Annual Meeting & Awards Dinner is Coming Soon

The 42nd Annual Meeting & Awards Dinner is just around the corner (April 27), and we have a number of people that we need to thank for helping us to get everything in place for a great night to celebrate another year of serving the community. Let me start by acknowledging Prudential Annuities for serving as the main sponsor for this year's event. Prudential needs no introduction, but we are very pleased to have them step forward to serve as the main sponsor for the dinner. They are a very close neighbor here in the Towers complex in Shelton, and we are pleased that they have chosen to support this landmark community event.

They are joined by a number of other area businesses who are Table Sponsors. They include Fletcher Thompson, Gexpro, Iroquois Gas Transmission Systems, Naugatuck Savings Bank, Real Estate Two, BIC, Newtown Savings Bank, Blakeman Consturction and Pitney Bowes.We are extremely grateful for all their support.

One of the highlights of the dinner will be the distribution of our 2009 Annual Report. There is a lot of time and effort that goes into the report, and we were very fortunate to have the support of the W.E. Bassett Company in putting this year's report together. They allowed John DeGant to provide his design and graphical expertise in handling the layout for this year's report, and we think that you will be very pleased when you get your copy.

I also want to thank Newman & Company's Kellie Newman who designed the invitation to the dinner. If you didn't receive one in the mail, you can click here to get the on-line version and make your reservation.

Lastly, I also want to thank our good friends at Fletcher Thompson, Eric Monks and Tim McGee who Laurel has kept quite busy putting together signs, table cards and many other graphics that you will see at the dinner.

Everything is now in place and we look forward to an evening where we celebrate the achievements of the past year and honor those who have contributed to our successes.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Valley United Way and Social Media

Anyone who follows Valley United Way knows that we have been leaders in the use of electronic media to spread the word about everything that we do. In the "pre-Internet age", we were one of the United Ways experimenting with what passed for electronic media at the time - Compuserve. We then became the first United Way in Connecticut and one of the first in the country to actually have a website, and when United Way of America gave awards for such things, our web site was named best in the country for United Ways our size or smaller. Our original website with its 25 word descriptions of the agencies we funded became the forerunner of the Valley's community website - The Electronic Valley.

Long before the term social media became the rage, we were working with the Valley Council for Health & Human Services to foster better communications through electronic media by promoting the use of e-mail, mailing lists and electronic groups. There was no Facebook, MySpace or Twitter back then. In fact there was no Google or Yahoo, but we did have e-Groups, and the Valley Council was one of the first to use such a tool. All of those tools helped to create a very tightly integrated social service network here in the Valley that is remarkable in its ability to cooperate, share information and ideas and collaborate where appropriate. It has been especially helpful in being able to swiftly respond to community needs when called upon such as the tragic Latex Foam fire.

Keeping up with the rapid advances in technology is always a challenge, but for a small United Way, we continue to respond to that challenge - and opportunity to better serve our supporters and the general community. Along with the United Way in Hartford, we helped pioneer the concept of an on-line volunteer matching system (Volunteer Solutions) whereby our Volunteer Center is always open. We now do all of our allocations and special needs grants through an on-line process called e-Cimpact making our process virtually paperless for agencies and volunteers. Some of our campaigns are also paperless where companies choose to use our electronic campaign software instead of the traditional paper pledge card.

In addition to following all the latest information on our website which has now grown to over 35,000 files, you can also subscribe to one of our electronic newsletters, follow us on Twitter, watch us on YouTube, become a fan or friend on Facebook, or even subscribe to have this blog sent to you immediately.

Our goal is to build a strong relationship with our supporters by providing information and service whenever, wherever, and  however it is wanted. We hope that you find it helpful.





For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Monday morning ramblings - traffic, early childhood & leadership

 Monday morning - and the start of another week. For me, the day started with gridlock in the center of Derby because of traffic problems caused by backups on Route 8 and an accident on Elizabeth Street that created a monumental traffic jam. Luckily, I was on my way to a meeting of the Valley Early Childhood Task Force which was being held at the Parent Child Resource Center next to the Parking Garage.One person took 45 minutes to get from the area of St. Michael's Church to the meeting!

It was worth the hassle as the Committee reviewed the impressive work that it has done in the last couple of years to advance the cause of early childhood education in the Valley. The task force was one of the first committees of the Valley Council for Health & Human Services, but it really took on a much larger role in supporting early childhood education issues when the Graustein Memorial Fund started doing Discovery grants to individual cities. Originally Ansonia and Shelton received grants and then Derby joined the fold. When the Fund also offered regional Discovery grants, the Valley was well positioned because the Task Force was already a regional group and the individual cities are part of it. On top of that, Seymour was part of the Task Force even though Seymour was not eligible for a city grant. However, they did become part of the Regional Discovery grant.

The partnership between the individual towns and the the regional collaborative has been mutually beneficial to all. Training has been provided for early childhood providers, a bridge has been built between those providers and the school systems to ensure a smooth transition to kindergarten and home care childhood providers and institutional day care providers have a greater appreciation for each others role in working with our pre-school population. Parent training has also been provided, resources guides developed and a website is now in place as well - PreschoolTools.org. Earlier this month they coordinated the Read Across America program in area schools and in April they will host the Fourth Annual Play and Learn Fair at Warsaw Park.

United Way is pleased not only to have served as the fiduciary agent, but also as a funder and partner in this effort.

When I finally got to the office, I picked up the Connecticut Post to find a great article about one of our recent Special Needs Grants and the difference it is making in the lives of people served by the Parent Child Resource Center. You can read the full article here. It's a great story, but also a sad commentary on the difficult situations that many people in the Valley find themselves in at the moment.

Another uplifting story took place on Saturday with our new Leadership Greater Valley Alumni Group. The Leadership Program has been around for more than a decade, but the Leadership Alumni Group met just recently to establish themselves, and they wasted little time in making a difference. On Saturday, a number of the graduates made their way to the Spooner House where they made lunch for the residents and found time to socialize with them. One of the highlights was Greater Valley Chamber President (and a man of many, many taletns!) Bill Purcell playing the piano for everyone.

All in all, for a Monday that started in gridlock, it is turning out to be filled with a lot of good news. Let's hope the rest of the week continues the same way!


For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

“If you're lucky enough to be Irish, then you're lucky enough.”

 I couldn't let this day go by without wishing all of our friends and supporters a very Happy St. Patrick's Day. Being of Irish descent myself (and even having Irish citizenship), I am very proud of my heritage as every person should be of theirs. As everyone knows, I'm addicted to just about everything Irish but today is the one day when everyone puts up with me and even joins in the celebration of the venerable Saint from the Ould Sod.

The celebration is actually quite different here than it is in Ireland where the day has traditionally centered on the Church's celebration of the Patron Saint of Ireland and the public holiday. Here in the U.S. it has evolved into a celebration of all things Irish and their remarkable achievements in all aspects of life in America.Though not a public holiday, everyone joins in the fun of a one day a year celebration of Ireland.

So whether you are wearing green today and dining on corned beef and cabbage or not, I want to wish you a very Happy St. Patrick's Day.


May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
The sun shine warm upon your face
The rains fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.


For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

What's in a name?

So, what's the value of a brand name? In the case of United Way, it's over 4 billion dollars! A recent Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100 Report listed United Way of America (now United Way Worldwide) as the #3 Power Brand with an overall brand value of $4,516,900,000. United Way was also ranked #2 in revenue ranking and number 3 in Brand Image Rank.

Who ranked ahead of United Way? YMCA of the USA is ranked number 1 with a brand value of $6.393,600,000 while the Salvation Army was second at $4,702,900,000. Other groups in the top 10 included American Red cross, Gooodwill Industries, Catholic Charities, Habitat for Humanity, American Cancer Society, The Arc of the United States and Boys & Girls Club of America.  Besides being #1 in Brand Value Rank, YMCA was also tops in Revenue Rank. The American Cancer Society was number 1 in Brand Image Rank. United Way and the Salvation Army were the only groups ranked in the top 3 in all three categories.

Those numbers pale next to the value of the world's number one brand name - Coca-Cola - which Business Week valued at $67 billion, but they make for some interesting discussions as to the value of nonprofits as perceived by the public. However, United Way's brand would land it in the top 100 world wide brands if you could use the Cone valuation on the business Week lists.

According to the Cone report, "Brands were valued based on five years of consolidated financial data and a nationally representative consumer perception survey, among several other metrics." 

Here at Valley United Way, we are proud to be a member of the United Way family. However what's really important to us is how people in the Valley area perceive us and the value that we bring to the community here. We benefit from the association with United Way's all across the country and the recognition that United Way brings in the area of philanthropy and service to the community. Though we don't have an NFL franchise, we can't help but gain from the exposure that the ads during every NFL game bring. Ultimately however, we are judged by the good that we do in the Valley, and that's just fine with us.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Special Needs Grants have a big impact

If you read our website today, you will see a story about the Special Needs Grants just announced by Valley United Way's Board of Directors. Fourteen agencies will share in over $33,000 in new grants in addition to an earlier grant of more than $12,000 to Valley Regional Adult Education through a special fund set up by Sikrosky Aircraft to foster improving high school graduation rates.

The Special Needs Grants program was set up as a result of the growth of donor designated funds going to specific areas of need rather than to individual agencies or into the general allocations pool. Originally, there were eight different areas defined, but that number has now grown to fifteen because of choices made through different campaigns. The amount of funds available varies widely from year to year and program area to program area. The total has grown from approximately $13,000 in 2003 to over $47,000 this year.

The Special Needs grant program is run separately from Unite Way's regular allocation process, but volunteers are still the key to the process. The applications are made on-line, and then our Allocations Committee under the able leadership of Chairman Peter Galla reviews all of the applications before making recommendations to the Board. This year the applications were more than double the dollars available for distribution, making the review process a difficult one for the committee members.

In the end, their recommendations and the Board decisions will have a wide impact across the Valley. The Red Cross will use their $600 grant to meet basic needs for those in need while the Boys & Girls Club will be using a grant of over $2,000 for their drama club. The Valley Parish Nurse Program will use $2,200 to provide child seat restraints. The Valley YMCA will use their money on a playground for their new day care program. At the opposite end of the age spectrum, the VNA of South Central CT will be using their $4,000 grant to help seniors with chronic medical conditions manage their health issues.

Since 2003, we have allocated over $200,000 to 36 different agencies that provide direct services here in the Valley area. Though the individual grants may have been smaller in nature, the cumulative effect has been enormous.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Corporate Cup is under way

 

The 2010 Community Corporate Cup got off to a running start with the pre-testing at the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital and this morning's Healthy Breakfast. Each Healthy Team reported to the Cardiac Rehab Center to have their test which was changed a bit this year with the inclusion of the Rockport Walking Test replacing the previous step-test for cardiac health. Each of the teams has now been assigned a base line score from the testing and will be out to earn points over the course of the next three months. There is a short video from the testing here.

 

Today's Healthy Breakfast was sold out - or filled to capacity as all 40 available seats were taken for a refreshing breakfast that featured "smoothies". Chef Greg prepared the meal in front of the crowd and provided recipes for everyone in attendance. 

The next Health Meal will be Dinner on April 1. You can learn more and register here.

The first team event with a scoring opportunity is coming up on March 13 with the Bowling Tournament to be held at Valley Bowl in Derby. Click here for information and registration.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Corporate Cup Reception tonight at Griffin - Canceled!!

 

Due to the snow, this event has been canceled.

The 2010 edition of the Community Corporate Cup sponsored by Griffin Hospital and put on by Valley United Way, Valley YMCA and the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce begins with a Kickoff Reception tonight at the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital. It's fitting that while the world's attention is focused on the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, we are starting our local version of a corporate mini-olympic style event. In our case, the emphasis is on improving health through a series of fun and healthy events requiring varying degrees of athletic ability.Tonight's event is informational in nature with the presentation of all the materials and information that participants will need to get involved this year. 

Perkin Elmer is the three-time defending champion, but they should have plenty of competition this year with several other former winners in the field, and some new participants ready to enter the field.

The actual competition begins next week with the Healthy Team Pre-testing and will end with an Awards Reception in June. Along the way corporations will compete for titles in individual events while racking up points for the overall Cup title. Participation is the key to victory in the Corporate Cup, though winning individual events never hurts.

You can follow the Corporate Cup on its own website throughout the competition. there will be stories,  plenty of pictures, some video and the latest standings to help keep you motivated.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Men Who Cook - and those who pretend to cook

3rd Annual "Men Who Cook" Fundraiser

It's getting close! TEAM, Inc.'s wildly successful "Men Who Cook" fundraiser has been scheduled for Saturday, March 27, 2010 at Warsaw Park, Pulaski Highway, Ansonia, CT. from 6:00 to 10:00 P.M. And for the third straight year, I am one of the "chefs" - and I use the term very lightly in my case.

This is one of those "can't miss" events held in the Valley every year. In fact, it has become so popular that you really do need to plan to buy your ticket soon or you will not be able to go! I'm not sure of the exact number, but I think there are about 50 chefs ranging from those who make a living from their culinary work to those who have a real passion for cooking. And then there is a third category - pretenders. I'm not proud to say that I fall into the last category. It's almost sad to admit that someone once told a banquet audience that my culinary expertise was limited to showing him how to make a banquet out of a bag of potato chips and a bottle of coke!!

When Diane Stroman first asked me to participate in year one, I said yes with great trepidation. How would I pull this off? Take out from Roseland or Duchess was a thought, but definitely not allowed. Admit defeat and bow out - not an option! With so many talented chefs in the mix, maybe no one would notice whatever I did - not likely.

Luckily, I ran into Charlie Nolan, owner of the deli in the building where United Way is located and several others in the area. We got talking, and it turned out that Charlie was also going to be a chef. By the time our conversation was completed, my problem was solved. Charlie and I were going to be partners in the event - well sort of. In truth Charlie was and is the brains of the operation. He is an excellent chef, and he is allowing me to hang around and be his assistant. Even that was a bit of a challenge. However, I not only survived the first year's event, but even managed to fool some people into thinking I knew what I was doing. Charlie is the consummate pro. His recipes were delicious, and we were besieged with hungry patrons. It was a a big success, and Charlie deserves all the credit.

We're all set for this year's event, and you can look for another tasty dish. I don't want to cast any aspersions, but as you walk around the room, I think you might find some other well known figures who fit in my same category - pretenders! But it's all for a great cause, and it's a terrific night of food and fun.

Ticket Donation $50.00. For further information or to purchase tickets or provide sponsorships please call 203-736-5420 ext. 221. Of course, I have a supply of tickets as well, and you can reach me at 203-926-9478 or email jack.walsh@valleyunitedway.org.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Silver Screen Soiree-POSTPONED

Unfortunately, our premier event “Silver Screen Soiree” needs to be postponed at this time. We are looking for a date in mid May and we will be sure to inform you of it as soon as it is confirmed! This gives you more time to watch the REAL Academy Awards Ceremony and get ideas for costumes as well as whom to nominate from your offices! Get ready to have some fun!

How much should one give??

If you had the opportunity to catch CBS Sunday Morning this week, you might have caught an interesting discussion  about philanthropy. There was a story of a family who sold their large home, moved into a smaller home and used the profits that they made from their downsizing to support a number of charities. The move was sparked by the daughter inthe family who felt a need to really get involved in a meaningful way.

Brian Gallagher, President of United Way Worldwide was on the program speaking about people's giving. His feeling was that people should give until it makes them feel good, which is something that I have said many times when addressing potential donors. At one time, there was a guideline called "Fair Share" which was widely promoted by United Way, but has disappeared from the lexicon in recent years. One definition was that a person should give the equivalent of one hours pay per month for the year.

CBS then turned from "Give until it makes you feel good" and "Give your fair share" to "Give until it hurts." The thought being that the true spirit of giving should involve sacrifice much as the family above gave up their large house for a much smaller one in the name of charity. Peter Singer, author of "The Life You Can Save", agreed that giving should have an element of sacrifice and everyone noted that people who have the least are often more charitable than those who have the most. They used a store clerk as an example. The woman annually donates 10% of what she makes to charity.

Many have pointed out that 10% being given by a person in the financial situation of the store clerk is probably  making much more of a sacrifice than someone making a million dollars a year even though she gave much less in actual dollars. In addition to his book, Singer has a unique website: thelifeyoucansave.com.According tot he website, "If everyone who can afford to contribute to reducing extreme poverty were to give a modest proportion of their income to effective organizations fighting extreme poverty, the problem could be solved. It wouldn’t take a huge sacrifice."

One thing that makes the site unique is its "donation calculator". You can find it at: http://www.thelifeyoucansave.com/pledge/pledge_calc.php?curr_country=171&lang=EN. There is also a separate pledge page with suggested guidelines: http://www.thelifeyoucansave.com/pledge/pledge.php?curr_country=171. It's an interesting concept, what do you think?


For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

SAVE THE DATE!!

Valley United Way’s Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 27, 2010, at The Inn at Villa Bianca, 312 Roosevelt Drive, Seymour, CT.
5:15pm Registration and Social followed by Dinner and meeting at 5:45.

Cost is $45.00 per person.

The 2010-2011 Campaign Chair as well as the Charles H. Flynn Humanitarian Award winner will be introduced. The Flynn Award is the oldest and most prestigious award for community service. In addition, the distribution of the 2009-2010 Community Campaign awards will be made.

Hope you can join us for this great event!

Corporate Cup is coming soon

Plans are almost complete for the 2010 version of the Griffin Hospital Community Corporate Cup website, and there are several changes in store as there are every year. The signature event in this partnership among the Valley United Way, Valley YMCA and the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce continues to be the Healthy Team competition, and we are happy to report that all of the pre and post-testing will be done at Griffin's Center for Cance Care in Derby. There may be some slight change in the testing, but full details will be available on the website shortly. On a healthy note, we will be including Griffin's Health Empowerment Series of lectures as a new feature of the Corporate Cup.

Billiards will not be part of the series this year because we no longer have a facility in the Valley big enough to accommodate the number of participants that we have attraced. Instead, we will be adding "Backyard Bocce" which has been requested for several years now.

The calendar of events has also been changed a bit, and the tentative schedule has been posted, but there may be some further changes before all the details are finalized.

One thing that will not be changing is the price. The Griffin Hospital Community Corporate Cup will continue to be an incredible bargain - particularly for full registrations. Companies may register for individual events but the full registration price of $450 can't be beat when you consider that it includes every single event. Companies may also take advantage of special pricing of $325 for a second team in every event. Participation in the Healthy Team alone would justify the cost!

We'll have complete information available on the website shortly, but we are already accepting registrations for the Kickoff Reception at Griffin Hospital on February 16.


For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

VALLEY UNITED WAY'S 'SILVER SCREEN SOIREE'

Who would you nominate? Do you have a friend or colleague you think could be awarded BEST ACTOR/ACTRESS in the Valley United Way’s Silver Screen Soiree??? It is our version of the Academy Awards to be held on Wednesday, February 24th at a location to be announced in the RD Scinto complex. Other nominations can be made for Best Director, Best Music, Best Picture, Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup. Here is an example of how you can nominate someone:

BEST ACTOR: Bob Jones should be awarded BEST ACTOR for making believe he is doing his work at his desk, when really he is playing video games at his computer.

Of course, it can be a serious nomination also…. Prizes will be awarded for Best Costume in addition to the above listed awards. All nominations will be reviewed that evening by our ‘judges’ and the top 3 candidates in each category will be introduced. Final winners will be chosen by an audience vote.

SAVE THE DATE, tell your friends and plan to join us for a fun evening out in the Scinto Towers complex February 24th, to support the Valley United Way. Beer/wine and food will be included. Other details will be forthcoming.

Haiti Disaster

 The catastrophic earthquake in Haiti this week has left an indelible impression of the devastation that it has caused in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The world wide response has been impressive, but also difficult to manage as rescue experts from around the world have mobilized to alleviate the suffering caused by the quake. The response ranges from the large scale effort being mounted by the U.S. government down to small church and civic groups looking to do anything that they can to help.

Former President Bill Clinton is the special UN Envoy to Haiti and he and George Bush have been tasked by President Obama with heading up the private philanthropic efforts within the U.S. The response has been overwhelming, but many people are struggling with finding the best way to help. For most people, that is not going to be a hands-on response, but rather a financial one in the form of a donation to the relief and recovery efforts. The question is how to do this.

Many, many organizations are accepting donations for this effort. As a local United Way, we raise a lot of money to support local initiatives, and we have the ability to accept donations earmarked for things such as relief in Haiti. However, there are other groups that are much better equipped to have an immediate impact on the crisis. We have listed three of them on our website, but there are many others. In the case of United Way, our parent organization United Way Worldwide is accepting donations and mobilizing their partners in the Caribbean area to make a difference in the recovery effort. The Red Cross has probably the most established record in disaster relief. We have even posted a link to a site that tells you how to use your cell phone to make an immediate donation by text to a variety of known efforts, and I would urge you to use the one that best fits your thoughts to help make a difference.

Yesterday, at our Derby/Shelton Rotary meeting, our club voted to make a $500 donation through our Rotary International Foundation. A separate collection among our members present resulted in more than $600 in additional donations, and we will have a second collection next week.It was just one example of people looking to help and finding the right vehicle to make it happen.

Please look at the options available to you and think how you might help. Even a $5.00 donation will make a big difference. I saw one reporter pointing out that the Haitian clinic where he was reporting didn't have any aspirin, and that a $5.00 donation would make a world of difference in getting a supply of aspirin for the clinic!

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.