life. Some were arrested for drugs – usually grass or weed – never anything stronger.

My colleagues and I were sure that we could help shape these kids into self-sufficient, responsible citizens. If only they were given a break and a chance at a good education.

Time goes by quickly when you are having a good time. Four decades seems like the “blink of an eye”, so don’t blink.

Today the challenges facing our young people are certainly greater than what we faced in the 1970s. And unfortunately, more of our youngsters are coming from families with very “limited means.” More families are headed by single moms, struggling to make it from one pay check to the next. Costs are escalating – food, energy, housing, clothing – just about everything. Where can they turn for help?

Health costs are also eating away at the limited resources of many of our senior citizens. Too many of our families are without health insurance. Getting medication for an ill child or a senior can strain the budget to the breaking point – and all too often, beyond.

Over the past year, I have written about the need to “roll-up our sleeves” and work together. Consider what is important for the greater good. We need to move ourselves from “what is in it for me” to “what can be better for all” if I take action.

United Ways across the country are challenging their communities to “Live UNITED” – to advance the common good by bringing “like minded” people together to make their hometown and work-community a better place for all. More than a slogan, Live UNITED is about all of us having a stake in each other’s success. It is about everyone having a role to play no matter our position or means. If one child does not succeed, then all children have not succeeded. If one person is without a home, then all are not housed. You cannot state that ALL are cared for when one is not.

Please learn more about what you can do to Live UNITED. Visit the website www.liveunitedgreatermercer.org and join forces with United Way – either at home or at work – to bring about real advances in the common good. Live UNITED by giving, advocating, and volunteering – you have the power to change your community and the world for decades to come.

Warmest regards,
Craig E. Lafferty
President and CEO

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We wanted you, as a loyal reader, to be one of the first to know about the new strategy that United Way of America and UWGMC are rolling out. Live United is the driving force behind United Ways’ new brand value proposition. By focusing on education, income, and health, together we can make substantial changes in our community and see results that will last for many lifetimes.

Advancing the common good is less about helping one person at a time than about changing systems to help everyone. It’s the idea that we are all connected and interdependent; that we all win when a child succeeds in school, when families are financially stable, when people are healthy.

UWGMC remains committed to focusing on the critical issues facing children, families, persons with disabilities and seniors in the communities that we serve.

We invite you to join us in advancing the common good by focusing on education, income, and health. Together, we can make substantial changes that result in benefits that ripple out to the entire community. So while our mission remains the same, our new message underscores the need for YOUR involvement.
Give. Advocate. Volunteer. LIVE UNITED.

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June 24, 2008 • 10:00am-2:00pm •Rutgers University
Registration is $25 for members
and $35 for non-members
Seating is limited
Please call Carolee Kueller at 609-637-4902 to register.

The United Ways of New Jersey Statewide Women’s Leadership Council’s (UWNJ WLC) next project is a Non-Profit Board Development and Mentoring Forum to be held at Rutgers University, hosted by Mary Hartman, PhD., Director, Institute for Women’s Leadership. Katayun (Kathy) Jaffari, a Partner at Saul Ewing in Philadelphia, will conduct the training portion of the forum, due to her many years of experience working and training non-profit and for-profit boards.

Overview of UWNJ WLC to date:
Across the state of New Jersey, women are emerging as a powerful voice on philanthropy. United Ways are recognizing the value of harnessing the power, position and leadership of women by educating, empowering and equipping them to create change.

UWNJ WLC is a relatively young movement. It was formed in 2006 by United Way staff and volunteers to create an opportunity for women across New Jersey to network and support the program’s mission to improve people’s lives by mobilizing the caring power of women in our communities. The program was launched in Princeton on July 18, 2007 with a summer cocktail networking and book signing event featuring Dr. Teena Cahill, author of “The Cahill Factor – Turning Adversity into Advantage.” This past November a second networking reception was held in Bridgewater featuring the past President of AT&T, Betsy Bernard, in which she delivered “The Seven Golden Rules of Leadership.” Each event was attended by more than 125 women.

Nationally, United Way Women was formed in 1996 by Ellen Sherberg, the publisher of the St. Louis Business Journal. She founded one of the first women’s leadership giving programs, an endeavor that encourages and recognizes women who make gifts of $1,000 or more to United Way.

Since then, women’s leadership programs have proliferated across the country. In New Jersey there are 11 United Ways with women’s leadership programs that engage women in solving their community’s most entrenched human service problems.

The WLC offers women an opportunity to effect change in their communities through their leadership, time and financial support. Eight local Women’s Leadership Councils effectively allocate funds to specific issues and monitor the results of their investments. Nationally, Women’s Leadership Councils are United Way’s largest strategic segment, with double-digit growth that is outpacing the UW campaigns, 14% to 3%.

There is great opportunity in New Jersey to engage caring and resourceful women that will lead to increased support for their local United Ways. The initiative is comprised of women who give $1,000 or more annually to support women’s leadership. Additionally, our program offers hands-on volunteer opportunities throughout local communities.

Why Women in Philanthropy?
Women’s philanthropy is a growing force. According to United Way of America, the Women’s Leadership Council’s national goals are to develop a powerful voice for women in philanthropy and become an engine for growth by raising $100 million nationally by 2008. The WLC program recognizes that women are change agents and their participation in addressing key social issues is critical to improving lives and enhancing philanthropy around issues that impact our communities.

While women are becoming more visible among the executive ranks of charitable organizations, they remain the minority in one of the centers of power in philanthropy: volunteer boards of directors. United Way positions women as philanthropic leaders by engaging them in Women’s Leadership Councils where they address community issues with their financial and volunteer resources. The mission of the WLC is to improve people’s lives by mobilizing the caring power of women in our communities. The goals are to:

Increase awareness of the local and state-wide WLC and United Way Network with like-minded women at personal and professional
events and educational forums to enhance personal and professional growth

Develop leadership skills and personally further community and civic engagement while strengthening the concept of women as philanthropists affecting change

Educate women on advancing the common good by creating opportunities for a good life for all by focusing on education, income and health in their respective communities and across the state

Build relationships with potential donors and volunteers who give $1,000 or more to their local United Ways

Retain existing members and increase giving levels

Educate and mentor women to serve on non-profit boards

To learn more about WLC please contact Carolee Kueller, Vice President of Resource Development at United Way of Greater Mercer County at 609.637.4902.

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Young Leaders United Wine Tasting Social
Thursday, September 18 • 6:00 - 9:00 pm
ETS Rosedale Campus, Princeton, New Jersey
Join us for a fun evening featuring sample dishes from local chefs paired with a variety of wines. For more information, please contact Dan Fatton at 609.637.4901 or dan.fatton@uwgmc.org.

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