United Way of Lee County :: NEIGHBORS :: Fall 2015

United Way of Lee County :: NEIGHBORS :: Fall 2015

VOLUNTEERLEE.COM NEIGHBOR OF THE EDITION :: CONNIE CURRENS
Believing that “everybody has to help
Community Home Care and Hospice,
Sanford, who coordinates volunteers for
everybody,” Connie Currens did just
where she helps with filing and
the hospice. “She’s been a tremendous
that — responding to a need posted
administration. It’s been a great match.
asset, a friendly and helpful person to
at VolunteerLee.com. She landed at
“We just adore her,” says Chrissy
have around. We love having her here!”
neighbors
helping neighbors
a look at public service in our community
from the United Way of Lee County
FAL L 15 :: No. 30
Duke Energy contributes
to local reading projects ..................... 2
VolunteerLee.com expands
and upgrades its services ................. 2
The joyful rhythm of
Play Daze at San-Lee Park ................ 3
more than a bookstore
If you’re walking past Books
at a Steal for the very first time,
you may be tempted to assume
it’s a really nice used bookstore,
but not much else.
That would be a mistake.
Sure, Books at a Steal
does offer affordable books for
everyone, with prices ranging
from $1 to $1.50 for children’s
titles to $3.50 for their most
expensive adult hardback.
But selling books isn’t really
the goal. It’s simply how the store
accomplishes a more important
mission: helping children
succeed in school. And in life.
Books at Steal is run by the
Coalition for Families in Lee
County and the Lee County
Partnership for Children, two
nonprofits working to improve
the quality of life for young
people and their families. Money
raised by book sales is used for
important community projects.
}
The Cat in the Hat is just one
of several celebrities who have
stopped by Books at a Steal to
meet children and their parents.
BOOKS AT
A STEAL
Celebrating its fifth
anniversary in December
2015, Books at a Steal has
become popular with
volunteers attracted by the
upbeat atmosphere and
strong sense of camaraderie.
Even more important are
events in the store like summer
story time and Dr. Seuss Day —
activities that spark imagination
and the joy of reading.
“A key piece for succeeding
in school is to become a good
5 07 N or t h Ste e le Street
Sa n ford , N o r t h Carol ina 27330
9 19 .7 76.5823 : : leeco un tyun itedway.o rg
reader and to read anything
and everything,” says Carolyn
Spivey, executive director of the
Coalition for Families. “Any time
you’re promoting reading, you’re
doing something good for the
community.”
United Way
of Lee County
106 S. Steele Street
Sanford
919.776.0642
facebook.com/
BooksAtASteal
2
: : neighbors helping neighbors
FA LL 15
duke energy contributes to ‘i read, you read’
Books and book bags for students
participating in I Read, You Read will be
purchased with a contribution from the
Duke Energy Foundation, which awarded
United Way of Lee County a $4,100
grant to support local literacy projects.
I Read, You Read allows adult
mentors to read online, one-on-one
with struggling readers needing more
practice. About 40 adults have already
read with 33 elementary students at
three Lee County schools.
The grant also provides books and
book bags for low-income readers in
Super Summer Reading, another United
Way-sponsored reading initiative.
Indira Everett, community relations
manager with Duke Energy, said I Read,
You Read was the kind of project her
company looks for when deciding how to
invest in communities.
“Duke Energy’s commitment to
education focuses on programs that
enhance early childhood literacy,” says
Everett. “We’re proud to partner with
United Way of Lee County to engage
more children in reading in a new and
fun way.”
volunteerlee.com becomes a matchmaker
VolunteerLee.com has already been
connecting local volunteers with organizations
needing their help, but now it all happens
much easier!
Thanks to recent upgrades and
expansions, the website now handles the
matching process automatically.
Before, volunteers had to look through
individual listings and organizations to see
which ones looked interesting.
Now they can list their skills and interests
as part of the registration process. The site
LIKE us at
facebook.com/
UWLee
FOLLOW us at
@UWLeeCo
}361
will match those interests and past volunteer
activity automatically to organizations and
their needs. The site then will recommend
specific agencies, opportunities and events to
consider.
The upgrade also adds a more inviting
design for desktop monitors, a new
interface for mobile devices and software
improvements to make the site work better.
Among the additions are more sharing
opportunities through Facebook, Twitter,
LinkedIn and Google Plus.
}free prescription discount card
saves money on medicine
We know how expensive medication
can be. That’s why we now offer a free
prescription discount card through
FamilyWize! No cost. No obligation. No
health screening. No hassle. Just get your
card at our office, online or through the
mail — and start saving. familywize.org
from facebook.com/UWLee
neighbors received free legal services in 2014
for various civil matters, including escape from
domestic violence.
}salvation army gives
christmas ‘joy’
2,160 new toys, 2,880
new clothing items and
300 New Testament Bibles
were distributed during
@leecountyarmy’s JOY
program. #HolidayRecap.
from twitter.com/UWLeeCo
Copyright © 2016 by the United Way of Lee County.
All rights reserved. For information about this newsletter,
write to [email protected].
LIV E U N I T ED neighbors helping neighbors : :
3
the joyful rhythm
of play daze
A lot of impressive things happen
across our community all year long,
and one of them is Play Daze, a
celebration where preschoolers
spend the day playing, learning and
exploring at San-Lee Park. Thank you
to The Coalition for Families in Lee
County and Lee County Partnership
for Children for organizing this
extremely popular annual event!
U P D ATE ON THE UNITED WAY :: JAN HAYES
have you heard about “the overhead myth”?
There’s a common myth among
some contributors that the proportion
of any nonprofit’s administrative and
fundraising costs is a solid measure of
its effectiveness.
But that simply is not true.
Clearly, organizations should
never waste money. But three charity
watchdog groups warn donors to focus
instead on transparency, governance,
leadership and results.
“The people and communities
served by charities don’t need low
community
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overhead,” the groups concluded in an
open letter to donors, “they need high
performance.”
Learn more at overheadmyth.com.
n
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There’s been plenty of change in
local nonprofits over recent months
and we welcome several new leaders.
Daniel Simmons was appointed
CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of
Sanford/Lee County. He began work
with the parent organization four years
ago as executive director in Gaston
County and, before that, worked with
The Salvation Army.
Sherry Overton Shudra is now
executive director for HAVEN, which
helps neighbors escape domestic
violence. She has worked in the
pharmaceutical industry and been
involved in ministry with St. Luke
United Methodist Church.
And, Jenny Lee has been named
membership director in Harnett and
Lee counties for the Girl Scouts-North
Carolina Coastal Pines.
} February 9. Blood
} February 12. United
} February 18. Blood
} February 20. 2016
Drive. First Baptist
Church, 202 Summit
Drive, Sanford. 1:30 to 6
p.m. For an appointment,
contact the American Red
Cross, 800.RED.CROSS or
redcrossblood.org.
Way Funding Request
Deadline. Applications for
United Way funding during
the 2016-17 year must be
be received at the United
Way office, 507 N. Steele
Street, Sanford, by noon.
Drive. Sanford Church
of God, 2105 Pathway
Drive, Sanford. 3:30 to 8
p.m. For an appointment,
contact the American Red
Cross, 800.RED.CROSS or
redcrossblood.org.
Sanford Rotary Club
Charity Gala. A fundraiser
for four local nonprofits
featuring The Tuesday
Night Music Club band.
$50 per couple. Sanford
Elks Club, 6 to 10 p.m.
GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER.
VOLUN TE E R LE E .CO M V E CI N O DE L A E DIC IO N :: CONNIE CURRENS
Creyendo que “todos tienen que
ayudar a todo el mundo”, Connie
Currens hizo exactamente eso—
al responder a una necesidad
publicada en VolunteerLee.com.
Ella llegó al Community Home Care
and Hospice, donde ayuda con
archivo y administración. Ha sido
un buen partido. “La estimamos
mucho”, dice Chrissy Sanford, quien
coordina voluntarios para el cuidado
de hospicio. “Ha sido una enorme
ventaja, una persona amable y
servicial a alrededor. ¡Nos encanta
tenerla aquí!”
vecinos
los
que ayudan a vecinos
una observación de los servicio a la comunidad en nuestra
comunidad por Fondos Unidos del Condado de Lee
más que una librería
Si usted camina por el Books at a
Steal por primera vez, puede tener la
tentación de suponer que es nada más
que una librería realmente agradable.
Eso sería un error.
Por supuesto, Books at a Steal
ofrece libros asequibles para todo el
mundo, con precios que van desde
$1 a $1.50 para los libros de niños a
$3.50 para los libros de tapa dura más
caros para adultos.
Pero la venta de libros no es
realmente la meta. Simplemente es
cómo la tienda realiza una misión más
importante: ayudar a niños a tener
éxito en la escuela. Y en la vida.
Books at Steal está dirigida por la
Coalition for Families del Condado de
Lee y el Parnership for Children, del
Condado de Lee, dos agencias nolucrativas que trabajan para mejorar la
calidad de la vida de los jóvenes y sus
familias. Los fondos recaudados por la
venta de libros se usan para proyectos
importantes de la comunidad.
Aún más importantes son los
eventos en la tienda como la hora del
cuento de niños durante el verano y
el Día del Dr. Seuss—actividades que
despiertan la imaginación y el amor a
la lectura.
“Una parte clave para tener
éxito en la escuela es llegar a ser un
buen lector y leer todo y cualquier
cosa”, dice Carolyn Spivey, directora
ejecutiva de la Coalition for Families.
“En cualquier momento a promover la
lectura usted hace algo bueno para la
comunidad.”
}duke energy contribuye a “yo leo, tú lees”
}tarjeta gratuita de descuento
Se comprarán ibros y mochilas para
todos los estudiantes que participan en
Yo Leo, Tú Lees con una contribución
de la Fundación de Duke Energy, la
cual ha concedido a la United Way del
Condado de Lee una subvención de
$4,100 para apoyar proyectos locales
de alfabetización.
Yo Leo, Tú Lees les permite a los
adultos a leer en-línea, uno a uno
¡La United Way ahora ofrece una
tarjeta gratuita para medicamentos a
través de FamilyWize! No hay costo.
Ni obligación. Ni examen de salud. Ni
molestia. Sólo conseguir su tarjeta en
la oficina de la United Way o en-línea o
al español.familywize.org—y empezar a
ahorrar un promedio de 39 por ciento en
medicamentos.
}
con estudiantes con problemas en
lectura que necesitan más práctica.
Alrededor de 40 adultos ya han leído
con 33 estudiantes en tres escuelas del
Condado de Lee.
La subvención también proporciona
libros y mochilas para lectores de bajos
ingresos en el Super Summer Reading,
otra iniciativa de lectura patrocinada por
la United Way.
507 North Steele Street
Sanford, North Carolina 27330
919.776.5823 :: leecountyunitedway.org
traducción cortesía de
Maria Tanner
United Way
of Lee County