United Way of Mifflin-Juniata newsletter

	United Way of Mifflin-Juniata
	GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER.	ENEWS FROM UNITED WAY OF MIFFLIN-JUNIATA

	Wednesday, October 15, 2008
	Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Greetings!

Welcome to the first edition of the United Way of Mifflin-Juniata's electronic newsletter. Our goal is to keep you up to date while keeping costs down. We expect to send you an e-newsletter on a quarterly basis. We have accomplished this publication because of the addition of an AmeriCorps VISTA member to the United Way team - Thank You Holly McCready for getting the first edition of the e-newsletter out to our donors.

The 2009 United Way campaign kicked off on September 17, 2008 with the 11^th annual Day of Caring. The goal this year is $596,000.00. When I say "campaign" you may first think of the presidential race and as it grows closer to Election Day, you may want to think about a different campaign - our own local United Way campaign - one where the stakes are high, but where there are no losers.

As you get to know more about your United Way through this e-newsletter you will see that we hold true to the core values that you're familiar with - improving peoples lives by mobilizing the caring power of the community. We hope to show that we also approach and if need be, attack, the concerns and issues in our community. And we do it with the help of many community partners.

Being Executive Director would be a much simpler job if I could isolate one need or one problem and focus on that. But that doesn't really make the community stronger as a whole. I believe our community will succeed if we all agree and commit to the following:

Education is essential to getting and keeping a job with a livable wage and health benefits
An income adequate to pay for today's necessities and save for the future provides families some sense of financial stability
Access to quality health care keeps children on track in school and adults productive at work.

Remove any one these three legs and the stool tips over. United Way, our partner agencies and other community partners are working hard to address our local issues on all fronts. Please show your support.

- GIVE.ADVOCATE.VOLUNTEER. LIVE UNITED

Marie Mulvihill, Executive Director - UWMJ

United Way of Mifflin-Juniata 2009 Campaign

Goal: $596,000

This year's Campaign Ambassadors are Bob King - JC - president and founder of King Financial Services and Luke Lake - MC - proud part of the family business - "The Lake Dealerships." The role of the Campaign Ambassador is to represent the county in which they reside while supporting and promoting United Way, its initiatives (Success By 6 and the MJ Energy Bank) and partner agencies.

Why Bob King supports United Way: United Way supports those organizations that are important in the life of communities, individuals and families. I like the concept of giving to an organization that is in touch with the needs of the community and can respond appropriately.

Why Luke Lake supports United Way: While growing up in town I was a member of Troop 4 and obtained the rank of Eagle Scout, played baseball, soccer, and golf. I am a proud member of the community that I work and live in. I am grateful for the opportunity to join the United Way team in order to give back to all the people the United Way serves.

You can help by:

Holding a workplace campaign - whether you have one employee, dozens or hundreds. Workplace campaigns can be fun, morale building activities that provide your employees with an easy and affordable way to join in supporting the community.
Making personal pledge to the 2009 United Way Campaign
Encouraging others to support the United Way.



When we reach out a hand to one, we influence the condition of all. LIVE UNITED

11th Annual Day of Caring

The Day of Caring is an ongoing event, held the 3rd Wednesday of every September, that kicks off the United Way campaign. Teams come out and volunteer for a day of community service projects, whether it be cleaning up a park or helping a non-profit agency better their site. This year, on Sept. 17th, 25 teams volunteered at 29 sites. Over 300 volunteers wearing their LIVE UNITED t-shirts showed up for a complimentary breakfast at either the Derry Township Community Park in Mifflin County or the Central Juniata EMS in Juniata County before heading out to their project sites for the day.

Thanks to all of the teams, project sites, and sponsors who helped to make the 2008 Day of Caring a huge success! To view pictures or find out who volunteered where, please visit our website.

MJ Energy Bank (717.248.2552)

If You Heat with Oil - Where will you find $3,000 this winter?

Local energy providers' estimate that it takes an average of 750 gallons of fuel oil to heat an average sized (1,800-2,000 sq.ft) home in our area. At the projected cost of $4.00 a gallon, it will cost $3,000 to heat a home this year. That means people should be saving approximately $250 a month, EVERY month for 12 months in order to cover just heating costs.

Knowing that many people have not had time to save, the local Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) Board held an energy summit in the summer of 2008. The main topic for discussion was escalating energy costs. Those in attendance included county commissioners, social services agencies (both public and private), church groups, county assistance offices and energy providers. Local community agencies worked hard during the summer to impact the potential winter crisis.

Read More



We all win when a child succeeds in school, when families are financially stable, and when people have good health.

Success By 6

Success By 6 - the Early Care and Education Initiative of the United Way - is fully funded by the Department of Public Welfare. Success By 6 is working to create a unified, coordinated and comprehensive quality early child care and education system that is accessible and affordable for children in Mifflin and Juniata counties. Success By 6 strives to communicate the importance of early childhood education including supporting and strengthening a seamless transition to school. To view more, click here.

In August, 60 preschool children attended a week long kindergarten readiness camp at Highland Park Elementary School. Children enjoyed riding the bus daily, using the breakfast line, SUPER WHY! activities and playing on the playground.

Hunger Doesn't Take a Summer Vacation

School-aged children need constructive activities when school lets out for the summer - programs that keep them safe and engaged. And they need good nutrition as well. Schools letting out for the summer can spell trouble for many poor and hungry children who no longer can get school lunches and breakfasts. During the school year kids typically receive at least one-third of the nutrients they consume each day from school lunch. Unfortunately, for many children school vacation represents a hungry time because school lunch in no longer available.

Hungry children are more susceptible to illness, are more likely to experience anxiety or depression, and have more disciplinary problems. Children who have nourishing meals have the best chance for learning and succeeding. The Summer Food Service program is coordinated by the United Way and the following partners: Lumina Center, Project YES, Mifflin-Juniata Special Needs Center, Juniata Summer Academy/Lincoln Intermediate Unit, and Super WHY Camp. Thanks to MJ Food Services, Corp., Giant (#25), Lewistown Paper, and a grant from the Department of Education, our Summer Food Service Program provided subsidized meals for children attending summer programs at our partnered sites. During this past summer, 582 children were served 10,631 meals.

During the 2007-2008 school year, Juniata County found 23% of students in Thompsontown-Delaware Elementary School received Free or Reduced Lunches, compared to 52% in Lack-Tuscarora Elementary School, with the rest of the schools in the district falling somewhere in between. In Mifflin County, 25% of Indian Valley High School students and 68% in Buchanan Elementary School (the rest of the schools found in the middle), were enrolled in the Free/Reduced Lunch program.