Letter from the CEO, Maria Heege

Unprecedented economic hardship like this brings out the best in people of greater Stark County! In the many years I have been at United Way, I have personally seen time after time, our residents step up and take care of their neighbors in need. As our community works to overcome economic stresses, job losses and day-to-day strain for many families, the United Way board of directors and I are committed to reaching the 2009 annual campaign goal of $7.5 million.

Your gift to United Way works right here in greater Stark County helping our neighbors, co-workers, families and friends. United Way funded program dollars stay right here where the services are needed. Addressing the full spectrum of human need in the community building blocks of Education, Family & Financial Stability and Health & Basic Needs, United Way is the best way to help the most people.

With gratitude to the dedication and commitment of many volunteers, United Way is able to maintain low operating costs. At a time when we are called upon to serve more people than ever before, our staff has focused on freeing up more funds for services by reducing expenses associated with fundraising and operations. United Way has been able to carefully and strategically reduce costs by more than 12%, resulting in an overhead  rate of 14.6% equal to other comparably sized United Ways.

Your gift is accountable. Trained, expert and diverse volunteers review service provider programs and budgets as part of United Way's own citizen-review process. We make sure your gift supports programs that have proven they meet the specified need and change lives. Our goal is to create long-lasting change with measurable results that prevent problems from happening in the first place. United Way is the smartest way to help the most people.

A community leader, United Way continuously evaluates our community's needs and directs funds to areas that have the most positive impact in our community. As experts in human care, United Way convenes key community stakeholders around the challenges facing our community. Collaborating with government, education institutions, foundations, key funders and community leaders on countywide agendas, we act as a catalyst advocating for greater Stark County residents. United Way is an expert in helping the most people.

United Way funds 107 local health and human service programs at 40 service providers in our community. We also provide direct services such as United Way's 2-1-1 Information and Referral line, a free and confidential service anytime,  day and night, to find health and human services in Stark County, the Stark County Volunteer Center serving nonprofits and volunteers throughout the county, and COMPASS, United Way's data center serving residents, community leaders and nonprofits. In addition, United Way funds several strategic community initiatives such as CARE Team, a wraparound program designed for Stark County schools, Stark County Teen Court and various collaborations including Access Health Stark County, Bridges Out of Poverty and more.

In this 2009 campaign year, I invite you to be part of the change-to LIVE UNITED. I encourage you to invest in greater Stark County in one of our building blocks to advance the common good or choose to influence the condition of all with a single gift to the Community Fund. Together, united, we can inspire hope and create opportunities for a better tomorrow right here in Stark County. Please donate today at http://www.uwstark.org/.

Warmest regards,

Maria Heege

President  & CEO