United Way plans strike on Valley's poverty

By Rick Dandes
The Daily Item

June 17, 2008 09:02 am

— SHAMOKIN DAM — The United Way is shifting its strategy to put a greater emphasis on programs that improve the health, education and finances of working families, and on Monday night at Tedd’s on the Hill, board members and stakeholders met to discuss the new initiatives and how to fund them.
“Our five-year strategic program is called ‘Priorities for Impact.’ The goal is to help solve the underlying problems in our communities that cause so many of the day-to-day challenges faced by individuals and families,” said Keri Albright, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way. “Our new way of thinking is, let’s fund programs that will have the greatest impact in our area.”
“For example, by dealing with the fundamental issues of poverty and the lack of public transportation in the Valley, we help to keep people out of the homeless shelters, off of the food bank lines and to get to work every day,” she said. “We want to be able to look back in five, 10, 20 years, and know that because of our collaboration with others, the area high school dropout rate has decreased, that more families are financially stable and are able to save money and that a single father who can’t afford a car can take a better job in the next town because a bus will take him to work.”
The United Way is looking for groups to come up with creative solutions to the Valley’s problems.
“Community change only takes place when you mobilize the right people who are committed to the change,” Albright said.
United Way board member Eric Rowe, president of Wood-Mode, Kreamer, said: “We need to allocate money in an effective, measurable way. People have to know that their contributions are being well spent.”
Poverty is everywhere, those at the meeting agreed. “We have to do something about it,” Albright said.
Also at the session were board member Roger Haddon Jr., president of Sunbury Broadcasting Corp.; Susan Mathias, regional coordinator for U.S. Rep. Christopher Carney, D-10 of Dimock; Harry L. Adrian Jr., executive director of the Union-Snyder Community Action Agency; Cynthia Zerbe, an administrator with the Union-Snyder Transportation Alliance; Dan Fahringer, Clinical Outcome Group; and Tina McDowell, director of the Union County United Way.
The United Way is encouraging groups working on programs that address the long-term needs of the community to apply for grants of up to $15,000 annually for one- to three-year cycles. Application are available at the Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way office, 335 Market St., Suite 2, Sunbury. Deadline for submission is July 8.

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