United Way of the Midlands Blog

Mark your calendars for May 4, 2013! FAVOR Midlands will present a sneak preview of the documentary film The Anonymous People.

FAVOR (Faces and Voices of Recovery) Midlands promotes long-term recovery from substance use disorders through education, advocacy and recovery support services resulting in healthier individuals, families and communities.

The film is about the 23.5 million Americans living in long-term recovery, and the emerging public recovery movement that will transform how alcohol and other drug problems are dealt with in our communities. The Anonymous People is working to change the addiction conversation from problems to solutions.

The screening will be May 4 at 6 PM at the Tapps Art Center on Main Street. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door. You can purchase tickets online and find out more information about the screening and FAVOR Midlands by clicking here. 

During AmeriCorps week, March 9-17, we recognize the service of individuals working with AmeriCorps to combat poverty and encourage others to follow their lead. Nationally, more than 80,000 people currently work with AmeriCorps, a federal program maintained by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Over 700 AmeriCorps members served in South Carolina last year, including nine VISTAs who served through the United Way of the Midlands VISTA Partnership.

The VISTA Program is a yearlong term of service in which volunteers make a stipend equal to 105% of local poverty level. The meager stipend is intended to teach those who serve the true effects of poverty on an individual and community. VISTAs work full time for nonprofit host sites and are not allowed to obtain outside employment during their service.

Through the United Way of the Midlands VISTA partnership alone, three different sites with three varying goals are provided the opportunity to have a helping hand that many nonprofits are not able to afford without the service.

The motivation for individual VISTAs to serve is unique, but each VISTA is impacted by the service term and hopefully leaves the host site with valuable non-profit work experience and a new perspective on the importance of community service and poverty.

VISTAs are given many incentives to serve for a year at a poverty level stipend. Often the biggest reward noted by VISTAs as they complete the service year is the experience gained.

The purpose of AmeriCorps Week is to acknowledge and commend the service of individuals serving in any branch, and to encourage others of any age to become involved in their local community, or the larger community of national service. If you are interested in becoming an AmeriCorps member, please visit www.americorps.gov for opportunities and listings.

About AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps is separated into three main branches; AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps), AmeriCorps State and National, and AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America).  The VISTA program is the only federally sponsored national service program singularly focused on combatting poverty. The history of the program dates back to 1963, when President Kennedy proposed a national service corps “to help provide urgently needed services in urban and rural poverty areas.” Two years later, President Johnson welcomed the first 20 VISTA volunteers. Then in 1993, after thousands of VISTAs and service projects, President Clinton signed the National Community Service Act, creating AmeriCorps.

Mark your calendars to join us for Public Policy Day!

The 2013 Public Policy Day will be held
Wednesday, January 16th, 2013!

Pre-purchase your ticket here for lunch!

The United Way Association of South Carolina and the South Carolina Association for Non-profit Organizations will be partnering again this year to host the Public Policy Day at the state house. You will have the chance to meet one-on-one with members of your delegation to discuss the UWASC or your local UW public policy agenda!

 Lunch will be from 12-2 and catered by Doc’s BBQ. Tickets in advance are $12 at the link above, or are $15 at the door.

If you would like to register for the event, and do not wish to pre-purchase a lunch ticket- please email Caitlin Carey, Associate for Policy and Advocacy at caitlin@uwasc.org. We are happy to schedule appointments for you, even if you will miss out on some great BBQ!

 Please register with this link (where you will purchase a ticket) or by email (Caitlin@uwasc.org)  by December 20th!

Two of our partner agencies, the Samaritan House and the Nurturing Center, were recognized as Angel’s by the Secretary of State.

Here is some more information from the release:

The Angels honored represent organizations that exemplify charitable giving in South Carolina. The Angels were selected by review of financial reports submitted annually to the Secretary of State’s Office, as well as by nominations from the public.  To be selected as an Angel, the charity must have devoted 80 percent or more of its total expenditures to charitable programs; the charity must have been in existence for three or more years; the charity must make good use of volunteer services; the charity must receive minimal funding from grants; and the charity must be registered with the Secretary of State to solicit funds in the state of South Carolina.  Each year the Secretary of State’s Office attempts to showcase Angels with diverse missions, from across South Carolina and outside the state.

To see a full list of angels and scrooges, click here.  Congratulations to them, and the other angels on the list, for their hard work in the community!

If you’ve ever been interested in serving on a Board of Directors of volunteer committee, United Way of the Midlands has a professional development opportunity to help you on your way.

United Way of the Midlands provides Blueprint for Leadership, a professional development course targeting future community leaders. The program prepares diverse groups of individuals for volunteer service in the nonprofit sector.

Get in the HSCI Grant Process and Submit Your LOI by FRIDAY

Second round grant applications released online

Anyone interested in taking advantage of the Community Transformation Grant funding provided through the Healthy South Carolina Initiative has until Friday to submit a letter of intent. Visit www.healthysci.org for all of the information you need to enter this process.

HSCI announced recently the second round of grant funding, through the National Community Transformation Grant, to help communities implement policy, systems, and environmental changes that can help reduce obesity and tobacco use. Through www.healthysci.org, eligible applicants can access all of the information needed to apply for an HSCI grant.

Community partners in each funded county will work together to create healthier communities by increasing options for physical activity and healthy eating and reducing tobacco use. They will bridge the gaps in health by making community-wide changes that reduce death and disability due to tobacco use, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and heart disease and stroke.

“Earlier this year, we were able to fund 38 projects in rural and urban areas across the state,” said Louis Eubank, executive director of the S.C. Tobacco-Free Collaborative. “With this new round of funding, we hope to help many of these communities continue to decrease the burden of chronic diseases.”

Health disparities represent preventable differences in the burden of disease, death, and disability, or in opportunities to achieve optimal health. Grant recipients will engage communities to improve health and address health disparities in a variety of settings in an effort to make the healthy choice the easy choice for all South Carolinians.

“Our statewide objective is to create a healthier South Carolina by achieving a five percent reduction in death and disability due to tobacco use, heart disease and stroke, and a five percent reduction in the rate of obesity through nutrition and physical activity interventions,” said Amy Splittgerber, executive director of Eat Smart, Move More S.C.

Eubank and Splittgerber went on to explain that rather than focusing on individual behavior changes, the HSCI focuses on helping schools, businesses (large and small), government and other places make healthy living part of everyday culture. For example, offices can implement a healthy catering policy in which healthy food/beverage options must be available at business functions. Another example is a faith-based organization creating and enforcing a tobacco-free facility and grounds policy.

South Carolina coalitions, groups, and service organizations that support the goals and objectives of the HSCI are eligible to apply for a grant. Eligible applicants include non-profits, youth groups, schools, civic associations, service clubs, health care organizations, faith-based organizations, parent groups, neighborhood associations, and local community coalitions. Priority will be given to comprehensive community coalitions coordinating efforts to address community health.

More information about the grant process can be found online at www.healthysci.org.

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About Healthy South Carolina Initiative
Healthy South Carolina Initiative is a partnership between the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, Eat Smart Move More South Carolina Coalition, the South Carolina Tobacco-Free Collaborative, the Medical University of South Carolina’s Outpatient Quality Improvement Network, and the University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health. The HSCI seeks to create healthier communities and eliminate health disparities through interventions that reduce death and disability due to tobacco use, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and heart disease and stroke. For more information, visit www.healthysci.org.

About Eat Smart, Move More South Carolina
Eat Smart, Move More South Carolina is a statewide partnership coordinating obesity prevention efforts in South Carolina and aims to make the healthy choice, the easy choice. It is comprised of representatives from community-based organizations, health care systems, voluntary health organizations, academic institutions, state agencies, professional organizations, government and policy makers, and the media. For more information, visit www.eatsmartmovemoresc.org.

As we mentioned in a previous post, several students at Blythewood High School recently participated in the SNAP Challenge. The SNAP Challenge asks participants to live on the same budget as people living on food stamps, approximately $4 per person per day for a week. In honor of the upcoming National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (Nov. 12-18), we’ll be sharing these reflections periodically.

I like doing the Snap Challenge because I like helping the less fortunate get food and supplies. My mother and I would always go and give food to the hungry and homeless because we think it’s a good thing to help people by going to give them food and clothing. It actually makes me feel better inside knowing that I’m helping out people. The Snap Challenge program that helps people who cannot provide for themselves. It’s important to help people out when they’re struggling. Most of the time, it gets people in the mood to helps out others.

People don’t realize that some people can’t afford some things, even if they have jobs. But, some people don’t care about others, and they just watch them suffer. Little do they know they are trying their best, but they don’t have good paying jobs. Sometimes those people can’t get jobs because there are not enough jobs available to people. So, they are forced to live in the streets, where they have to eat almost anything they find on the ground. Overall, I think it’s best to help everyone who is homeless and hungry out. The Snap Challenge has taught me that more about helping people not just in the neighborhood, but, in the  other neighborhoods too.

-Clyde Green

The Snap Challenge was challenging because there was a limit to the amount of money we got every week. We had to make sure family had the right nutrition and caloric intake. Eating healthy, and making sure you’re not going over your limit is very difficult, especially for a family on a very low income. During this Snap Challenge, I learned to be thankful for what I have, and it opened my eyes to the way people actually live. I encourage others to try the Snap Challenge; you learn a lot from it.

-Ja’Maya Currie

As we approach Thanksgiving, we encourage everyone to take a moment and consider what you’re thankful for, just like Ja’Maya and Clyde. Check the blog  for more reflections, and if you’re interested in taking the SNAP Challenge in your family please let us know so we can share your experiences as well! Thank you, students of Blythewood for LIVING UNITED!

Today we’re taking a break from our SNAP Challenge Reflections to share a way that you can help! United Way and the Columbia Housing Authority are collecting supplies for the homeless during November 11-17. If you can help, drop off the supplies listed below to our office (1800 Main St. Columbia, SC 29201) or to Columbia Housing Authority (1917 Harden Street Columbia, SC 29204). Check out the flyer below for more information and if you have questions, let us know. Your help is greatly appreciated!

As we mentioned in a previous post, several students at Blythewood High School recently participated in the SNAP Challenge. The SNAP Challenge asks participants to live on the same budget as people living on food stamps, approximately $4 per person per day for a week. In honor of the upcoming National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (Nov. 12-18), we’ll be sharing these reflections periodically with our readers.

What I liked about the Snap Challenge is we learned about the different challenges people have to go through. Such as finding the cheapest food, but also the healthiest food. You only have a certain amount of money depending on how many people in your family. My family had two parents, one child, and a diabetic. We were most focused on the diabetic because we had watch out what we bought. Finding out what food we had to get was hard and expensive also. We had $20 per day to spend on food. At the end of the day, we had to make sure that we got all of our food groups. It was challenging, but eventually we got through the hard parts. We look at the food group chart, and then we look at the different groceries papers to see what items we needed.

Everyone should do the Snap Challenge because it teaches you about the different programs that the government offer to people in poverty. It will people teach how hard it is for people trying to provide their families with healthy meals every day. People do not know how good they have it, and they take things for granted. When people they are try to buy groceries, they can’t always get what they want. They have to worry about the people there are providing for. The Snap Challenge taught me about poverty, and how the government tries to help.

-Quinton Madison

Chronic diseases can make an otherwise difficult situation almost an impossibility, especially when you are responsible for providing nutritious meals for your whole family. Quinton learned how difficult it can be for someone with a chronic disease who is living in poverty, and the difficulties it can place on a family. Check the blog next time for more reflections, and if you’re interested in taking the SNAP Challenge with your family please let us know so we can share your experiences as well! Thank you, students of Blythewood High School for LIVING UNITED!

As we mentioned in a previous post, several students at Blythewood High School recently participated in the SNAP Challenge. The SNAP Challenge asks participants to live on the same budget as people living on food stamps, approximately $4 per person per day for a week. In honor of the upcoming National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (Nov. 12-18), we’ll be sharing these reflections periodically with our readers.

When I was a little child, I didn’t realize how much food cost. I was the only one in the family to over indulge myself with food. I began to realize it when I was 14 years old. I went shopping at Walmart with my mother. We didn’t buy much; we just bought the following: yogurt, bread, hotdogs, baloney, and oatmeal. I thought it would just be like $6, but the real price was $12, plus tax; that’s when I realized food isn’t cheap.

I started to not over indulge food and think about others. My family and I are now buying organic foods, which are more expensive. Our goal is to eat healthy; the family is not used to the organic taste yet, but we don’t waste it.

In class, I learned how to use money wisely specially with food.  We met a guest speaker in class that day and she begin to explain about incomes. Most people today don’t have income and that people are still poor to this day. People are fighting this as well. Some people can’t even afford jobs to this day. All of these people are fighting to survive.

-Bryce Batey

I like doing the Snap Challenge because it allowed me to see people that don’t have the amount of money to survive goes through, in this process is sad. You have to be more limited on your meals; the challenging thing is the food prices.  Throughout your three meals, you need to have nutritious foods. You couldn’t just buy whatever you want you would have to be careful on the desserts, you brought if you could afford there.

We did a project called the Snap Challenge. My family assigned was two grandparents and one child. Our food income was about $84 a month.  The coupons we used helped us save our money. It is tough to see what people who don’t have the income have to go through. This project taught me about what happens to others in need.

- Roberto W. Dejesus

Bryce and Roberto learned first hand just how expensive food can be! Many families struggle to get the nutrients they need because processed and fatty foods are often whats on sale.

Check the blog next time for more reflections, and if you’re interested in taking the SNAP Challenge with your family please let us know so we can share your experiences as well! Thank you, students of Blythewood High School for LIVING UNITED!