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ProjectsChanges [May 12, 2008]
Community Success S...STORIES
"Towamencin Youth Association truly makes a difference for a large number of children age 5-18. TYA does the 'nuts and bolts' right! It is consistent and well-organized. Parents and children always know what to expect from TYA and those expectations are always met. I have been involved with TYA because my 3 sons were active in the sports programs. I have volunteered as a referee, scorekeeper, and coach. This program earns my praise for the well-run structure and the valuable activities that it offers to youth in my area. A high point in my position as General Manager at SIMCO is when I successfully manage a team of employees to achieve a successful goal, such as winning a specific contract for our product. My job is to bring the team to a point of group synergy so that creative ways to solve problems can be developed. I try to get everyone involved and I want to hear ALL feedback, so that we can clearly develop a solution for a problem."
"My memories of receiving help from the Brain Injury Association over the long period of recovery that my brother (and my family) went through. I will never forget how lost we felt after the accident and how important, in looking back, that these services were to us. At the time we felt completely helpless and often hopeless, and they supported us and gave us help and hope."
“I remember visiting IVOC (as an activity of the Leadership Institute of the Indian Valley Chamber of Commerce) and being amazed at the sheer volume of food they give out daily. They have a small building but make a large impact by meeting needs of the community. Not sure how to write this, but I (the interviewer) was touched by interviewee's concern for all people in this community, specifically in the context of non-English speakers and immigrants, whether documented or not. His acceptance of all people and appreciation for the diversity of humanity came through loud and clear.
"The story about how the Allocations Committee visited partner agencies to get an accurate account of who they help and what they do. It makes the allocation process personal."
"We were a homeless family. Maybe we did not look homeless like people who chose to live on the streets, but every night for 96 days we went to a" church" to sleep while others went to their "home". It was hard to everyday interact with different volunteers, some who saw it as an obligation and not service for a need. Another hard part was to be with other families in the program who "used the system" for support and not to better themselves. Our goal is to buy a house in three years and live in a community that is a good and safe place. A very positive part of spending time at the Churches was accepting the Lord. Otherwise we would have never been inside a church or interact with church people who do care about us as a person. "
"I was so happy when my family was adopted this Christmas by another family. Dude, I got so much stuff it covered this table. I had so much toilet paper. I had 50 rolls, I gave some away to those who needed it."
"I recently received a request for a contribution to a church-related camp and retreat center. It was for a specific program for young people – especially those who would not usually get such an opportunity. I knew immediately that I had to make a donation. The person leading this program knows what he is doing and has a contagious passion and vision. Furthermore, this camp has provided life-changing experiences for me; and my long-time mentor loved this camping program. When I opened the envelope, all these connections immediately came to mind, and I said, “Wow! This is exciting, and I want to be part of it.”
"We see a lot of people and have a lot of stories, but one I like to talk about is a woman in Conshohocken that I met while delivering furniture. She was a single parent, and when I walked in you could tell that she didn’t have much but she tried to keep it neat. One child was stark naked, but things were clean and she really was working at it. We went to move the couch, and behind it there were roaches on the wall. She was so embarrassed for me to see that and she got very upset. I told her not to worry about it and that I would go out in my truck to get something and be right back. I just went out there to cry because I really felt bad for her. Here was someone trying so hard and she was embarrassed for me to see her house like that—and all I was giving her was a piece of furniture."
"When I was serving as the President of the Upper Perkiomen Chamber of Commerce, about 18 or 29 years ago, and issue arose concerning youth, after young person was tragically hurt. The youth in the community needed a place to go after school, where they would be safe and given structured activities. At the time, youth would be seen hanging out at the grocery store parking lots or loitering around the community when school let-out. I belonged to a YMCA that was outside the community. I used their gym but was aware of the many programs they offered youth. I worked with other business and community leaders and together we chartered the first YMCA in our community."
"Several years ago, after I had moved to a different community and joined a new synagogue (after having been an active member and held numerous leadership positions at my previous synagogue), I took on the leadership of a then nearly inactive (education oriented) committee. I was able to help breathe new life into the committee, and believe it was the combination of my hard work and the fact that so many smart, caring, energetic members of the synagogue (who believed in the mission and necessity of the committee) devoted the time and resources needed to accomplish the stated goal. The committee now gets huge turnouts for its educational programs."
"One of the most memorable experiences that I have had working with the North Penn United Way was the Community Summit on Diversity. It was an unforgettable experience to be able to work together and collaborate with so many difference community organizations as we all focused on one very important topic, diversity. It was exciting and inspiring to have Sarah and the NPUW backing and funding the project. With everyone working so well together, we achieved the most outstanding results. The collaborations which we had made helped to bring together everyone in the community. The attendance at the summit was overwhelming as was the feeling of accomplishment and inspiration."
"1) People in need whose lives have been impacted by the North Penn United Way: Silent populations enjoying the benefits of society and serving the work of the UW. 2) Volunteers: Provide their service for the right reasons rather than status. 3) Donors: Make their contributions with an eye on the future, not the past. 4) Agency Partners: Work together to gain measured results for the neediest people. 5) Businesses: Are more concerned for diversity issues in Montgomery County— both internally and externally."
"When I first started with the NPUW, at one of the first meetings, I was taken under Lynn Kulp's (Merck) wing and he was a real excitable person. He got me excited about agency campaigns and the program. I was able to take that excitement back to Clemens Markets and get everyone excited about the campaign. I was able to keep that excitement going through campaign kick-offs, speaking to the employees about the campaign, etc."
"The YMCA success in Harleysville is a great example of this…money was raised, results were achieved, great people and leadership were brought on board to run the YMCA, and it was a great collaboration between the community - corporations (THP), organizations (Peter Beck Community, YMCA) and individuals who donated within the community."
"The allocations process is one of the best. Businesses allowed employees to give time to allocations process and they took the time to really listen to the agencies needs – they were really concerned. It utilized about 50-60 people broken into groups of 3-5 people who would meet in person with an agency representative two times. The first time to talk about the agency, goals, and plans for the future. The second time to do a finance review and discuss the funding needs and how it would affect the agency in reaching its goals. The committee would meet a third time (without agency present) to come up with a high and low recommendation to the Board. The Board would decide on the allocation and use the allocations process to set the goals for the campaign and then they would find a way to raise it. It was very effective. Lots of community involvement which is the backbone of United Way."
"I was involved in the past in Special Olympics and being able to see the individuals finish a task and be excited about their accomplishments. I have learned about the agencies the United Way Supports through the Allocations Committee, from the individual agencies giving presentations and or going out to the Non Profit and learn about what they do on a day to day basis."
"What's inspiring to me is when we try to bring our citizens together. Firemen, volunteers, committee members…for instance our Comprehensive Plan. We overcame contentious issues and ended up engaging a couple hundred people in creating a consensus. We engaged a lot of new people in the process. It was the first plan in 40 years."
"I volunteered for an organization called Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS). They looked for individuals or families to adopt dogs. I am not a dog person, but I have two cats. I would take the dogs from the kennel to show them for adoption. When one of the dogs was adopted, it was personally very rewarding."
"The shared dream is to understand one’s place in a broader community and world. In reaching this dream, the Dock Woods community has connected with Dock Village and has offered an opportunity for residents to see their human connection with others in need. And, the community has planned joint programs and activities with Christopher Dock High School to connect residents with those in younger generations through shared activities such as chapel services, continuing education classes, shared gerontology classes, etc. These opportunities to partner with two other organizations have broadened the experience of the residents and permitted them to experience things that would not have been possible without those partnerships."
"I think the best example of the impact of a nonprofit organization was being able to see the impact of an organization on a child over time. A child came to Sebastian's for horseback riding whose disability prevented him from even sitting upright. Not only did the child have support staff assisting with the riding instruction, but someone had to sit up on the horse with this child in order to support him during the riding lesson. I had occasion to see this same child 4 years later and he was riding independently! I was Chair of the first restaurant tasting, in cooperation with Chamber of Commerce. It was exciting because the feeling of enthusiasm was high, it was a new event, getting involved with the various restaurants connected me to a network where restaurants like to showcase their food and it was successful because it was fun, people enjoyed the food and it was a great interactive community experience."
"Several years ago my wife and I were alone for Thanksgiving. We saw an advertisement in our church bulletin and volunteered to help serve Thanksgiving dinner at Manna On Main Street. From that time on I have been very supportive of Manna. I help to organize an annual golf tournament which benefits Manna. We have raised in excess of $100,000 over the years."
"I recently arranged for United Way agencies to come to my work to tell our employees about their work. Our guys are a tough, strong willed bunch, but when they heard that some of the volunteers had driven for an hour or so, only to share their story for about 10 minutes, they were touched. One in particular, spoke about the Boy's and Girl's Clubs and seemed to speak directly to our workers. One of our employees has walked in the 60 mile breast cancer awareness walk, and as a cancer survivor she has been a real inspiration to other women."
"My time with the Indian Valley Housing Corporation, spending the night with Inter-Faith Hospitality Network. As a Board member I was involved in attending Board meetings, setting policies…I go to meetings, I get involved & give money. But with the "personal" involvement that night, this made sense. Seeing the program in action, the hand-on experience, this becomes real! The need was made known. The individuals shared stories with me that night. I will always remember that experience. It was almost the ordinariness of it - they and I together in this - could have been my sister, my niece, my neighbor. I am part of them!"
"I truly love my work at the North Penn Visiting Nurse Association. With our adult day services, we have a program that truly serves the community, keeps families together in their homes. We collaborated with the Indian Valley Senior Adult Activity Center in Souderton. They raised money to build the building, but it's a NP VNA program and we continue to collaborate on a day to day basis. There are many advantages. We do a Family Caregiver's Group together, share staff talents…they even do our food, and its great!"
"Currently, we are re-inventing the educational process at the High School to make high school education more meaningful. We are in the 3rd year of a 7-10 year process that is changing the overall direction and vision of the school and things are starting to happen. This new process brings in three areas of our student's lives: Social/Emotional, Academic and A Graduation Project which will be the culmination of the Junior and Senior year. The senior project will hopefully help our students to identify and focus on a path for their life. The new high school is our catalyst that is driving this change. In the past, when a new initiative was introduced, it was just the administration of the school district telling the teachers what to do. This has been a truly collaborative effort with many of the input coming directly from the teachers. This gives them ownership of the project. We have validated the process to teachers through in-service workshops and have earned their buy-in. We are all committed to the success of this important change initiative."
"I spent two weeks in Uganda at a leadership conference. Was able to see the devastation and poverty as a result of warring factions. I saw the need to establish a school and will be working with others to establish that."
"I was part of a dinner organized by the Boys & Girls Club in Lansdale as appreciation to our recipients who are in the program. each of them gave a brief testimony about different programs they have been involved in as a way of improvement in their life. I was astonished remembering that the few hours we volunteer and the money we give can impact and change the life of many."
"As a person responsible to motivate fellow employees to contribute to our United Way Campaign I have been able to use our 'local video' & provide 'agency speakers' to make the presentation have a 'home' feeling."
"I'm on the board of the Penn Foundation. I spend a lot of time there. When I walk into the place and into the waiting room and I see people sitting there waiting to be helped, it just touches my heart. These are people in need and there are few places they can get this kind of help. We have to support this place. It means so much to so many families."
"His story of Manna and also the NP Valley Boys and Girls collaboration."
"I have spent 10 years on the Board of Generations (formerly known as Senior Adult Activities Center), but I started as a member of the committee for the Meals on Wheels program. Through this initial experience, I gained an understanding of the meaning of SAAC to seniors and it's contribution to the community. It has been rewarding to see the transformation and growth of the organization through it's strong leadership, passionate and dedicated staff and volunteers, and overall teamwork. There is great pride in this organization and I believe that the environment and the programming attracts new members and volunteers. Generations has made changes to reinvent themselves without losing the core existence of what the organizations is about. It has continued to connect with it's existing members, but has also been able to attract broader community membership and involvement. I believe that the United Way has been a key partner of the organization's ability to achieve this goal, but leveraging donations with additional funding to move the organization forward. I have seen first-hand, the value that Generations has for it's members. I can think of one woman, who is 89 years old and her husband is no longer able to provide her the companionship due to ailing health. She began at Generations as a volunteer, but now she turns to Generations for companionship and both emotional and physical sustenance. Another example demonstrating the strength of collaboration among organizations is the Leadership Institute through the Indian Valley Chamber of Commerce. This shows how business can collaborate to provide a source of new volunteers for non-profit boards, which helps to revive boards. I have seen Generations benefit directly from the new energy, creativity and commitment of graduates from the Leadership Institute. The business community helps to feed the Leadership Institute with people to be trained to be the next crop of volunteers and leaders. My organization sponsors the Institute. I think that the North Penn United Way can play a role in assessing other communities and help to create partnerships among other Chambers of Commerce to assist in beginning Leadership Institute models."
"I was involved in the Harleysville Senior Center Project and found it thrilling as more and more people and organizations got involved donating money, volunteers and supplies as the project got rolling. It was a thrilling experience."
"I enjoyed very much working with Habitat for Humanity. I also took a trip to Africa which changed my views on life."
"The high point in my life as a volunteer came when I volunteered to do activities with patients at the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital. I began to volunteer at the hospital on Saturdays and spent time regularly doing activities with patients. I found this time fulfilling as I spent time with and was able to get to know the patients on a personal basis."
"I felt best, when, while working for a small business in Sydney, I was able to provide great results and developed it to the next level. It was very small, only about 24 people. I was able to accomplish a lot by organizing people to success. It was a very interesting experience to work with the locals and interact with their culture."
"Indian Creek Foundation was formed over 30 years ago by a family who had a vision. They had a son in need of assistance, and the county and state programs were not available because he was turning 21.Their vision was to get some type of daycare and job coaching for their son and others in that community that could not live on their own. Indian Creek provided that. They were joined by 8 other families in need of a home for their sons and daughters. There is a staff in the home that is dedicated to provide caretaking, such as, meals, transportation to work, and recreational activity in a safe and loving environment. Where would some of the families be without that help?"
"Christopher Dock receives no public money but we partner with agencies and organization that do. That partnering is what makes the Christopher Dock experience so great. For instance we have a close partnership with Dock Village. Our students volunteer there, we have students from there attend our school. It adds to the diversity of Christopher Dock and it opens new opportunities for ministry for our students. At Dock Woods there are men who depend on the services of United Way sponsored agencies. It's a big circle. They help, we help, the residents of Dock Village help. It's better for the overall community."
"When asked what the SAAC is doing well, right now, Interviewee explained that the SAAC has been rennovating and established the "Boomerang Project". This program is in response to the rise of Baby Boomers. The goals have been to appeal to a wider and younger range of seniors (not just shuffle board!) and providing programs that appeal to the more educated seniors that are part of this population. When asked for a story about a non-profit organization that truly made a difference, Interviewee told the story of Meals-On-Wheels' recent expansion (within the last year). They brought the program in-house to the SAAC's and were able to increase the number of individuals served. She also commented that the changes increased the number of volunteers interested in the program. When asked about an organization that collaborated with a partner for extraordinary results, Interviewee told the story of the Library working with the IVOC on a family literacy program. This program introduced families to books, the library and English as a second language. Unfortunatley, this program started with government funding that was eventually dropped and ended the program. Interviewee would love to see this program re-started. On the "2+2=5" principle, Interviewee told the story of the the library funding being cut in half recently. The staff and volunteers of the library felt strongly that this should not affect their program. In response, they tightened up and actually increased their programs and maintained their hours. The public responded with donations and even wrote letters to legislators to return some of the funding. She was most impressed with the community response to this challenge."
"The peak experience in my career actually occurred during a low point for my company. I was able to turn a difficult environmental situation into an environmental solution that will benefit the community in perpetuity, by donating land for open space."
“From my youth I have been passionate about Civil Rights and the oppression of African Americans. I have been exposed to different cultures and had both good and bad experiences. I was a counselor one summer at an intercity camp in NYC. One thing I learned it wasn't their fault how they used their fists to resolve conflict, it was the only way they knew. They were brought up that way. I serve on several boards but the one closest to my heart is Philadelphia Mennonite High School, an intercity school with enrollment of 100 students. Helping the less fortunate has such a profound impact on individual lives. People don't realize how terrible the situation is in the Public Schools in Philadelphia and this school gives kids a chance. There was a student, who as a freshman, had several issues and struggled with grades. He ended up being awarded a full-ride to Georgetown and has developed into a model student and a true leader influencing others. The success of the school has much to do with the individuals who lead the program. They have a true passion for the cause.”
"At the Lansdale PD, we sponsor a holiday food drive to which many people donate food and toys. We then distribute these to as many familes in need as possible in hopes of helping them have a better holiday season than what they might have otherwise have had. Many times we get into homes that have very little. It is very gratifying to us to know that we helped families at these times of the year.
"I get around the community a lot and I see meals being served to people that need food. I see young people in a supportive after-school program that is free of violence and where they are encouraged to get their homework done and do well in school. I see people that are homeless people being helped to find shelter for the night. I see a young single mom with a child get assistance to find housing and then see her get a job and support herself. This is what the <street>United Way</street> support is all about in our community."
