United Way is Proud to Announce Rick and Joyce Barton as the 2012 Campaign Co- Chairs

By Rick Barton

Does United Way Make a difference?

Is United Way worthy of our time, energy, and resources?

United Way plays a critical role in strengthening and improving the health of our community. In my book, United Way is a game changer. United Way is about people, about helping children and youth achieve their potential through education, about helping families become financially stable and independent. United Way is about improving people's health through improved access to health care and about meeting life’s basic needs.

Think for a moment about those in our community who may have lost their job, and have lost the ability to provide for their family, and what about the single mom who needs to see a doctor, but has no health insurance, and even a $25 co-pay creates the need to make a choice of whether to buy groceries or have a health need met. Can you see the faces of those in need? They are longing for hope that comes from the help United Way provides through the Community Care Fund and local partner agencies. The Community Care Fund is about strengthening people and renewing hope.

Would there be a different motivation in our approach to the community care fund, if in addition to thinking about dollars, We thought about people who have faces, emotions, hopes and dreams - and yes, needs? United Way is about COMMUNITY AND IMPACTING COMMUNITY. We’re all in this together. We really do need each other. Because of Community Caring, United Way provides an inoculation of life renewing resources to change lives in our community.

For many years my husband and I have given to United Way, but it was not until he was President of

the United Way board and sitting in on presentations given-by United Way partner agencies that he would come home saying to me, “Joyce, you need to be a part of this! It’s so exciting, amazing, enlightening and inspiring, what each our non-profit partner agencies are doing to help so many people in our community

with so little in monetary resources.”

So, I signed up and have been privileged to be a part of the community Impact Councils for several years.

The experience changed my life. Every person I talked to from the non-profits became a hero to me and

made a vivid impression on my life. They are passionate, giving people who actively help others.

I would go home and say to Rick, “They need more money, HOW CAN WE GET MORE MONEY?

They do so much with so little. They need more money to help more people.

WHAT CAN WE DO?”

I have been humbled by the generosity of you all and personally challenged to do more. We each have the opportunity to impact many lives, one life at a time, with our enthusiastic responses to the needs.

Will you join me in “doing more

Joyce and I want to invite you to join us in “doing more”. Together we can make a difference in many lives -

one life at a time.

Will you:

Open your heart – Lend your muscle – Find your voice – Share from your financial resources – Give an hour – Give a Saturday - think of we before me -

REACH OUT A HAND TO ONE

AND INFLUENCE THE CONDITION OF ALL

GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER.

LIVE UNITED.