LIVING UNITED in Erie County

Wow, this community is so ready to come together to fight Erie County’s ridiculously high poverty rates! If you’ve seen the paper or the local TV news this week, you know that the Erie Together poverty reduction initiative sponsored two forums this past Tuesday to get input from a wide variety of county residents and community leaders. Almost 500 people showed up to give their ideas and lend their support. Our goal is to create a shared aspiration as to what we want the Erie community to look like in ten or fifteen years, then come together and take action to make that aspiration a reality.

Nationally-known speaker and facilitator Jay Connor impressed us all with the successes other communities have achieved with this approach, and based on the tremendous turnout for Tuesday’s forums there is no reason to believe we cannot accomplish the same things here.

Penn State employees and students increased their United Way Campaign contribution by over 8% this year to support United Way-funded programs and initiatives that help over 100,000 people improve their lives each year in Erie County. In total, they donated over $55,000 to United Way's campaign.

Penn State Erie, the Behrend College Chancellor Jack Burke and Employee Campaign Volunteers Stacey McCoy, Administrative Support Assistant (Engineering), Brenda Bane, Operator (Copy Center), Meeghan Hollis, Assistant Director of Residence Life and Jessica Skelton-Wolfe, Assistant Director of Constituent Relations present a check to me, United Way Senior Vice President R.J. Zonna. Missing from photo: Dave Causgrove, Lecturer in Marketing.

Way to go, Penn State Erie!

In another example of “pulling out all the stops” we re-convened our campaign cabinet for a working lunch today. Using the membership list of the Erie Regional Chamber & Growth Partnership (thanks Jim Dible) we launched our “Hundred for a Hundred” initiative (100 X 100). Our goal is to bring on 100 local companies who do not currently give to United Way at $100 each. Each member of the cabinet was asked to select 10 companies they will personally contact, following up on a letter from Campaign Chair Jim Martin which was mailed out to over 500 prospect companies last week.

Also a special thanks to Jim and his wife Cheryl who gave a special LIVE UNITED commemorative watch to each member of the cabinet as well as our Loaned Representatives. A most generous gesture to be sure.

If you haven't yet given to United Way's campaign, remember that it's never too late. Click here to make a gift and help improve the lives of 100,000 people right here in Erie County.

Being a young leader means being an example in more ways than one.  Not only is it important to give of your money, but also of your time and talents.  In line with our focus on Education and with the 40 Developmental Assets every student needs to become a successful adult, the Young Leaders Club Steering Committee piloted an Adopt-a-Student program at McKinley Elementary School, adopting 60 students. (Click here to check out some of the media coverage!)

We all remember what is was like to be young and have peer pressure - to look your best, to have the latest gadgets, etc.  But not everyone has had the experience of being impoverished - of not having enough to buy lunch, necessary school supplies, or even having your uniform also be your play clothes.

Thanks to sponsorship from Erie Insurance, Knox Law Firm and Steering Committee members, and establishing a partnership with Wal-Mart, enough money was raised to purchase each student a uniform (a polo shirt and a pair of pants) and a comprehensive school supplies homework kit that included a calculator and age-appropriate dictionary.

The "adoption" doesn't stop there.  In addition, Steering Committee members will write notes of encouragement throughout the year and will culminate the program with a special event at the end of April: a personal visit from the BayHawks.

We hope that by doing all of the above, we help build the capacity of these young students to become successful community members.  After all, while we are "Young Leaders," they are our FUTURE LEADERS.  All they need is our helping hand .  Think of how you would have felt if this was you.  Hopefully, you would have felt SPECIAL and more EMPOWERED, knowing there was someone, somewhere out there, rooting for you.

We want to continue this program every year and even expand it to adopt more grades, so that eventually, the entire school is adopted.  But we'll need more sponsors and partners to do so!  EMAIL ME if you and/or your place of business are interested. 

It's up to us folks...let's make it happen!!!