United Way of the River Cities

  Two, United Way of the River Cities representatives presented an overview of the goals and practices of the organization to a group of about 12 Marshall University journalism students on Tuesday.

         Executive director, Laura Gilliam, focused mainly on the goals of the organization pertaining to the problems that the city of Huntington is faced with and how they go about making a difference within the community.

         Gilliam said that the organization has changed somewhat within the past fifteen years. Fundraising was previously the only means of collecting money for the 34 agencies they worked with. Instead of solely relying on fundraising, in 2000, United Way performed surveys throughout the community and narrowed down the problems into four focus areas: Learning and earning, health and wellness, families and children, and basic needs and unforeseen hardships.

         The two methods of achieving the organization’s goals highlighted by Gilliam were, firstly, providing the community with “safety net services”, such as providing food and clothing to people in crisis, and secondly, working on the preventative side.

Gilliam said, “ We are now getting to the root of the problem, creating long term solutions, and reducing the number of people in crisis.”

Director of resource development and marketing, Cassey Bowden, started her presentation by asking students, “How many of you know someone that could benefit from financial stability education, who is homeless, has dropped out of high school, has had a baby, or will have a baby? I think we all can fit into one of these categories or knows someone that does. Can any of you say you don’t know a person like this?” None of the students raised their hands. Bowden then went on to explain that in some way, United Way impacts everyone, or at least someone they know.

Bowden made it clear that investors of United Way are not only investors in the stake of the organization but are also recipients of what the organization does. She went on to talk about the fundraising, because as she said, “no money, no mission”.

According to Bowden, the bulk of funds come from workplace campaigning. Marshall University annually participates in a United Way campaign.  There are also several events that take place throughout the community such as a putt-putt tournament and an event called “out on the town”. Bowden said that they are constantly evaluating their fundraising efforts.

After Bowden’s presentation, students curiously asked for the figures of this year’s fundraising goal. The students had to pry a number out of both of the hesitant representatives. Both Bowden and Gilliam explained that they focus on meeting the goals for the community rather than figures, however they said that this year’s fundraising goal was 1.25 million.

For more information on United Way of the River Cities, you can visit the organization’s website: http://www.unitedwayrivercities.org/

Research for United Way Assignment

     United Way of the River Cities is a non-profit organization whose mission is to better the community. They do so by fundraising and working with other programs in the area. On the website it says that they "support programs and strategies that address critical issues in the four focus areas of Health and Wellness, Learning and Earning, Families and Children, and Basic Needs/Unforseen Hardships".
     Long term solutions of these community problems are said to be met by fundraising and donations. Donations are used within the community that they are given, and are said to go to the most pressing problems in the area.
     There are many people affiliated with United Way, for example: Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Goodwill Industries, the Special Olympics, and the YMCA. Chad Pennington is also featured on the webpage as a United Way volunteer. One of their programs, "Success by Six" is trying to ensure that children will be ready physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially before starting kindergarten. This organization is very active in trying to better the community.
     Laura Gilliam is the current executive director of United Way of the River Cities and was the executive director of the Faith in Action  of the River Cities from 1996-2005. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BSBA in 1985 and moved to West Virginia in 1991. Laura and her husband of 23 years, Frank, have two children together, Rachel and Ian. When Laura is not occupied with her work, she is active in the community, volunteering alone and with her church Enslow Park Presbyterian.
     Cassey Bowden is the Director of Resource Development and Marketing for United Way of the River Cities. She is also a part-time professor at Marshall, where she attended college and now teaches Career Exploration.  She has also worked for the University of Charleston and Alderson-Broaddus College as the Human Resources Coordinator. Bowden's husband Wes is a firefighter for the city of Huntington and together they have one child, Ryley Cole Bowden. Cassey is active in community service and is a member of the Rotary Club of Huntington, and the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce. In Bowden's spare time, she golfs, runs, and spends time with her family and her friends.

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