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  <atom:title type="html">Blog</atom:title>
  <atom:subtitle></atom:subtitle>

  <atom:updated>2010-07-09T18:47:13-04:00</atom:updated>

  <atom:link href="http://www.unitedwayofjacksoncounty.org/uwjc-blog"
             rel="alternate" type="text/html"/>

  

  <atom:id>d24b0a64525d2311ea7c42f67d2a960e</atom:id>

  <atom:generator uri="http://plone.org/products/fatsyndication/" version="0.1">fatsyndication</atom:generator>

  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Guest Blog -- Debbie Williams</atom:title>

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                 href="http://www.unitedwayofjacksoncounty.org/uwjc-blog/archive/2010/07/09/guest-blog-debbie-williams-1">
        http://plone.org/
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      <atom:id>69b97810447ccac16e19ad82998ad69d</atom:id>
      <atom:summary>Our guest blog this week is from Debbie Williams, Avista Utilities.</atom:summary>

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&lt;p&gt;Another guest blog as we dive further into summer.&amp;nbsp; This week's blog comes from Debbie Williams.&amp;nbsp; Debbie is with Avista Utilities and has as long a career with community service as most people aspire to.&amp;nbsp; She's former chair of the local Girl Scouts Council and has held every leadership role at United Way except treasurer.&amp;nbsp; How'd she miss that?!&amp;nbsp; Debbie remains committed to community, to children and to changing our world.&amp;nbsp; This is how Debbie lives united!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There is so much in this world to be cherished and protected.&amp;nbsp; Starting with a major wake-up call on September 11, 2001, along with the recent disappearance of Kyron and the tragic death of Kacy, I have been reminded that there are so many parts of my life that I have taken for granted—for far too long.&amp;nbsp; These events have made me painfully aware that violence, intolerance and hate have become the focus and that differences are profiled more than commonality.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It is time to teach acceptance and tolerance in a new way.&amp;nbsp; You and I must begin with our children—those precious gifts.&amp;nbsp; They are the key to changing our focus away from hate and on to acceptance and appreciation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To start making such a change, you and I must begin treating our children like the precious miracles that they are.&amp;nbsp; Finding a way to show each child that they are loved, they are special, they are important, and that they are not alone.&amp;nbsp; What they have to give to the special people in their lives matters.&amp;nbsp; What they have to give to the world matters.&amp;nbsp; Every person is significant.&amp;nbsp; You and I must teach our children that differences are settled through understanding, not violence, and we must teach them that life is a precious gift to be treasured, just as they are treasured by us.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Making a difference starts with you and me—one person at a time, choosing to be that person in a child’s life.&amp;nbsp; All children, no matter their race, religion, gender, physicality, or socio-economic circumstance, are deserving of the opportunity to grow up loved, respected, and valued.&amp;nbsp; And if they know there is a community, a nation, a world that honors their presence and strives to join together in building an environment of acceptance and tolerance, they will carry that legacy into the future.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It starts right now, with one person.&amp;nbsp; Will you—will I be that person?&amp;nbsp; Will you—will I accept the challenge to improve the world, starting with a child?&amp;nbsp; Yes, I will.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Dee Anne Everson</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-07-09T18:47:13-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-07-09T18:47:13-04:00</atom:updated>

      
        <atom:category term="Live United"/>
      

    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>National Day of Action</atom:title>

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                 href="http://www.unitedwayofjacksoncounty.org/uwjc-blog/archive/2010/06/22/national-day-of-action">
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      <atom:id>99423181ef666845d74fc50415e4f275</atom:id>
      <atom:summary>Standing, listening for Kacy, for all our community's children.</atom:summary>

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&lt;p&gt;Today, United Way’s National Day of Action, found me standing on the corner of Main and Central from 4:15 to 5:15.&amp;nbsp; We stood there in silence, listening.&amp;nbsp; Last Tuesday, June 15, 2010, Kacy died.&amp;nbsp; She is our community’s latest victim of child abuse.&amp;nbsp; Today wasn’t about the person accused of killing her.&amp;nbsp; It was about her.&amp;nbsp; It was about how we, as a community, can do something different.&amp;nbsp; The idea came to me through a friend’s comment on United Way’s FaceBook page.&amp;nbsp; Cher wondered how no one could have heard something.&amp;nbsp; That spurred me to say let’s listen.&amp;nbsp; Today, people came and listened.&amp;nbsp; I wonder what they heard and noticed.&amp;nbsp; I noticed I don’t know as many cars as I knew when I was young.&amp;nbsp; I noticed I can’t name tunes in 3 notes as cars raced by.&amp;nbsp; I noticed how many distractions I must have to not notice all the skateboarders, the bicyclists, the walkers who crossed the street so as not to be with us.&amp;nbsp; Did they cross out of fear, out of confusion, out of lack of interest or out of what?&amp;nbsp; Sadly, I’ll never know.&amp;nbsp; I know only they crossed the street.&amp;nbsp; Would I in some other situation?&amp;nbsp; I don’t know.&amp;nbsp; If faced with it in the future, I’ll react differently.&amp;nbsp; I’ll think before I cross the street.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I thought about all the things I think about usually between 4 and 5:30, usually it’s work stuff, sometimes it’s family stuff.&amp;nbsp; Today I thought about a dear person in my life who lost her mom this weekend.&amp;nbsp; I thought about my younger sister’s father-in-law and his valiant fight against pancreatic cancer.&amp;nbsp; I thought about another sister and her potential need of a liver transplant.&amp;nbsp; I was moved about Kacy.&amp;nbsp; Right before going off to listen, a woman approached me.&amp;nbsp; She asked if I was responsible for this.&amp;nbsp; I thought of course not.&amp;nbsp; Sadly Kacy is why we’re here.&amp;nbsp; A little girl I’ll never know.&amp;nbsp; A little girl who’s voice and laughter her family will never hear again.&amp;nbsp; She then said she was Kacy’s grandma.&amp;nbsp; I couldn’t believe that in a community’s sorrow, there was a grieving grandmother in our midst.&amp;nbsp; I was honored, humbled and amazed she shared her grief with us.&amp;nbsp; To her, I am deeply grateful.&amp;nbsp; Sometimes we don’t want to be held up as the example.&amp;nbsp; Sometimes we don’t have a choice.&amp;nbsp; She didn’t.&amp;nbsp; My thoughts and prayers are with Kacy’s family and loved ones.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I heard the song, Teach Your Children.&amp;nbsp; I couldn’t remember the words, just the chorus.&amp;nbsp; I looked it up for those of you humming right now.&amp;nbsp; And to Graham Nash and to Kacy and to those who stood and listened on the corner of Main and Central and to those who joined in silence in New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, California, Portland, British Columbia, and Japan, thank you.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Teach Your Children&lt;br /&gt;by Graham Nash&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You, who are on the road&lt;br /&gt;Must have a code&lt;br /&gt;That you can live by.&lt;br /&gt;And so, become yourself&lt;br /&gt;Because the past&lt;br /&gt;Is just a goodbye.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Teach, your children well&lt;br /&gt;Their father's hell&lt;br /&gt;Did slowly go by &lt;br /&gt;And feed them on your dreams&lt;br /&gt;The one they pick's&lt;br /&gt;The one you'll know by.&lt;br /&gt;Don't you ever ask them why&lt;br /&gt;If they told you, you would die&lt;br /&gt;So just look at them and sigh&lt;br /&gt;And know they love you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And you (Can you hear and) &lt;br /&gt;Of tender years (Do you care and)&lt;br /&gt;Can't know the fears (Can you see we)&lt;br /&gt;That your elders grew by (Must be free to)&lt;br /&gt;And so please help (Teach your children)&lt;br /&gt;Them with your youth (You believe and)&lt;br /&gt;They seek the truth (Make a world that)&lt;br /&gt;Before they can die (We can live in)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Teach your parents well&lt;br /&gt;Their children’s hell&lt;br /&gt;Will slowly go by&lt;br /&gt;And feed them on your dreams&lt;br /&gt;The one they pick's&lt;br /&gt;The one you’ll know by.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Don’t you ever ask them why&lt;br /&gt;If they told you, you would cry&lt;br /&gt;So just look at them and sigh&lt;br /&gt;And know they love you.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Today, members of CAN (Child Abuse Network) came together to listen.&amp;nbsp; There are so many ways to show up in the lives of children.&amp;nbsp; There are so many resources.&amp;nbsp; There are resources on the volunteer page on our website.&amp;nbsp; There are numerous child abuse prevention resources on &lt;a href="http://www.mailtribune.com/dontturnaway"&gt;&lt;u&gt;www.mailtribune.com/dontturnaway&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &amp;nbsp;Please don’t turn away.&amp;nbsp; We can’t anymore.&amp;nbsp; There don’t have to be more Kacys.&amp;nbsp; We can show in the lives of children, in the lives of our neighbors, in the lives of our community.&amp;nbsp; We don’t do this work because it’s important, because it’s right, because we must, we do it because we CAN.&amp;nbsp; Join us!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Dee Anne Everson</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-06-22T00:21:03-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-06-22T00:21:03-04:00</atom:updated>

      
        <atom:category term="Mike Mulligan"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="Oregon Nonprofit Leaders Conference"/>
      

    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Volunteer Fair Guest Blog Suzanne Zapf</atom:title>

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      <atom:id>95c7ad75381564982c6558b4a160e024</atom:id>
      <atom:summary>from Suzanne Zapf, ...What a great volunteer fair this past Wednesday, presented by United Way of Jackson County and other community partners! </atom:summary>

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&lt;p&gt;Today's guest blog is from Suzanne Zapf.&amp;nbsp; Suzanne came to our board, and quickly became chair of our Raising Awareness Council.&amp;nbsp; She helped to fundamentally put in place our strategy platform to launch Live United.&amp;nbsp; And she does and so does her daughter Zoe.&amp;nbsp; Suzanne exempifies the following Confucious quote:&amp;nbsp; "To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life; and to cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right."&amp;nbsp; Without sometimes knowing, Suzanne helps to put our hearts right.&amp;nbsp; Enjoy her blog...&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What a great volunteer fair this past Wednesday, presented by United Way of Jackson County and other community partners!&amp;nbsp; We had over 50 agencies seeking volunteers as hundreds of potential volunteers streamed into our large KOBI studio space for the 2 hour event.&amp;nbsp; Some of the agencies represented at the fair included the Consumer Credit Counseling Service, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), the Family Nurturing Center, and the Ashland Film Festival.&amp;nbsp; The diverse set of agencies at the fair reflects the very diverse needs of our community!&amp;nbsp; United Way’s hope is that potential volunteers find positions and internships that fit their skills and interests.&amp;nbsp; Check out the&amp;nbsp;the website for a full description of volunteer opportunities and contact information for all the agencies represented at the fair.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On a personal note, my 7-year-old daughter Zoe and I had a rockin’ time!&amp;nbsp; We partnered with Peggy Wisneski at the United Way table, and Zoe and Peggy became fast friends.&amp;nbsp; Peggy, in between deep discussions with Zoe about Cinderella, cultivated relationships with many new United Way and WiLL (Women Living Leadership) volunteers.&amp;nbsp; The afternoon culminated in Zoe winning a Goodwill matchbox truck in the drawing, which absolutely thrilled her!&amp;nbsp; Thank you to Rita Vance, WiLL and the United Way staff for organizing such a terrific event.&amp;nbsp; Sign us up to help with next year’s event, our 3&lt;sup&gt;rd&lt;/sup&gt; annual volunteer fair.&amp;nbsp; We’ll be there.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Dee Anne Everson</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-06-01T00:08:26-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-06-01T00:08:26-04:00</atom:updated>

      
        <atom:category term="Mike Mulligan"/>
      

    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Social Media Guest Blog</atom:title>

      <atom:link rel="alternate" type="text/html"
                 href="http://www.unitedwayofjacksoncounty.org/uwjc-blog/archive/2010/05/06/social-media-guest-blog">
        http://plone.org/
      </atom:link>

      <atom:id>d9b73d8fa72b02978583f0f63c2e1cf5</atom:id>
      <atom:summary>Anne Ashbey Perotti guest blogs about the social media panel at the Oregon Nonprofit Leaders Conference.</atom:summary>

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&lt;p&gt;Welcome back!&amp;nbsp; This week Anne Ashbey Perotti guest blogs about the case study on United Way of Jackson Couny and social media.&amp;nbsp; Anne was chair of our task force last summer and she shared at the Oregon Nonprofit Leaders Conference our case study.&amp;nbsp; And a case we were!&amp;nbsp; Anne rocked it and is now a United Way of Jackson County board member.&amp;nbsp; Here's Anne...&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;UWJC Social Media “case study” – a model for Oregon Non-Profits&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Last summer, United Way Jackson County board member Suzanne Zapf and Dee Anne approached me with a proposal:&amp;nbsp; to form and lead a group of community, board and staff members in developing a social media strategy for the agency.&amp;nbsp; As a (primarily) for-profit retail marketer, I was hesitant.&amp;nbsp; Would my expertise translate?&amp;nbsp; Would I have time to do the effort justice?&amp;nbsp; The opportunity won out.&amp;nbsp; Under Suzanne and Dee Anne’s leadership we brought together a small but mighty Task Force of board members, community volunteers and staff.&amp;nbsp; We had a great time tapping into our collective expertise, and over the course of about six weeks created a series of recommendations that were prioritized and adopted by the agency.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Now, several months later, and as newly inducted UWJC board member, I received an invitation from Jenny Council of NetCorps to share the Task Force’s process, recommendations and results with non-profit organizations through a presentation at the Oregon Non-Profit Leadership Conference (ONLC).&amp;nbsp; I immediately recruited two key members of the Task Force:&amp;nbsp; John Williams, an industry veteran and entrepreneur, and Meri Aaron Walker, a social media evangelist and virtual meeting coach.&amp;nbsp; It was great to reconnect with John and Meri, take a moment to recognize the progress this organization has made, and offer it as a model to other non-profits.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; For me, the very nature of this Task Force – bringing together a diverse group of experienced and invested participants for the greater good of our community – is yet another phenomenal example of this agency’s commitment to “live united.”&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There are many tangible results of this effort.&amp;nbsp; Guest blogs, like this one, have been a great way to share a diverse set of voices with the public, giving depth and breadth to our shared passion for the works of this agency.&amp;nbsp; UWJC’s Facebook group (United Way of Jackson County) has grown to nearly 400 members, is regularly updated with event information, and has become a great vehicle for interaction with and among supporters.&amp;nbsp; UWJC’s Twitter feed (&lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/uwjackson"&gt;&lt;u&gt;www.twitter.com/uwjackson&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;) has about 120 followers and is an important way for the organization to keep in touch with and disseminate news that is relevant to its mission and priorities.&amp;nbsp; Website content is now refreshed on a regular basis, and provides a means to showcase the great work of our partners.&amp;nbsp; Is any of this having an impact?&amp;nbsp; Yes!&amp;nbsp; So far, we’ve seen 23% more visitors to &lt;a href="../"&gt;&lt;u&gt;www.unitedwayofjacksoncounty.org&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; – which tells us that the web is helping us get the message out to more people.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Web traffic and community engagement will only continue to grow as we implement additional social media strategies, like a monthly newsletter (you can sign up &lt;u&gt;here&lt;/u&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What else do you think United Way of Jackson County should we be doing to increase awareness and participation?&amp;nbsp; Please leave a comment with your thoughts and suggestions!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Dee Anne Everson</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-05-06T10:01:19-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-05-06T10:01:19-04:00</atom:updated>

      
        <atom:category term="social media"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="Oregon Nonprofit Leaders Conference"/>
      

    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Child Abuse Prevention Month April!</atom:title>

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                 href="http://www.unitedwayofjacksoncounty.org/uwjc-blog/archive/2010/04/07/child-abuse-prevention-month-april">
        http://plone.org/
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      <atom:id>6a5d0c03952c914031e4e64d65fe6a85</atom:id>
      <atom:summary>April is Child Abuse Prevention month.  There are things you can do.</atom:summary>

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&lt;p&gt;Hi everyone!&amp;nbsp; Today the Jackson County Board of Commissioners proclaimed April Child Abuse Prevention month.&amp;nbsp; All three commissioners spoke eloquently and urgently about the need to eradicate the horrific abuse and neglect children in our county live with -- yesterday, today and tomorrow.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I'm proud to have invited them to do this proclamation.&amp;nbsp; There were my remarks...&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;My name is Dee Anne Everson and I am the executive director of the United Way of Jackson County.&amp;nbsp; Also I am one of three co-conveners of Jackson County Child Abuse Network, CAN.&amp;nbsp; My lead partners are Jackson County and the Oregon Department of Human Services.&amp;nbsp; Last year I stood here as a stunned community member who has just completed grand jury duty with a calling to do something.&amp;nbsp; This year I stand here as a member of CAN with more than 40 partners of providers, survivors, policy makers and interested community members who are determined to change the ravages of child abuse in our community.&amp;nbsp; We are focused on systems change, prevention and public awareness.&amp;nbsp; We do this with your help.&amp;nbsp; I thank you for your commitment.&amp;nbsp; I have learned so much this past year about the lives of children in our community, about the level of destruction present in families, and about hope.&amp;nbsp; Even Baby Hope who suffered multiple skull fractures this year.&amp;nbsp; I remember vividly learning from my grand jury experience but what I didn't understand before was that child abusers steal the essence of a child.&amp;nbsp; And it can take years and years and years before they find that essence again to deliver on the promise to community of engagement, involvement and productivity.&amp;nbsp; We could read every day of the horrific cases sadly.&amp;nbsp; We don't do this work because we are able to or should or even must, we do it because we CAN.&amp;nbsp; Please join us April 14 at noon in Vogel Plaza for the annual child abuse awareness event.&amp;nbsp; Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;My remarks were followed by an incredible man whom I have had the incredible fortune to become friends with.&amp;nbsp; His name is Randy Ellison.&amp;nbsp; He is bright, charming, witty and loves music.&amp;nbsp; Randy is an incredible asset to our community and his remarks follow:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;My name is Randy Ellison.&amp;nbsp; Statistics tell us that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before their 18th birthday.&amp;nbsp; It is estimated that at least 39 million Americans are survivors of child sexual abuse.&amp;nbsp; Using that number we can estimate that over 25,000 residents of Jackson County were victims of child sexual abuse.&amp;nbsp; 25,000 of our community are survivors of this horrible epidemic.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They are family members.&amp;nbsp; We go to church with them.&amp;nbsp; We sit on boards with them.&amp;nbsp; We stand in the line at the grocery store with them.&amp;nbsp; We see them at the gym.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;You are currently listening to one of them.&amp;nbsp; And what happened to them and to me is invisible.&amp;nbsp; You do not see that most of us are totally incapable of something as basic as trust of another human being.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Over 80 percent of us are or have been addicted to alcohol or drugs.&amp;nbsp; Many of us suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.&amp;nbsp; We have lives that are broken in ways you cannot even imagine.&amp;nbsp; We live in a world of guilt, shame and secrets.&amp;nbsp; Many of us find we are uncomfortable in our own skin.&amp;nbsp; And yet we do not even know why.&amp;nbsp; Most victims never tell a soul what happened to them.&amp;nbsp; Many never admit it to themselves.&amp;nbsp; I was 56 before I started counseling and finally confronted what my minister did to me.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I am fortunate.&amp;nbsp; I looked pretty normal to the casual observer.&amp;nbsp; But I'm not.&amp;nbsp; I have been an alcoholic and drug addict most of my adult life.&amp;nbsp; I fought off thoughts of suicide until I was in my thirties.&amp;nbsp; I have had 5 different careers in 5 different cities and moved my family to 18 different homes.&amp;nbsp; I was not there for my daughters growing up and I was very little support for my wife of 38 years.&amp;nbsp; Yet I am called successful.&amp;nbsp; Just imagine what has gone on in the lives of the rest of our 25,000 neighbors who suffer from being child victims.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As I sat in church last Sunday, the preacher talked of resurrection of life and new beginnings.&amp;nbsp; A line from hymn we sang went "There is a dawn in every darkness bringing hope to you and me."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Please look at this proclamation as a way to shine a light of hope to as many as possible not only by calling attention to the problem but as a call to action to all of us to do more.&amp;nbsp; Work to eliminate intentional harm to children.&amp;nbsp; Support programs that help survivors recover and change laws to help them find justice.&amp;nbsp; Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Besides being moved to tears, I too heard Randy's call to action.&amp;nbsp; I will do more.&amp;nbsp; I CAN.&amp;nbsp; You CAN too!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Dee Anne Everson</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-04-07T14:04:53-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-04-07T14:04:53-04:00</atom:updated>

      
        <atom:category term="Child Abuse Network"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="Vogel Plaza"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="CAN"/>
      

    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Guest Board Member Blog</atom:title>

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                 href="http://www.unitedwayofjacksoncounty.org/uwjc-blog/archive/2010/04/03/guest-board-member-blog">
        http://plone.org/
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      <atom:id>a743de1eb20271ec359acb5f989e28d0</atom:id>
      <atom:summary>Amy Belkin, former board president, former campaign chair, current board member writes about her involvement with United Way of Jackson County.</atom:summary>

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&lt;p&gt;Guest blogs are back!&amp;nbsp; This week brings you Amy Belkin.&amp;nbsp; Amy has served in many roles with our organization.&amp;nbsp; She's been board president, campaign chair and is doing another round of service on the board.&amp;nbsp; She's our go to person on communications.&amp;nbsp; Amy and I met under very funny circumstances, at least they are now.&amp;nbsp; Enjoy her blog post and ask her to tell the story sometime about how we met.&amp;nbsp; Enjoy!&amp;nbsp; Here's Amy...&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I came to do the United Way video, way back when. &amp;nbsp;About a million years ago, or so it seems. &amp;nbsp;That was in the mid-90’s, yes, in another century. &amp;nbsp;It was an interesting time at United Way of Jackson County. &amp;nbsp;Dee Anne had been the executive director for about a year&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;and the energy was bouncing off the walls. &amp;nbsp;What I knew about United Way came from my background in news and how our station covered the organization. &amp;nbsp;And ideas that I brought from childhood, mostly erroneous. &amp;nbsp;That’s the thing about information we glom onto in our sprout years. &amp;nbsp;It reflects our small and wondrous view of the world. &amp;nbsp;While all memory is created as it passes through our filters and then conjured up with even less accuracy, in childhood it is even more distorted because the magnifying glass sees only one small piece of the world at a time and we don’t have much experience to put it in perspective. &amp;nbsp;So, United Way for me was a a do-good organization that helped people in need, but was run by dull adults who didn’t have much to do in life or much ambition of any sort. &amp;nbsp;Fast forward to my television news days and you find a reporter starting to piece together the bigger picture when covering stories about agencies, poverty, and United Way’s helping hand. &amp;nbsp;However, all of those experiences fell way short of truly understanding the reach and the depth of United Way of Jackson County. &amp;nbsp;To learn about that, to put it in perspective, I actually had to come do the video, and then serve on a committee, and then participate on the board of directors. &amp;nbsp;Only then did my true understanding of the importance of United Way deepen to do the organization justice. &amp;nbsp;It took another couple of years to truly get up to speed, because United Way is so much more than an organization that raises money to help people. &amp;nbsp;And over time it has grown to encompass truly exciting and visionary work. &amp;nbsp;When I came to do the video the message was about community. &amp;nbsp;And we, all of us, are that community. &amp;nbsp;A strong community is about collective strength, caring, and the ability to solve problems. &amp;nbsp;We, together, make a difference. &amp;nbsp;Today, the message is the same. &amp;nbsp;Only it’s deeper, broader, and more encompassing. &amp;nbsp;How so? &amp;nbsp;We now engage on a community building level. We help bring agencies and community leaders together to see what’s possible by having conversations that engage our collective wisdom. &amp;nbsp;We have stepped into a new level of participation. &amp;nbsp;Why? &amp;nbsp;Because we can. &amp;nbsp;Because we have a strong and innovative leader willing to take chances. &amp;nbsp;Because we have a board of directors diverse in experience, expertise, and age. &amp;nbsp;Because we have a staff willing and able to accept torch after torch and make it happen. &amp;nbsp;One of our great strengths is our continuity of leadership, both at the staff and board levels. &amp;nbsp;These are the reasons United Way of Jackson County has become a standout among United Ways in the country. &amp;nbsp;These are the reasons it’s all about community, collective wisdom, strength, caring, and the ability to solve problems.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Dee Anne Everson</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-04-03T19:49:11-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-04-03T19:49:11-04:00</atom:updated>

      
        <atom:category term="collective strength"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="collective wisdom"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="community"/>
      

    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Winning and Gratitude</atom:title>

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                 href="http://www.unitedwayofjacksoncounty.org/uwjc-blog/archive/2010/02/20/winning-and-gratitude">
        http://plone.org/
      </atom:link>

      <atom:id>1c6af53b094dba2189cadd939301d5a6</atom:id>
      <atom:summary>HOPE Chest wins!  Partnership wins!  Community wins!</atom:summary>

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&lt;p&gt;As Vince Lombardi said, "Winning isn't everything, but the will to win is everything."&amp;nbsp; This past week, Sanne Specht and I engaged in a contest of wills to raise money for HOPE (Helping Out People Every Day) Chest.&amp;nbsp; HOPE Chest is United Way of Jackson County's emergency response fund.&amp;nbsp; The contest rocked!&amp;nbsp; HOPE Chest has money and we began writing checks from proceeds of the contest on Tuesday.&amp;nbsp; Pledges and donations poured in and together we raised almost $7,000!&amp;nbsp; We're not done even though our contest was a week.&amp;nbsp; People who didn't make it in or remember to pledge, you still can.&amp;nbsp; And those of you who stepped up, thank you!&amp;nbsp; For each of you who gave, inspired others, got excited and had fun and especially for Sanne, here's a closing quote.&amp;nbsp; "Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone."&amp;nbsp; Gladys Brown Stern.&amp;nbsp; Scream from the rooftops, we all won!&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Dee Anne Everson</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-02-20T23:18:49-05:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-02-20T23:18:49-05:00</atom:updated>


    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>HOPE Chest ...social media vs. newspaper</atom:title>

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                 href="http://www.unitedwayofjacksoncounty.org/uwjc-blog/archive/2010/02/14/hope-chest-social-media-vs-newspaper">
        http://plone.org/
      </atom:link>

      <atom:id>546ef4b8b828c6a94ff75e481eca123b</atom:id>
      <atom:summary>This week launches a contest to see who raises more money for HOPE Chest...a newspaper column by Sanne Specht or social media by me!</atom:summary>

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&lt;p&gt;Wait till you read this!&amp;nbsp; Sanne Specht, Mail Tribune reporter and columnist, and I are in competition this week.&amp;nbsp; Sanne isn’t sure about social media and its benefits.&amp;nbsp; She has written a column that appears in today’s Mail Tribune to kick off our contest.&amp;nbsp; So here’s the deal…Sanne has asked for donations to HOPE Chest in her name and I’m asking them in whoever’s name you want them to be in…your grandmother, your mom or dad, your brother or sister, your best friend, your true love and oh yeah, ME, so I can WIN!&amp;nbsp; The reality is HOPE Chest and people in need really win.&amp;nbsp; But this week, and this week only, we’re challenging each other.&amp;nbsp; I get to tweet once, do one email, one FaceBook posting and one blog.&amp;nbsp; Sanne, she gets one column.&amp;nbsp; Then at the end of the week, we’ll tally the donations and figure out who wins.&amp;nbsp; As Bob Hunter says, there will be some public humiliation price to be paid to one who doesn’t win.&amp;nbsp; Me, I’m all about winning.&amp;nbsp; So come on.&amp;nbsp; Take a moment this week to give a gift to HOPE Chest.&amp;nbsp; There are so many ways.&amp;nbsp; You can go online to UnitedWayofJacksonCounty.org.&amp;nbsp; You can call us at 541.773.5339.&amp;nbsp; You can send your pledge via email and we’ll be in touch about you’ll fulfill it.&amp;nbsp; So join me in this competition and let’s show that social media rocks!&amp;nbsp; Please forward this to everyone you can think of and encourage them to participate.&amp;nbsp; Happy Valentine’s Day!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Long time, no blog and what better reason to come back and get back to it.&amp;nbsp; Expect more to come.&amp;nbsp; HOPE Chest has interesting mojo if you ask me.&amp;nbsp; There was its humble beginnings in memory of Hank Collins and then its name change to HOPE Chest.&amp;nbsp; In our first year, we helped more than 270 families with an average gift of $261. We helped folks with rent, utilities, car-related expense (repair, insurance, registration), and coming in a surprising and necessary fourth place, were funds for therapy.&amp;nbsp; Partnering with local therapists and having it announced and shared by Stacey Guss, The Sharing Place, has built a solid and important partnership.&amp;nbsp; So much so that on a desperate day after I received a call about a family in dire need, Stacey got the whole family into therapy, with the help of other therapists, to deal with the suicide of their teenage daughter.&amp;nbsp; The last few weeks have been dramatic for HOPE Chest.&amp;nbsp; A few weeks ago, we got a call from a partner needing only $70 for a drug and alcohol assessment.&amp;nbsp; Without the assessment, the client would have lost her job and her home.&amp;nbsp; Her children would have potentially been placed in foster care.&amp;nbsp; Instead, she got her assessment, is in outpatient treatment, has her children and her job and her house.&amp;nbsp; An amazing victory for $70.&amp;nbsp; The next HOPE Chest call that week was a for a woman who needed a bus ticket to a safe location.&amp;nbsp; After a little bit of hoop jumping, the Greyhound ticket was purchased and she was off on a trip to a safe place to live, protecting her from her former batterer.&amp;nbsp; That happened for a small amount of money as well.&amp;nbsp; Finally, there's the story of baby Hope.&amp;nbsp; She needed an option for transportation to medical appointments.&amp;nbsp; She got the option and while no investment was made and fog didn't permit the donated flight, baby Hope will know forever how much a community cared for her at 8 months old.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This contest is important not because it proves I can beat a reporter at her game but because it helps people who need a small amount to create a gigantic change in their lives.&amp;nbsp; Join us, not just today, but always in this opportunity to connect people who need help with people who can help.&amp;nbsp; Thank you.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Dee Anne Everson</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2010-02-14T02:11:07-05:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2010-02-14T02:11:07-05:00</atom:updated>

      
        <atom:category term="Hope Chest"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="The Sharing Place"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="Sanne Specht"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="Contest"/>
      

    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>WiLL Luncheon 10/21/09</atom:title>

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                 href="http://www.unitedwayofjacksoncounty.org/uwjc-blog/archive/2009/10/09/will-luncheon-10-21-09">
        http://plone.org/
      </atom:link>

      <atom:id>1e78777866411e8cf66ae7105bb09192</atom:id>
      <atom:summary>Sue Slack, chair of the WiLL Council, offers her perspective on women helping women and children in transition.</atom:summary>

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&lt;p align="left"&gt;If you have come to help me you are wasting your time, but if you say your liberation is bound up with mine then let us work together.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align="left"&gt;Aboriginal Woman&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This quote has always moved me.&amp;nbsp; And it inspires even my own commitment to our Women Living Leadership initiative.&amp;nbsp; I remember Sue Slack calling me when she was leaving Jackson County.&amp;nbsp; She shared she really wanted to focus her volunteer work on women and making a difference for the rest of her life.&amp;nbsp; I laughed.&amp;nbsp; I'm sure she thought I had lost it.&amp;nbsp; But what she didn't know was we were just launching WiLL and it was perfect for us and perfect for her!&amp;nbsp; Sue has chaired WiLL mightily these past two years.&amp;nbsp; Her commitment, energy and enthusiasm are unwaivering.&amp;nbsp; She is a joy to be around.&amp;nbsp; The deserves great credit for the magic that is WiLL.&amp;nbsp; Here's her guest blog.&amp;nbsp; Enjoy!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Thank you for taking a look at my blog about WiLL.&amp;nbsp; WiLL (Women Living Leadership) is one of the newer, and in my view one of the most, exciting programs United Way has undertaken.&amp;nbsp; We are a group of women whose single mission is to improve the lives of other women and children in transition.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I got involved with WiLL because it was a chance to be connected to women with creative ideas, a giving spirit and women who are just simply a lot of fun.&amp;nbsp; Every month our WiLL Council meets to plan our fundraising luncheon, hear about programs we fund, and have a good time.&amp;nbsp; I have a long history with meetings and none leave me smiling and inspired like WiLL.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I also volunteer as a mentor with the Bridges program offered by OnTrack.&amp;nbsp; Bridges is just one of the original and new ideas women developed to help out with transitions.&amp;nbsp; As a mentor I enjoy about an hour a week with one of the most courageous young women I’ve ever met.&amp;nbsp; She is working very hard to recover from addiction and she’s doing a great job.&amp;nbsp; I admit I was a little scared to become a mentor.&amp;nbsp; After all, I have no counseling skills or background that I thought was necessary to become a good mentor.&amp;nbsp; I was also a little frightened of the women in recovery as I didn’t know any of them and I wondered how difficult it would be to become comfortable with them.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Well, I was in for a big surprise.&amp;nbsp; The women in the program just need a friend, someone who will listen to them, someone to take them seriously, and someone to offer an “atta girl” once in awhile. &amp;nbsp;I feel completely relaxed with my mentee and I hope she feels the same way.&amp;nbsp; Anyone has the capacity to be a terrific mentor.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Enough of the fun I’m having with WiLL and my volunteer efforts.&amp;nbsp; Wouldn’t you like to become part of WiLL?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Please join us for our annual fundraising luncheon on October 21, 2009.&amp;nbsp; It’s free; it’s at the Red Lion at noon and ends at 1:00.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;You’ll hear from one of the women in a program we fund, you’ll learn more about the women of WiLL, you’ll be inspired by Kitty Calhoun a world class, record-breaking mountain climber and you’ll meet lots of great women.&amp;nbsp; If you would like to stay a little longer and visit with us, we’ll be around for awhile afterwards.&amp;nbsp; To join us, on October 21, simply call United Way at 773-5339 and reserve your seat.&amp;nbsp; I guarantee you’ll leave smiling and inspired.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Dee Anne Everson</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2009-10-09T14:32:20-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2009-10-09T14:32:20-04:00</atom:updated>

      
        <atom:category term="WiLL"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="Sue Slack"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="Inspired"/>
      

    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Day of Caring Guest Blog Lisa Lewis</atom:title>

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                 href="http://www.unitedwayofjacksoncounty.org/uwjc-blog/archive/2009/09/29/day-of-caring-guest-blog-lisa-lewis">
        http://plone.org/
      </atom:link>

      <atom:id>386307ceb63b79a062a0ad304ed7e432</atom:id>
      <atom:summary>Saturday, September 26, 2009 was our 14th annual Day of Caring.  Lisa Lewis, DHS, and United Way board member supervises her first site!</atom:summary>

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&lt;p&gt;Welcome back!&amp;nbsp; There's so much on my mind and yet instead we'll post our next guest blog!&amp;nbsp; Why?&amp;nbsp; Because Lisa Lewis, District 8 DHS Self Sufficiency head and star United Way board member, supervised her first Day of Caring site and was moved immediately to guest blog that night.&amp;nbsp; Lisa stepped up at the last minute to help out and brought her wit, wisdom and wealth to our 14th annual Day of Caring.&amp;nbsp; She writes...&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Saturday morning, September 26, dawned bright and clear. I heard the birds chirping outside of my window as I awoke with a happy heart knowing today were the 14&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; annual United Way of Jackson County’s Day of Caring. I sprang from bed; so very anxious to let my day begin. I might even have been whistling a happy tune, but I’m not sure about that part.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Okay – so it didn’t happen quite that way. It was more like the alarm blared at 5:30. I threw my shoe at it. It must have accidentally hit the snooze button because somehow I drifted away again. The second time it went off, the thought of throwing another shoe didn’t seem appropriate somehow; after all this &lt;strong&gt;was&lt;/strong&gt; the Day of Caring. It’s not that I wasn’t looking forward to the day, but no one who knows me even slightly would say that I ever awaken with a smile on my face and true-to-form; this day was no different.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Sparing you the details between the shoe incident and actually arriving at my day of caring site, although suffice it to say I had my coffee, took a walk and began to return to some semblance of my normally cheery self. As I became fully conscious I began to have little worries about the day ahead.&amp;nbsp; Would we have enough volunteers?&amp;nbsp; Would we have too many?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Would there be enough work for people? Would there be too much work? Exactly who was it that entrusted this duty to me?????&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When I arrived at the prearranged meeting site for volunteers, people were already beginning to meet and greet one another. Apparently they don’t have the same aversion to mornings that I do?&amp;nbsp; It was quickly apparent that these volunteers were happy to be there and it was also apparent from the conversations I heard that this wasn’t their first day of caring. I introduced myself to the Harry and David site coordinator and we began taking people to the site as they arrived.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Several of my worries were quickly put to rest.&amp;nbsp; There was plenty of work to do and there were plenty of volunteers to do it. Before I had even rounded up all of the volunteers people had begun their own personal day of caring, these kind people were there to get a job done.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I noticed that there were several young people in our group of volunteers. I met 4 young women ranging from the age of 15 to 19. As I spoke to these women and their mothers, I learned that giving back to the community is a way of life for them. One young woman told me she did her first volunteer experience at the age of 5.&amp;nbsp; She answered phones at the MDA telethon and then handed the phone to her mother since she herself couldn’t write yet. She named off several organizations that she volunteers for, I should have written them down so that I could fully recognize her giving. The 19 year old told me that she and her sisters had been volunteering since they were very young and one of her favorites is volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Day of Caring was definitely a family day for the employees of Harry and David. They brought their spouses and they brought their children and every one of them worked hard to beautify our site. It was humbling to see young people who gladly gave their time on a sunny Saturday when undoubtedly they had other offers from friends. It was incredible to see the amount of work that can be done when more than a dozen people but their hearts and their labor to the job. It was gratifying to be a part of the United Way Day of Caring and to work side by side with people who really do Live United.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Dee Anne Everson</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2009-09-29T22:23:29-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2009-09-29T22:23:29-04:00</atom:updated>

      
        <atom:category term="Day of Caring"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="Live United"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="birds chirping"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="Harry and David"/>
      

    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Campaign Kick Off</atom:title>

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      <atom:id>2c6d463743f868ac08b90b626d737ab3</atom:id>
      <atom:summary>Deelia Warner guest blogs as we kick off our annual fundraising campaign.</atom:summary>

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&lt;p&gt;Deelia Warner, US Bank and campaign chair, writes this week's blog as we kick off our campaign today.&amp;nbsp; She rocks!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Well, okay, here goes my very first blog.&amp;nbsp; Yes, that’s right, you’ve got a virgin blogger here, so be kind while reading, please.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I first heard of United Way when I was working in the Portland area and someone from US Bank (oddly enough, not the bank I was working for at the time) came to a staff meeting and explained she was a Loaned Executive, talked about agencies that United Way helped support, yada yada.&amp;nbsp; Let me tell you, I was not so much impressed with what she was saying, but how she appeared to me.&amp;nbsp; Now, at that time, I had recently moved to the Portland area from Josephine County, and I was already dealing with significant culture shock, but there stood a very attractive, professional, articulate woman who was sharing her story about why she was going from bank to bank to share the story of United Way.&amp;nbsp; I figured if someone as impressive as her thought highly of this United Way thing, maybe I should look into it myself.&amp;nbsp; After all, she appeared to be exactly the kind of professional woman I wanted so much to be.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That’s when I became a United Way giver, but it was many years later that I actually became involved.&amp;nbsp; One year I helped one of my coworkers with her responsibilities as an LE, this time back in Josephine County, but still I was just looking in from the outside.&amp;nbsp; And then Stan Penn, my boss at the time, asked me if I would help him with the United Way campaign that year.&amp;nbsp; Now, to be honest, there’s not much I wouldn’t do for Stan Penn.&amp;nbsp; So of course, I said yes. Talk about a pivotal decision. It’s like when Jason was speaking during one of the campaign luncheons last year.&amp;nbsp; He was talking about his many volunteer, activist and leadership roles at RCC and then SOU, and how all he really wanted to do, in the beginning, was to open a lemonade stand to raise a few dollars.&amp;nbsp; All I really wanted to do was help Stan.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;Now look at me.&amp;nbsp; Campaign Chairperson.&amp;nbsp; How did I get here, I wonder?&amp;nbsp; Along the way I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned that agencies are really just people that want to make our little spot in the world a little better, and sometimes it takes quite a spell for that to happen. I’ve watched a wonderful woman create an incredible opportunity for people with cars they no longer want, to give them to people who really, really need them.&amp;nbsp; I heard an amazing young leader ask for a little help feeding her clients Thanksgiving dinner, and watched volunteers racing each other (literally!) to be the first in line to help. There’s so much more, I could go on and on.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If you’re wondering what my point is, here goes.&amp;nbsp; Even though I have volunteered in many other ways, it’s because of United Way that I’ve been able to witness and/or be part of those things I just described.&amp;nbsp; It’s because of United Way that I can happily recruit new volunteers and know that their lives will be touched in some way.&amp;nbsp; It’s because of United Way that I know a small group of committed people can, and will, change the community we live in for the better.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There’s a song I hear on the radio, goes like this “...What about now? What about today? What if you’re making me, all that I was meant to be?”.&amp;nbsp; Well, that’s how I feel about United Way.&amp;nbsp; No one’s really &lt;em&gt;making&lt;/em&gt; me get out there and share the United Way story, or share my very personal Live United story, but I’ve become much closer to the person I always wanted to be by doing just that.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Remember our blog takes comments, chime in!&lt;/p&gt;

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      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Dee Anne Everson</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2009-09-10T14:28:59-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2009-09-10T14:28:59-04:00</atom:updated>


    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Guest Blog</atom:title>

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        http://plone.org/
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      <atom:id>688029852db2e228f9ec00969001b67f</atom:id>
      <atom:summary>Another guest blog from Jonathan Eldridge, Southern Oregon University</atom:summary>

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&lt;p&gt;Hi there!&amp;nbsp; Now that summer's ending and fall is approaching, I've completed my vacations until the holiday season.&amp;nbsp; That means I'm back here.&amp;nbsp; And this time with friends, volunteers, great people doing great work!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This week's guest blogger is our board member, raising awareness council member and the Dean of Students at Southern Oregon University, Jonathan Eldridge.&amp;nbsp; He's also the guy I saw walking with his two beautiful children last weekend.&amp;nbsp; Jon and his kids had walked to get donuts.&amp;nbsp; Yep, I just gave him up!&amp;nbsp; And now for Jon's thoughts and the big news is this time you can add feedback!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="storesmallprint"&gt;Jonathan Eldridge...The United Way of Jackson County’s annual campaign kicks off soon. The campaign allows United Way to support dozens of community agencies and organizations that promote education (helping children achieve their potential), income (helping families become financial stable and independent), and health (promoting healthy lifestyles).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="storesmallprint"&gt;In these times of local, national, and global financial instability, there are those who think a campaign like this won’t be able to reach as high or raise as much as it needs to. People are spending less. People are focusing on their own (often precarious) needs.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="storesmallprint"&gt;I think we will meet our goal. I think we will exceed our targets. And I think this because of Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel. You may recall this children’s story by Virginia Lee Burton. It was one of my favorite books when I was a child. The story goes like this….&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="storesmallprint"&gt;Mike Mulligan had a steam shovel named Mary Anne. &amp;nbsp;Mary Anne did great work—but over time Mike and Mary Anne hit upon hard times. In order to survive they needed to dig a cellar for Popperville’s new Town Hall—in just one day. Could it be done? With the encouragement of more and more townspeople, Mike and Mary Anne found a way to work a little faster and a little better and finished that cellar just as the sun was setting.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="storesmallprint"&gt;This is where you shout, “Hooray!” But Mike and Mary Anne dug so fast that they were down in the new cellar with no way out….until they came to understand that if they reframed their thinking, they didn’t need to get out. Their future was secure if they could go about things differently. Mary Anne became the new furnace of that new Town Hall. And so Mary Anne and Mike lived on in their newly configured, different-yet-still-critical role in the community.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="storesmallprint"&gt;The United Way of Jackson County is known for supporting reframed thinking and innovative approaches to local issues. The approach to this year’s campaign might be informed by this creativity. I believe that this year’s campaign will resonate in new and powerful ways with people across Jackson County.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="storesmallprint"&gt;We all see neighbors who have hit upon hard times. We all see services we have come to count on being threatened or eroding. We all see people not unlike ourselves—who seemed immune to an economic downturn—now unemployed or out of their homes.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="storesmallprint"&gt;Despite this, we know that our communities are only as strong and stable as we are willing to make them. We know that giving what we can in the form of time, compassion, and, yes, money will make the whole of our communities greater than the sum of their parts. And somewhere inside we also know that we could be the one in need, perhaps much more easily than we ever thought possible before. That alone creates a new level of understanding and appreciation for the importance of education, income, and health.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="storesmallprint"&gt;So even in tough times, by working a little faster and a little better, the United Way will continue to expand its reach, to touch lives, to exemplify the best in our communities….and help all of us reframe what it means to Live United.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

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      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Dee Anne Everson</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2009-09-03T18:23:22-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2009-09-03T18:23:22-04:00</atom:updated>

      
        <atom:category term="Mike Mulligan"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="Steam shovel"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="guest"/>
      
      
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    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Guest Blogging</atom:title>

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        http://plone.org/
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      <atom:id>713d0bd260a063a42887a00666b49c94</atom:id>
      <atom:summary>Bicycling and Live United</atom:summary>

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&lt;p&gt;Hi there!&amp;nbsp; I'm back.&amp;nbsp; Well, actually our first guest blogger is here.&amp;nbsp; We're going to rotate and invite people close to our organization to share their thoughts with you every other week.&amp;nbsp; Our first entry is a person deeply and dearly close to United Way of Jackson County.&amp;nbsp; He's not a guest.&amp;nbsp; He's been around longer than I have.&amp;nbsp; He's Brad Earl and here are his thoughts...&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There is simply no way for me to convince my friends that it’s a good idea to bicycle for two or three hours in 100 degree heat.&amp;nbsp; (It’s as crazy as wearing all black on a 115 degree day in Phoenix, Arizona, right?)&amp;nbsp; I’ll admit it requires some forethought – such as hydrating well before the ride, figuring out where to get water during the ride and keeping my exertion at a reasonable level.&amp;nbsp; It beats the alternative. There is simply no way I’m going to go without riding.&amp;nbsp; I cannot imagine it.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Look at the guys in the Tour de France.&amp;nbsp; Heck, they ride on hot days… NO… they RACE on hot days.&amp;nbsp; That’s even crazier because they’re not in complete control of their exertion.&amp;nbsp; Some other crazy biker is driving the pace. To the pro’s, it’s about training, acclamation and expectation.&amp;nbsp; (I expect to hurt myself AND I expect to hurt the other guy more.)&amp;nbsp; I’ll bet they find it worse to find 40 degree temperatures and rain at this time of year because their bodies are prepared for the alternative.&amp;nbsp; I understand this.&amp;nbsp; I’ve been known to complain about feeling cold when it’s in the 60s.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I was out on a group training ride with a bunch of other competitive cyclists a couple of&amp;nbsp; Saturdays ago.&amp;nbsp; Sometime between dropping my companions on a short climb and ending the ride, I had a revelation about Living United.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; (By the way, “dropping” someone on a bike means you accelerate and they aren’t capable of matching your pace.&amp;nbsp; I got schooled a bunch of times during the ride too, but why would I brag about that? It’s my blog.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Here’s the revelation.&amp;nbsp; In the same way I cannot imagine a day without cycling, I cannot imagine our community without the tireless non-profits working in the margins to keep our community whole.&amp;nbsp; In these hard times, the margins are getting wider and the resources getting narrower.&amp;nbsp; Riding on hot days requires forethought.&amp;nbsp; We need similar advance-thinking to manage through economic crisis in our community too.&amp;nbsp; I learned early in my career (not the biking one, but the real one) that nearly anyone can manage a business in a booming economy.&amp;nbsp; It’s when times get tough that we find the real leaders.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;I believe silos, territorialism, and tired old processes are still prevalent in our community.&amp;nbsp; (Note: this is a blog, so I can make wild assertions like this without backing them up by facts. That’s cool.)&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; This just won’t do today.&amp;nbsp; It has to be about collaboration and innovation.&amp;nbsp; We must acclimate to the times. Resources weren’t great to begin with and now they are even more scarce.&amp;nbsp; It means being humble.&amp;nbsp; The good ideas might actually come from someone else or some other organization.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To wrap all this up, I’ve come up with a really bad example in to tie the whole story together.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; After patching a bike tube a few times, it ends up in the garbage.&amp;nbsp; I was planting a whole bunch of trees in my landscape and running to the hardware store to BUY rubber tree tie thingies.&amp;nbsp; Ah ha!&amp;nbsp; Right?&amp;nbsp; I now reuse old tubes to tie young trees to tree stakes.&amp;nbsp; How many years did it take me to figure that out?&amp;nbsp; Brilliant!&amp;nbsp; (Note: one local tire dealer is now helping cyclists recycle their old tires and tubes.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;My Live United challenge to you is to take a fresh look.&amp;nbsp; Are there some bike-tube-tree-ties in your organization?&amp;nbsp; Okay, enough blogging…it’s over 100 degrees out… time to ride...&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Brad Earl, secretary Board of Directors, United Way of Jackson county was born and raised in southern Oregon. Brad lives in Medford with his wife (Cher), daughter (Aubree), dog (Nala), two cats (Rogue and Mystique), and gecko (Lizzy). He is passionate about volunteering, Starbucks coffee, baseball and competitive cycling. In his spare time, he makes a living as the Chief Operating Officer at Met One Instruments, Inc. in Grants Pass.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Brad has been Living United since becoming a loaned executive for United Way of Jackson County in 1987.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If you're interested in guest blogging, call, email, FaceBook, tweet me.&amp;nbsp; Let me know and we'll get you in the line up.&amp;nbsp; Thanks and onward.&lt;/p&gt;

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      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Dee Anne Everson</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2009-07-29T22:52:12-04:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2009-08-04T19:16:10-04:00</atom:updated>

      
        <atom:category term="bicycling"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="Brad Earl"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="100 degrees"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="volunteering"/>
      
      
        <atom:category term="Live Unite"/>
      

    </atom:entry>

  
  

    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Closing In....</atom:title>

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      <atom:id>5fb2577f335e08e6c2b844aa4ca6dd4a</atom:id>
      

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&lt;p&gt;Geoff will be home tomorrow!&amp;nbsp; Here's his next to last installment.&amp;nbsp; Go Geoff!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Hey! Today we rode from Juniper Resort, 10 miles west of Lakeview to Olene, 9 miles east of Kfalls. It was a total of about 80 miles today with some summits along the way. We are now driving to our campsite somewhere along Green Springs Highway 66. Tomorrow we will ride back home.&lt;/p&gt;

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      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Dee Anne Everson</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2009-06-28T19:37:15-05:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2009-06-28T19:37:15-05:00</atom:updated>


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    <atom:entry>

      <atom:title>Geoff's weekend updates</atom:title>

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      <atom:id>82b03097c7732dcc254d260454e7c364</atom:id>
      

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&lt;p&gt;Geoff has provided two more updates. The weather's better.&amp;nbsp; His legs are better.&amp;nbsp; And he's closing in on his wild ride.&amp;nbsp; What an achievement.&amp;nbsp; Personally for Geoff and for knowing his strength and doing it all for good!&amp;nbsp; Geoff's ride benefits HOPE Chest.&amp;nbsp; Here are his late Friday night and Saturday updates.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Friday’s update:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Hey!&amp;nbsp; So we just rode from John Day to Burns today. It was about 70 miles total. I started off with some sore legs from the hill climbs yesterday. We had a 14 mile hill right off the start and it was gradual for awhile and them just really steep. It climbs about 2000 ft. I will include a picture from the top of one small part. Then it was really level for a long way and one more climb that was not too bad led us into Burns. There is quite a bit of wind here in Burns. We are probably gonna drive about 20 miles west to our campground near riley. The other picture is of me just when we were 9 miles out of Burns.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Saturday’s update:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Hey!&amp;nbsp; Just updating you on how things are looking out here. So today we rode from Riley to Valley Falls. It was about 90 miles of rolling hills with just one smaller summit. We lucked out by avoiding any serious wind and the temperature was about 85. It was a pretty relaxed day but tiring near the end when we hit the terrible smells of Abert Lake that went on for over 20 miles. I got a picture of me out in the sands of the desert somewhere before Alkali Lake. We had to drive down to Lakeview and west 10 miles to find the nearest campground. It was a nice surprise with hot showers, free firewood, and a computer with internet. It is by far the best campground so far. We lucked out.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

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      </atom:content>

      <atom:author>
        <atom:name>Dee Anne Everson</atom:name>
      </atom:author>

      <atom:published>2009-06-28T09:36:06-05:00</atom:published>

      <atom:updated>2009-06-28T09:36:06-05:00</atom:updated>


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