A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

It is my privilege to announce a new movement that United Way of America launched in June 2008 and we launched locally in August 2008.  It’s called LIVE UNITED, and it’s about advancing the common good in communities all across the country. 

Advancing the common good is about creating opportunities for a better life for everyone in the CSRA.  The premise is that everyone deserves opportunities to have a good life.  A good life consists of a quality education that leads to a stable job, enough income to support a family through retirement, and good health.  That’s why United Way is focusing our work on the building blocks for a good life:  Education, Income and Health.  And, I will tell you that, like many other local United Way’s, we are not there yet, but this is where we’re headed.
Education is essential to getting and keeping a job with a livable wage and health benefits.  An income adequate to pay for today’s necessities and save for the future provides families some sense of financial stability.  Access to quality health care keeps children on track in school and adults productive at work.  Remove any one of these building blocks, and the other two topple.

Advancing the common good is less about helping one person at a time and more about changing systems to help all of us.  We all win when a child succeeds in school, we all win when families are financially stable, and we all win when people are healthy.  That’s why United Way’s goal is to create long-lasting changes in our communities that prevent problems from happening in the first place, and we know the way to do this is by addressing the underlying causes of these problems.  Living United means being a part of the change.  It takes everyone in the community working together to create a brighter future.

So, we invite you, our United Way family, to LIVE UNITED by Giving, Advocating, and Volunteering.  This is how we can light the way in our community.

You can GIVE by investing in your community.  By giving to the United Way campaign.  Give of your finances.  Give of your time.  Give of your talent.  But, GIVE in some way.

The second way you can LIVE UNITED is by ADVOCATING.  Anyone can champion the cause. Whether you’re speaking out to improve education, income and health, reaching out to members of Congress, or wearing the LIVE UNITED t-shirt to show your support, you can help.  Each of us has a part that we can play.  So, go ahead and advocate in a LIVE UNITED world. Do it in public. Be visible. Be loud.

And, the third way we invite you to LIVE UNITED is by VOLUNTEERING.  Give an hour. Give a Saturday. Give your best. We all have special talents. Things we can do to help. And when we reach out a hand to one, we influence the condition of all. Whether it’s reading to children, or leading literacy classes for hard-working families, or visiting homebound seniors, there are hundreds of volunteer options available every day.  Give the gift of you. Volunteer.

LIVE UNITED is not a slogan, it is a philosophy, it’s a way of life.  The only way we can help our neighbors during these difficult economic times is to Live United.  LIVE UNITED is an invitation for everyone to be part of the change…to do our part.  We know that together we can inspire hope and create opportunities for a better tomorrow.  I invite you to join the LIVE UNITED movement.

La Verne H. Gold
President/CEO
United Way of the CSRA