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 United Way of Bedford County executive director Dawn Holley, board chair Scott Cocanougher and vice-chair Johnny Reed discuss upcoming activities during an executive committee meeting held Wednesday. (T-G Photo by John I. Carney) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo] |
This year, instead of a breakfast kickoff as in the past, the event will be a cookout, from 4:30-6:30 p.m., with hamburgers, hot dogs, and live music.
Anyone interested in attending the kickoff should contact their company's campaign coordinator or call the United Way office at 684-6685. Organizers need an estimate of attendance so that food can be provided.
United Way is a consolidated giving program which allows donors to make a single contribution, or a weekly payroll deduction, which is used to support a variety of local agencies.
Participating employers will give their employees a chance to sign up for payroll deduction, or to make a one-time gift, during the fall campaign. Those who aren't affiliated with a participating employer can also give individually to United Way.
The campaign committee, also composed of volunteers, is responsible for the fund-raising campaign held each fall. Much of the campaign emphasis is on payroll deduction. Employees at local businesses, industries and other organizations are given a chance to donate to United Way by having a small amount deducted from each paycheck -- a relatively-painless way to make what can amount to a significant donation. Tonya Davis and Paula Burks are this year's campaign committee chairs.
Each local United Way makes its own funding decisions, based on the work done by an allocations committee composed of local volunteers. Those volunteers study each agency's funding requests, talk to agency executives, and examine the work already being done by the agency. They must then decide how to allocate the available funds to have the most impact. Agencies must be established and must be able to document that they serve Bedford County residents in order to receive funding.
United Way is governed by a local volunteer board of directors, which sets overall policy and direction. The allocations committee, composed of community volunteers who may or may not be board members, makes the funding recommendations, which are then approved by the full board.
Child Safety Day
The kickoff cookout is not the only event being planned by United Way this season.
In 2006, United Way began hosting an annual "Child Safety Day" in October at H.V. Griffin Park. Parents can receive free identification kits and have their child fingerprinted, so that a record of the child's identity can be given to law enforcement in case of an emergency. There are also fun and educational safety activities for the children, on topics like fire safety.
Last year, on a separate date, United Way sponsored child seat safety checks. Parents could bring their vehicles and child safety seats to be examined by a certified inspector. The inspector teaches the parents how to install, adjust and use the seat correctly, checks to make sure the seat is the proper type and size for the child, and checks to make sure the seat is not on any recall lists.
This year, the two events will be combined along with a health fair, a five-kilometer (3.1-mile) run, and a one-mile "fun run," all scheduled for Oct. 25 at the park. The health fair will be hosted by Bedford County Health Council.
5K sponsors sought
Sponsors are still being sought for the 5K run. Some runners have already signed up at the web site Active.com; registration forms are also available from United Way.
United Way will also have its annual Christmas ornament fundraiser during the holiday season. This year's ornament, part of a series depicting local landmarks, will feature the historic Shelbyville rock jail. Previous ornaments have featured the county courthouse and the wrought-iron arches over the entrance to the Celebration grounds.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
For more information about the event, contact Holley at 684-6685. Organizers need an estimate of attendance so that food can be provided.
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I certainly do hope with great intensity that the United Way will NOT be funding programs that are racist, discriminatory and specifically aimed to assist illegals from South of the border the way the March of Dimes does.
As reported here on February 17, 2007, by Brian Mosely, the March of Dimes provided a grant of $18,857 to The Center for Family Development.
Racist ? "for Hispanic women" "...The program hopes to let Hispanic women know..."
NO mention of any other women.
discriminatory ? "The program, to be presented in Spanish..." The language of the United States is still English.
illegals ? Proven fact time and time again that illegals have no interest in assimilating nor or learning English.
The March of Dimes had no interest in reviewing the grant nor of even being forwarded this T-G article by Brian, http://www.t-g.com/story/1190065.html.
With this article I ceased any and all donations except for those direct to the individuals in need.
I would not dontate one cent, $0.01, to any organization again until provided a written statement by that organization that no funds will be used to promote illegals staying here.
Brian goes in the article to state that The Center for Family Development that "The program hopes to let Hispanic women know that they do have access to this kind of help. A variety of state and federal resources are available."
So not only are March of Dimes funds going directly to support illegals, but, while those funds are being spent an endeavor will be made to insure they are informed of how best to steal more funds from Federal, State, County and city fund sources.
I do hope any of the United Way of Bedford County donations will not be going to fund illegals as their counterpart, March of Dimes, obviously does.
"FUNDING PRIORITIES
All grant proposals must address the March of Dimes mission of improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.
Priority will be given to projects that, based on community needs, address increased access to health care and/or prevention services to help reduce disparities in preterm birth.
Project interventions may be provider- and/or consumer-focused.
For Women of Childbearing Age: Availability and Quality of Health Care/Prevention Services
* Increasing risk-reduction education and/orservices (excluding billable services).
This may include women at high risk due to previous adverse pregnancy outcomes, chronic conditions, or other risk factors in which preconception, interconception, or prenatal care could help prevent adverse outcomes.
For a list of specific risk areas, visit Preconception Risk Reduction.
* Increasing education and services (excluding billable services) for urinary and reproductive tract infections identified before or during pregnancy.
This may include sexually transmitted infections.
For Pregnant Women: Availability and Quality of Health Care/Prevention Services
* Increasing participation in state or local maternal child health programs (e.g, Medicaid SCHIP, WIC) through enhanced outreach, education and public awareness.
* Enhancing education and support services that focus on reducing disparities in birth outcomes.
This may include March of Dimes programs such as Stork's Nest and Comenzando bien.
For information on these March of Dimes programs, contact your local chapter.
* Enhancing care through the Centering Pregnancy model of group prenatal care and/or providing training to providers who plan on utilizing Centering Pregnancy.
* Increasing smoking cessation services. Preference will be given to prenatal health education and information/referral services that utilize the "5 A's" counseling approach.
For information on the approach, visit the Web site of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
* Increasing health education and information/referral services available to pregnant women who use alcohol or other drugs.
* Increasing professional education about 17P (17a hydroxyprogesterone caproate) treatment for women who have had a previous singleton preterm birth.
Availability of Genetics Services and Folic Acid Education
* Enhancing the availability, quality and utilization of genetics services and/or other patient services related to preventable birth defects.
* Increasing folic acid education and use of multivitamins among women of childbearing age.
SIDS Education
* Increasing education related to reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in high-risk communities, consistent with the 2005 American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines."
Imagine illegal immigrant women being offered information that would help them have healthy pregnancies.
If we start there,our community might be expected to see that the children born are well-fed,well-sheltered,vaccinated,educated and have access to the protections offered by the police and fire departments.
The children that still have special needs might be served by our Child Development Center and other agencies.
Offering the illegals in town the same information about their health and safety that we do our local,English-speaking folks means that an Hispanic man who comes to this country illegally could be made aware of the prostate screenings Heritage Medical Center will be doing next Tuesday from one to four.
Spending our hard-earned money to extend care to EVERYONE who needs it means that every cent would have to stretch a little further.
It might also mean that our community,as a whole,wouldn't suffer because a segment was having to deal with preventable tragedy.
That March of Dimes program amounts to less than one dollar per resident.
What would be the cost of neglecting a portion of our people-whatever their status?
Pragmatically and morally,it's advisable to build prosperity from the ground up and maximize people's ability to better themselves and where they live.
The desperate,diseased and destitute seldom make good neighbors.
Giving people the knowledge they require to survive and improve their quality of life takes them from the ranks of burdens to society and places them among those who help carry the load.
Let's not just look at who receives what funds from charitable agencies and public works.
Let's look at what those funds produce and how responsibly the monies have been handled.
If even one person has been spared a stunted or tortured life by the Center for Family Development receiving $18,857,that's a decent return on our investment.
Providing funding for unarrested Federal criminals is in fact a crime in itself, aiding and abetting a criminal.
If illegals were not here, then those DONATED funds could be used to assist legal USA citizens in need, not Federal criminals on the run.
If they are so in need, then why dont they return to their own nation and let the generous citizens of their homeland provide for them??
I doubt one person in 10,000 had any idea their donations to the March of Dimes were to be used for illegal activities, aiding Federal fugitives.
Verbally paintbrush it anyway you care to, aiding a Federal fugitive is also a criminal act.
Until a person has been arrested and convicted in a lawful manner,how are we to know whether or not he or she is a criminal?
We COULD become part of a sanctuary movement if we were that bold or altruistic but that goes way beyond offering information regarding basic health care.
Until then,our honor (as well as our self-interest) suggests that we teach life skills to people as best we can-even if that means using Braille,sign,English,Spanish,French,Mandarin,Cantonese,Somali or Klingon.
The children inhabiting an "illegal" womb might just wind up with dual citizenship.
Would we prefer that they enter this world (and country) impaired by something that a little pre-natal support could have prevented?
(Maybe we're supposed to send the defective babies of foreign and domestic lineage to countries that are already too flawed to be leaders of the free world.)
Perhaps.the backwater nations our illegals flee from could support their own in a practical and humane fashion if some nice superpower demonstrated how such a feat could be done.
Should local charities start balking at helping humans (lest they inadvertantly assist a law-breaking alien),the critters might start getting more of the donated dollars.
But,that presumes that the beasts have papers to prove they are native-born and not imported.
Otherwise,Irish setters,Siamese cats,Belgian draft horses or even French hens could be excluded from Humane Society aid.
It would be a lot simpler if we tried something radical like "from each according to his ability,to each according to his need."
I've heard those words before but I don't think much has been done to implement such a policy.
Per quantumcat "It would be a lot simpler if we tried something radical like "from each according to his ability,to each according to his need."
This quote is from Karl Marx in 1875 and summarizes the principles of a communist system. It has been tried and failed again and again. Is this the direction you advocate for our nation??????
"It would be a lot simpler if we tried something radical like "from each according to his ability,to each according to his need."
I've heard those words before but I don't think much has been done to implement such a policy.
-- Posted by quantumcat on Fri, Sep 5, 2008, at 9:15 PM "
This communist credo has had about as much honest application as our own "All men are created free and equal."
Noble persons use whatever ideology is at hand to channel their own wisdom and kindness as surely as blighted spirits use their cultures' norms to act with selfishness and cruelty.
They seldom find their form of government or belief system so out of sync with their own perspectives that they can't work within them at all.
When the two can't be reconciled,the inconvenient ideology is cast aside more often than the individual chooses to change his conduct.
G.K. Chesterton expressed his awareness of this when he said:
"The Christian ideal has not been tried & found wanting.
It has been found difficult & left untried."
We can and should reject the paths others have taken to distort or ignore great ideals.
That does not mean we should disregard the issues that sparked the uncorrupted notions or that we shouldn't learn from the examples of past sins and fiascos and try for our own victories.
When any system fails to bring on easy and instant paradise,we first look to the concepts behind it.
It comes as no surprise that a little scrutiny reveals a lot of fallacies.
But,much of what determines the success of a lifestyle depends upon the people who claim to live it.
Are they sincere and are they dedicated to the principles they claim to serve?
The 'isms' that have harmed our world have been wielded by people who put themselves ahead of everyone else.
A correct way of life that we choose may still falter if we don't live up to what we know is right-even if doing the right thing is costly and unpopular.