10,375 pounds of food for Thanksgiving
1,200 children receiving holiday gifts
Endless volunteers living united
Being able to help families in Greater Mercer County is priceless

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President’s Message

Winter Solstice – Moving Toward Spring Renewal

Each year with the arrival of the Winter Solstice, I am reminded that the sun has now made its journey to the southern most point for the year. The longest day of the year, it provides an extra moment of darkness to reflect on what is to come and to not dwell on what has been. As the next day arrives, darkness shortens – not by much – but it does shorten and light begins to overtake what had been dark at the same time the day before.

Certainly, 2008 was a year of much darkness – economic crisis, housing crisis, personal crises. But 2008 also was a year of light – the election of a new president and the prospect of what great things could be done in the New Year.

With dawn on New Year’s Day, the amount of light radiating from
the Sun lasted just a little longer than the day before. By early February the days of Winter are growing shorter – spring is less than 6 weeks away. The season of renewal is nearly upon us. Soon flowers will begin to spring forth, and warm days will begin to replace warm fires.

Throughout the years, you have been part of United Way’s annual ritual of renewal. As summer’s warm days give way to fall’s crisp evenings, United Way asks for your help in planning for spring’s renewal. Your donations are the energy that is stored in the seeds of hope for spring’s planting that will lead to the bountiful harvest. You say to United Way, I want to help bring hope and help to my community for people I may never meet. I want to be a part of something greater than just my own being. I want to Live United and lead by example, so that others will join in making the community a better place for all – children, families, elders, and all who are in need.

Challenges are many, but not as many as are opportunities. Help is something that can be given freely – with no strings attached. Hope is something that cannot be denied. Each of us hopes for better times and know that we can bring hope to others who feel that they have been left in the shadow of life, rather than in the light.

Thank you for being there for your community and for United Way!

Warm wishes,
Craig E. Lafferty

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Spotlight On A New UWGMC Funded Project:
“Community of Services Collaboration”

Community of Services Collaboration (COSC) consists of a “lead agency,” Family Guidance Center, and five partner agencies: CONTACT of Mercer County, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), HomeFront, PEIKids, and Womanspace. The Project’s mission is to combine the expertise of these six community-based organizations to improve the access, capacity and quality of services so that Mercer County consumers can increase their self-sufficiency and family functioning.

Using a “no wrong door approach” and a uniform assessment tool, the project has developed and implemented a coordinated system of care that has integrated the resources and services of each agency into a comprehensive and interconnected network that ensures that clients receive all of the services they need to become self-sufficient. Services include case management, counseling, mental health and substance abuse treatment, treatment for sexually abused children, consumer credit counseling, domestic violence prevention, intervention and shelter services, transitional housing and supportive services, and unified service planning and care coordination. Staff from each partner agency provides regular cross-training that has resulted in greater awareness and skills, as well as improved consumer service and satisfaction.

The following case from this first six months of operation illustrates how this new model of service works:

A Womanspace client receiving counseling services discussed her need for mental health services for her child with her counselor. Using the new system of care, the Womanspace counselor connected the client to PEI Kids. PEI Kids conducted an assessment and determined that the child would be better served by the Family Guidance Center and linked the client to that agency for services. The client reported to her Womanspace counselor that even though she had to go to two agencies to receive the services she needed for her child, she felt that the process was smooth and that she was connected quickly to both agencies. The client further reported that she appreciated the fact that a staff member from PEI Kids called her to follow up and ensure that she had been successfully linked to the Family Guidance Center. The client remarked that the work each agency did on her behalf made her feel that all of the agencies worked well together and were committed
to helping her and her child.

The success of this collaboration has been the result of hard work
on the part of the lead agency and all partners to put their
differences aside and to focus on a common goal for the good of their clients. Instead of barriers to service like inability to pay, waiting lists, and the revolving referral door, COSC partners offer open access to services which have broken down barriers and brought hope to hundreds of families. In addition, agency staff at all levels have remarked on the effectiveness of this new United Way approach of collaboration rather than competition. By experiencing firsthand the power of people working together, this project has become an excellent example of how “living united” can change lives.

As we complete our first year of this three year grant cycle, it is clear that COSC can serve as a model of how true collaboration can benefit staff, consumers and the community.

COSC is one of five projects funded for 2009 under the UWGMC “Fostering Self-Sufficiency” impact area. Four other projects are funded under “Helping Children Succeed” and two are funded under “Caring for Seniors and People with Disabilities.” Each edition of this newsletter will highlight another project. For details, see our website: www.uwgmc.org.

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Thanksgiving Food Drive Helped 420 Families

UWGMC had a very successful annual Thanksgiving Food Drive thanks to the support of corporations, small businesses, school groups and individuals. We were able to provide 420 food baskets to low income families in Mercer County. The average basket of food weighed 25 lbs., which represented a total of 10,375 pounds of food that was distributed to these families, enabling them to have a nutritious Thanksgiving holiday meal.

The request for food continues to grow at an alarming rate due in part to the present economic climate, and this need is expected to grow in the coming months. Thanks to all of our supporters and the countless number of volunteers, we had the ability to provide a basket of food along with a gift card to all of the families who knocked on our United Way door.

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Helping to Spread Holiday Joy

UWGMC brought the Joy of giving this holiday season to an over- whelming number of Mercer County families in need. Thanks to the generosity of donated gifts from corporations, small business, and individual partners, UWGMC was able to provide gifts to over 1200 children. This number is far higher than in the past.

Many families called us stating that they just lost their job and did not know how they would pay their bills in the coming months or provide their children with gifts for the holiday. We had many calls from families that never needed our help in the past who now needed help. Thank you to all who stepped up to the plate, in spite of these tough economic times, to help those most in need.

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United Way Latino Vision Council
Policy Brief Rollout: Building CBO Capacity

United Way Latino Vision Council (LVC) has completed a CBO (community-based organization) policy brief, “Sharing Strengths and Linking Resources for Sustainability,” which was presented to the LVC membership on January 8, 2009. The policy brief provides information on the collaborative trail of two agencies in Hightstown: Better Beginnings Day Care Center, and RISE (formally Community Action Service Center).

The policy brief focused on the needs of local Latino CBOs to strengthen their infrastructures and to build their leadership capacity through creative approaches like developing more meaningful collaborations. With the guidance of an expert consultant, each agency developed a strategic plan that included ways to collaborate, build stronger infrastructures, and improve their leadership.

The lessons learned from the initiative will act as a springboard that will enable United Way Latino Vision Council to replicate the works of this unique initiative with lessons learned to other community based organizations in the county.

On March 5, 2009 at 10:00 am LVC will roll out the document to the community at the United Way of Greater Mercer County office located at 3131 Princeton Pike, Building 4, Lawrenceville. We hope that you can join us for this unique event. Please confirm your attendance by calling Ely S. Mateo at 609-637-4918 or email ely.mateo@uwgmc.org.

You can obtain a copy of the policy brief by visiting our web site at http://www.liveunitedgreatermercer.org/volunteer_LVC.cfm.

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Coming Attractions

UWGMC Campaign Awards Celebration
and Annual Meeting
May TBD
The Conference Center at Mercer

Who will the winner be this year? An event you do not want
to miss. To find out more information, visit our website at
www.uwgmc.org or contact Donna Wilson at 609.637.4907
or donna.wilson@uwgmc.org.

Latino Vision Council Policy Brief Roll Out
Thursday, March 5
10:00 am
United Way of Greater Mercer County

On March 5, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. LVC will roll out the document to the community at the United Way of Greater Mercer County office located at 3131 Princeton Pike, Building 4, Lawrenceville. We hope that you can join us for this unique event. Please confirm your attendance by calling Ely S. Mateo at 609.637.4918 or
ely.mateo@uwgmc.org.

2nd Annual Stand Against Racism
Friday, April 3
location TBD

Take a bold step in uniting Mercer County. Joins us, speak out and take a stand against racism and discrimination of any kind. For more information please contact Merlene Taylor at 609.637.4919 or merlene.taylor@uwgmc.org.