In my last post, I talked about the exciting opportunities I was given right out of the gate at the United Way of LaPorte County, I have been able to dive deeper into the great work that this organization is behind. After my last post, I was able to aid local youth, of the Michigan City Police Youth Academy, in building cardboard boats for the Annual Boat races on Lake Michigan. The race was this past weekend, a beautiful Saturday for the community to gather to watch not only kids, but also adults put their cardboard creations on the water. (I have attached photos of both the building and the race day). It was fantastic to be able to work with some of the youth, just being able to watch them work together to get a task complete has made this experience worthwhile.

The community garden that I previously blogged about, is coming together nicely, with an ADA approved area for gardening to those with disabilities. Plants are planted, mulch has been laid to create paths, and the fencing is nearly complete. One neat occurrence around this garden is that someone anonymously delivered plants for the garden.

I have been spear heading a new way to raise funds through our campaigns. The United Way generally runs a campaign from August to February to raise funds for projects and other organizations that we sponsor. With that, our Executive Director suggested that we should use Network For Good, a non-profit that uses an online platform to raise funds for non-profits. Next week, I will be presenting this platform and how to use it to the Board of Directors. We are attempting to reach potential donors through Facebook and other social media platforms. It is a way to keep up with the adapting market while still keeping in touch with our prior donors.

Last Friday, a representative from the Indiana Association of United Ways, came and spoke with us and some other regional volunteer and staff personal to talk about ways to handle the new campaign season. It was nice to hear much of what he had said, was right in line with what we are trying to promote with this new platform to reach both previous and potential donors for this campaign season.

Being home has its perks. I have been able to utilize the contacts that I have made in the past, as well as creating new ones. Any social event that Kris or Dave (the Executive Director and the Manager of Community Engagement), I will tag along to learn as well as connect with leaders in the community.  I am getting near the end of my time with this organization but I have felt welcomed and that I was able to be a part of something bigger than myself. I am reminded of a phrase I heard at a very young age, “It takes a village…” meaning that it takes all of the people within a community to create change or promote societal well-being. Comment or questions, I will respond. Live United!