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| Celebrate Caring Celebrate Community
In appreciation of volunteers, investors, companies and community partners, United Way of Central Minnesota (UWCM) hosted its annual Celebrate Caring Celebrate Community event Thursday, March 19, 2009 at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites.
More than 40 companies were nominated for awards honoring outstanding 2008 workplace campaigns. There were three size categories this year - small, medium and large. Large have 200 or more employees, medium have between 100-199 employees, and small have 99 or fewer employees.
The organizations and individuals honored at the event recognize that the results of their involvement create long-lasting changes in the community, and that those changes help inspire hope and create opportunities for a better tomorrow.
Thank you to the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites for helping donor dollars go further by keeping the event costs low. |
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| Feed Our Families
On Saturday, March 28, 2009, United Way of Central Minnesota hosted its Feed Our Families Food Drive. The event, which was held at the Electrolux warehouse in St. Cloud, served as the grand finale to the month's food shelf campaign. Many members of the community generously gave their time, talent, and treasures to make Feed Our Families a success.
The initial goal of 100,000 pounds of food/dollars was surpassed by a considerable margin - to date, more than 286,000 pounds of food/dollars have been donated; $108,000 and more than 178,000 pounds of food including Coborn's donating and constructing a castle of food that weighed 118,000 pounds. Approximately 180 people helped unload, sort, package, and reload the canned, boxed and bagged goods.
A special thank you to Central Minnesota Community Foundation, Morgan Family Foundation, Initiative Foundation for joining United Way of Central Minnesota in providing match dollars to ensure this effort made the biggest impact possible.
Event partners included; Coborn's, Electrolux, Early Childhood Coalition, Bernick's Beverages & Vending, Leighton Broadcasting, and U.S. Bank.
All food and money raised will be contributed directly to Catholic Charities Emergency Services and the Salvation Army food shelves.
Three of the 180 volunteers who helped make this event such a success!
Handing off the keys to the Coborn's Castle made of 118,000 pounds of food! |
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Llama Llama Read-A-Rama
Thousands of children across the community participated in the third annual Llama Llama Read-A-Rama on Friday, April 3, an event to educate people of the importance of literacy.
Times Media and United Way of Central Minnesota Success By 6 partnered with numerous community programs to encourage children to read.
The event began on Thursday evening with a pajama party featuring arts and crafts, snacks, and story time in More than 170 children participated.
The book for which the event was named, "Llama Llama Red Pajama," was read along with others by more than 120 volunteers on Friday. Throughout the day, nearly 2,000 children participated in llama-themed activities, such as coloring, playing games, solving puzzles, and even writing their own stories.
This year's festivities were particularly special; Dolly Parton, Founder of the Dollywood Foundation, released her Llama-Llama Red Pajama-inspired lullaby at Thursday's Llama Llama Kick-off.
The Dollywood Foundation partners with United Way of Central Minnesota Success By 6 to offer Imagination Library, a program in which a child can be enrolled to receive a new, age-appropriate book each month until their fifth birthday. The program is offered to families at no cost.
Special thanks to the Initiative Foundation for providing funds for the Llama Llama Pajama Party.
 
Children enjoyed playing with the Llamas as well as participating in craft activities. |
Helping Parents Give their Children a Head Start
 As primary educators, nurturers, and advocates for their children, it is important that parents are equipped with skills and resources to be the best parent they can be. Lois Paulson is the Family Services Director at Reach-Up, and she seeks to do just this. For three decades she has worked to further the parenting skills of stress families. Lois "Lives United" by helping parents and children achieve their potential. Lois began her work at Reach-Up in 1972. She worked as a Classroom Assistant, Social Service and Health Assistant and Family Services Coordinator until 1978, when she moved out of the area. In 1985, she re-joined Reach-Up Inc. as a Home Visitor. Up to now, she has held various other positions, namely Family Advocate, Parent Involvement Specialist, Family Involvement Coordinator, and Family Services Director, her current position, which she has held for the last seven years. Though she has worn many different hats during her 30 years at Reach-Up Inc., she has held the same overarching commitment throughout: working on improving parenting skills in order to improve the education and growth of our community's children. Head Start has been operating in the St. Cloud area since 1965. The program was originally created under the Tri-County Action Program (TriCAP), but was absorbed by Reach-Up Inc. in 1979 when they became a not-for-profit single purpose agency. Head Start provides services in partnership with families and their children, ages three to five in order to prepare children for kindergarten and to support parents in the role as their children's first and most important teacher. The KinderStart branch of the program, which is a partner program of United Way of Central Minnesota, was initiated in 1995. KinderStart provides services in partnership with families who have kindergarten age children who have completed Head Start; its aim is to support children and families as they transition into the school system. |
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| Chairman's Award Winners
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Creativity and Innovation - Small company: Eich Motor Company
Creativity & Innovation and Chairman's Award of Excellence - Medium company: Marco, Inc.
Creativity & Innovation - Large company: ING DIRECT
Chairman's Award of Excellence - Small company: Schlenner Wenner & Co.
Chairman's Award of Excellence - Large company: Coborn's, Inc. | |
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