Brian Gallagher, President of United Way of America, talks to a young girl in Houston's Reliant Center

Mercer County is roughly 1300 miles form the Gulf coast. Yet we experienced first-hand the effects of the devastation as some of those who escaped the storms took shelter in Mercer County. Shortly after Hurricane Katrina decimated much of the Gulf Coast, a Hurricane Relief Committee was formed in Mercer County. Organizations like the Red Cross, Catholic Charities, United Way, and many others throughout Mercer County, convened to address the needs of those who had sought refuge in Mercer County, and to support the hosting families and households. As a member of the committee, UWGMC was critical in developing a support program and providing up to $50k in emergency assistance funding.

2-1-1 at work

United Way’s mission is to mobilize the caring power of communities. In light of the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, that mission is now even more poignant. As a national network of caring individuals serving 1350 local communities, United Way has been, and will continue to be on the ground in the affected communities – and nationwide – offering support, assistance and rebuilding lives. For more information on UWGMC’s efforts and the Mercer County Hurricane Relief Committee, please contact Craig Lafferty at 609.637.4915.



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Eugene Marsh

Mr. Eugene Marsh began his term as Chairman of the Board on July 1, after serving as a board member since 1999. In his daytime job, he is the President and CEO of Construction Project Management Services, Inc., located in Princeton. Corporations across New Jersey and the northeast have relied on the knowledge he brings to the construction industry while planning new facilities or expanding existing sites.

Now United Way draws on his knowledge to lead the Board of Trustees as they chart a new course for United Way in the greater Mercer County area. “United Way needs to connect with its investors and remain connected year in and year out. We need to learn of their aspirations and dreams – and then provide the means to deliver. It’s not enough for United Way to know what is happening in the community. United Way needs to bring the community to life for their investors,” underscored Marsh while talking with staff leaders in the organization. “Just as Frank Lloyd Wright challenged the conventional thinking of his era, United Way must do the same today. We can no longer rest on the good work we have done, we need to build on the promise of a better tomorrow and a better community for everyone.”

Mr. Marsh and his wife Elaine are residents of Pennington, New Jersey, and support a variety of causes with their time, talent, and treasure.

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Between June and September 2005 the Resource Investment staff and three teams of volunteers visited each of our 87 funded programs in order to monitor their progress in meeting their goals and to assess barriers and unmet needs in the community. Merlene Taylor led her “Strengthening Self & Families” team of 11 volunteers in visiting 37 programs. Elly Mateo led his “Promoting Health & Well-Being” team of 11 volunteers in visiting 33 programs. And, Pat Cacacie led the “Responding to Crises” team of 5 volunteers in visiting 17 programs.

These visits gave the agencies a chance to present their services and to ask questions, and allowed us to get to know our community better. A short questionnaire focusing on outcomes and community impact also enabled us to explore barriers, gaps and unmet needs in the community, which is part of our ongoing assessment of need.

Several programs stood out for their excellence in tracking client outcomes and/or for meeting an important community need with limited resources. The volunteers felt that several programs should be rewarded with increases in funding for 2006, if the funds become available.

As stated before, the visits were very helpful in allowing us to see the barriers, gaps and unmet needs in our communities. Overarching issues that we found include: the lack of affordable housing; the need for more transportation, especially for seniors and the disabled; the need for more coordination and collaboration among agencies and programs; the lack of infrastructure for many of the smaller agencies and the need to build their capacity; the need for more case management for coordination, support, linkage, advocacy and follow up; and the need to develop measurable outcomes, by type of program or service, that will allow us to measure results that impact the whole community.

The Resource Investment department has also initiated a yearlong assessment and planning process with volunteers, Board members and community stakeholders to plan for our next grant-making cycle. Stay tuned for more on this in the next newsletter!

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United Way of Greater Mercer County believes that what matters is results. What matters are the lives we change and the communities we shape. On October 6th United Way of Greater Mercer County partnered with local non-profit agencies, community organizations and corporations to demonstrate that together we can create a meaningful and tangible impact on our community.

The 2005/2006 Campaign Kick Off and Community Day of Caring was a resounding success. Thanks to the sponsorship of FMC Corporation, The Times, The Lawrenceville School, Delaware River Basin Commission and an anonymous supporter. Over 150 volunteers gathered at Mercer County Park’s Boat House to kick off this year’s United Way Campaign and participate in our Community Day of Caring. Employees from Bristol Myers Squibb, ETS, FedEx, FMC, Janssen Pharmaceutica, J&J Consumer Products, Pearson Education, Pfizer and Williams/Transco Gas Pipeline spent the day assisting agencies in the community through a variety of projects such as painting, landscaping, working with children, and stocking food pantry shelves. These “Community Champions” provided an incredible amount of assistance to over 11 agencies and 2 elementary schools. Volunteer assistance is crucial to non-profit agencies that serve some of the most vulnerable populations in our community. The help our Community Champions provides enables agencies to accomplish tasks and reach goals that they could not attain alone.

A group shot outside of the Boathouse in Mercer County Park

We are very grateful to everyone who was part of this very important and successful event. To make arrangements for your Day of Caring or an employee campaign, please call United Way of Greater Mercer County’s, Resource Development Department at 609.637.4900.

A special "thank you" to the following sponsors who made the Community Day of Caring possible:

Golf Outing
United Way of Greater Mercer County had its annual golf outing at Mercer Oaks East Golf Course on July 26. Despite the blistering heat, everyone had a great time.

More than 80 golfers participated, and we couldn’t have done it without the help of our major sponsors:

Back to School Drive
In August, we collected more than 300 backpacks stuffed with school supplies and distributed them to needy children before the start of the new school year. We would like to thank the many companies who participated in this effort and to give a special thank you to BMS, Tyco, and Klatzkin who did a tremendous job collecting and donating the needed backpacks and school supplies.

"Medi-Cool"

From left to right: Jesse Starks, Elly Mateo, Donna Schwenzer

In mid June, UWGMC was contacted by Mercer County Human Services to help develop a program to provide medically frail senior citizens and disabled persons with air conditioners during the long, hot summer. During past years, heat waves had taken its toll on senior citizens and disabled persons, when temperatures exceeded 90 degrees and the air became stagnant. To help overcome the health problems aggravated by heat and humidity, UWGMC and Mercer County Human Services, joined forces with Interfaith Care Givers (ICG) of Mercer County to identify low-income, medically frail senior citizens and disabled persons in need of a room size window air conditioner.

By the end of July, 85 air conditioners were distributed to participants in the program. The collaborative effort by UWGMC, Mercer County, and ICG assured that residents from all areas of the county in need of help received a 5,000 BTU air conditioner. The program was an overwhelming success, and plans are underway to expand the program for the summer of 2006.

www.njhousing.gov

The New Jersey Housing website is a great online tool to aid in your search for affordable housing within the state of New Jersey. You can visit the site at www.njhousing.gov