Travel extraordinaires and sport and entertainment fans who want to support the community are in luck come April 20, as that marks the start of MSA United Way’s Online Auction. From the comfort of your own home you can search over 100 items that will benefit United Way’s Education Initiative which focuses on removing barriers that prevent students from succeeding in school. This will be the eight year for this annual, community-wide fundraiser.
Items up for bid include: a timeshare, an autographed NDSU 2014 championship team football, rounds of golf, dog kennels, golf club set, Medora vacation, spa packages, and much more. There’s something for everyone.
All items have been donated by area businesses, organizations and community members. The auction runs for two weeks and will end on Friday, May 1 at 8 p.m.
“This is one of our largest fundraisers of the year,” said Jena Gullo, executive director at MSA United Way. “The auction offers an alternative way for businesses and individuals to support the community.”
For a full list of items or to place a bid, visit msaunitedway.org.
Bismarck, ND – A Century High School student has teamed up with the United Way Backpack Program, businesses and individuals to address child hunger in the Bismarck-Mandan community.
For the past five years, Lauryn Hinckley has been collecting peanut butter and jelly to help feed local children. To date, her efforts and the support of her family, friends and community have produced impressive results – 1,701 pounds of peanut butter and jelly and $1,537. With the help of Starion Financial, Leingang Home Center, Bismarck and Mandan public schools, Disney Friends for Change, and Sodexo Foundation, she plans to take it to a new level this year.
Hinckley’s inspiration comes from an event she witnessed a few years ago. “When I was 9-years-old, I witnessed a family not able to afford their groceries. I saw two little boys’ faces drop and a look of embarrassment come over their mother in a busy checkout line. Up to that point, I had never considered the fact that you need money to get food.”
This type of occurrence may be more common than you’d imagine. Fourteen percent of children in the Bismarck-Mandan region live in poverty, and more than 13,000 individuals in Burleigh County alone rely on food banks each year.
The United Way Backpack Program is working to end childhood hunger by filling the gaps and sending healthy meals home with students on the weekends and breaks. In 2014, the program – supported by volunteers, individuals and local businesses – provided 42,192 meals to students who do not have enough to eat. The program is showing signs of success. Reported program outcomes include improved health, reduced stress and improved student performance.
The Peanut Butter and Jelly Food Drive will run from Tuesday, April 7 through Friday, April 17. Supporting the drive is as easy as stopping by your local Starion Financial to drop off peanut butter and jelly or visiting msaunitedway.org/pbj to make a monetary contribution. To ensure that items can be delivered to children, please donate 16 to 18 ounce store-bought plastic jars. Youth across the community will also be supporting the effort by hosting drives at their schools.
Who do you call when you’re in crisis? Friends? Family? Maybe you can recall a time in college when your bank account ran dry and rent was due, perhaps a time you needed someone to talk to you about a relationship problem, or maybe you were just getting started on your own and the cupboards ran dry. Who did you turn to?
Imagine if you didn’t have that friend or family member. Fortunately, thanks to your support of MSA United Way, you can call 2-1-1.
FirstLink (2-1-1) is the go-to place to help people get connected to health and human services, alleviating frustration from people having to call multiple places that are not appropriate for their need. It saves agencies time and money by fielding numerous calls from people requesting services an agency doesn’t provide.
“We help people who are having thoughts of suicide stay alive by working with them to develop and follow a safe plan. For example, a woman who deals with chronic thoughts of suicide calls anytime her urges increase and she needs de-escalation,” comments FirstLink Database and Resource Specialist Angie Hedstrom.
FirstLink call specialists help individuals with mental illness get through the day. They’re a vital piece of the support network, a point-of-contact between therapy appointments, when formal supports may not be available.
Hedstrom shares a few real-life examples of how 2-1-1 services benefit our community. “A gentleman struggling with schizophrenia calls to help stay focused with his daily goals. Another example, a woman who deals with a consistent urge to cut has developed FirstLink into her safe plan.” Anytime she has an urge to cut, she calls 2-1-1. The support has helped her refrain from self-injury for years.
The range of assistance is as diverse as our community. Specialists often connect people to resources they have never heard of. “We help people obtain support to stay in their homes. For example, a family who experienced unexpected medical bills was able to stay in their home by getting assistance with rent and food,” noted Hedstrom.
FirstLink helps our nonprofit network operate more efficiently, and saves our community money by de-escalating crisis situations and preventing the need for local law enforcement, ambulance calls or emergency rooms would otherwise be utilized. All of this is possible because of your support of MSA United Way.
MSA United Way is proud to announce an exciting opportunity for local nonprofit leaders. Join us March 17, and learn to write competitive, compelling and professional grants. We’ll also be hosting Diane Benjamin of the Otto Bremer Foundation for a must-see presentation on applying for funding through foundations.
Grant Writing: Advanced Methods
by Deb Nelson from DLN Consulting
March 17, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Great River Energy Building, 1611 East Century Ave
This session will help nonprofits develop insider tips and tricks for producing professional, competitive, and compelling grant proposals. Participants will learn how to move through all the legal jargon in a Federal Register or private grant notice to quickly determine if this is “the one.” They will also cover the utilization of logic models and evaluation plans in grant proposals and management. Participants will walk through each section of a grant proposal; and when the workshop ends, they will have usable information that is firmly retained, easily recalled, and readily applicable.
Diane Benjamin from the Otto Bremer Foundation
March 17, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Great River Energy Building, 1611 East Century Ave
Diane will be visiting from St. Paul, MN to share about the Otto Bremer Foundation and the process for applying for funding through OBF, and similar foundations. She’ll be providing can’t-miss insight into the Otto Bremer Foundation’s funding goals and priorities in Bismarck-Mandan. Lunch will be provided.
What does it mean to work toward collective impact? It means establishing broad community goals, focusing on long-term community-wide solutions, and striving to create change throughout the entire community, not just isolated areas. Collective impact means targeting interventions to address problems early on, before they get out of hand. It means emphasizing the role of measurable results in decision-making, and not judging success based on stories or public perception.
Based on input from donors and local partners, as well as the experiences of others, United Way developed Impact Initiatives that focus on the building blocks of life for all people: Education, Income and Health. We’re not alone in believing that our whole community thrives when people have a quality education, sufficient income, and good health. Research shows that education is linked to fewer crimes, better physical and mental health, and greater tolerance for others. Having enough income ensures people can end the cycle of financial dependency and focus on the important things – like their families and future aspirations. Good health generates success in school, contributes to job stability, and decreases complications during the aging process. Each building block is closely intertwined. Since 2012, United Way has been realigning its work in the community to focus on these key areas. While basic needs services are also supported, United Way is committed to proactively working to fix causes, not symptoms.
Education Highlights – In the area of education, we’re fostering environments that encourage children to flourish, not ones that are huge obstacles to success. That means providing research-based tutoring for children to read proficiently by fourth grade, instead of trying to help youth survive after they’ve dropped out of school, something that’s four times more likely to happen if they don’t hit that benchmark .
Ninety-three families worked with United Way case managers this school year, creating stable environments for struggling students.
Three hundred and twenty-nine suspended or expelled students were able to get back on track through out-of-school learning, counseling and mentorship.
Mentors and tutors worked with 3,198 students, improving skills and exhibiting positive behaviors.
Nearly 80,000 books were sent to the homes of preschoolers.
Why it matters:
An unstable home environment can be devastating to a students performance. Common problems include; unstable housing, food insecurity, unreliable transportation and lack of support. By supporting children early in life, we can improve their chances of educational success and create a stable foundation for long-term success. On average, low-income children start kindergarten 12-14 months behind their peers in reading and skill development. (The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading).
Suspended or expelled youth are six times more likely to repeat a grade. In addition to the education and well-being of the student, each time a student repeats a grade, it costs local taxpayers $11,420 (North Dakota Department of Instruction).
Research indicates that parents are twice as likely to read to their children when enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (Center for Urban and Regional Applied Research).
Income Highlights – In the area of income, working toward collective impact means targeting interventions to help people overcome barriers to sustaining employment, a key step to self-sufficiency, instead of providing endless Band-Aids.
Basic needs assistance was provided to 5,294 people. Targeting individuals who needed support for retention of housing and employment.
One hundred and sixty-eight people found and started jobs.
Job training, resume assistance, financial counseling, transportation and childcare assistance reduced employment barriers for 329 individuals.
Low-income workers used 1,375 transit passes to get to and from work.
Why it matters:
Despite our impressive unemployment rate, 14 percent of children in our region live in poverty (North Dakota Kids Count).
Preventing homelessness is a good investment. One year of homelessness costs taxpayers an estimated $30,000.
In Burleigh County, the living wage for a single parent with one child is $34,573. At minimum wage, an individual would have to work two full-time jobs to support their family of two (Living Wage Calculator, Massachusetts Institute of Technology).
Health Highlights – For our health initiative, collective impact means working to make sure hunger doesn’t hold anyone back from living a quality life. It means making sure everyone, including low-income and senior community members, has the opportunity to improve their health.
The United Way Backpack Program provided 42,192 meals, reducing stress and hunger, and improving health and performance for nearly 500 students.
More than 100,000 home-delivered and congregate meals helped seniors remain independent and healthy.
Three thousand five hundred and forty volunteers logged 55,727 hours in 2014.
Nearly one million meals were provided in our region.
Why it matters:
Stress and health concerns related to food insecurity were identified as major barriers in our community by local school officials.
Access to nutritious home-delivered meals is one of the most significant factors in keeping aging adults healthy and independents (Meals on Wheels Association of America).
Volunteerism increases well-being and offers opportunities for socialization. It also saved our community an estimated $1.3 million in 2014 (Independent Sector).
Thank you for helping us reach these milestones. If you have questions on this data or are interested in becoming a part of the community impact process, contact impact@msaunitedway.org.
How can we make the greatest impact? It’s not a simple question,but the answer seemed clear to the United Way Women’s Leadership Circle (WLC) after a Day of Caring project connected them to needs at Saxvik Elementary.
This past August, WLC members spent a day organizing classrooms and preparing materials for the upcoming school year. “When we were there, we all felt that we were contributing something to our community and the teachers were so appreciative,” commented Teresa Chrest.
The WLC Steering Committee immediately began discussions with school officials and identified Saxvik Elementary as a place where students could benefit from adult volunteers. “Students love to work with and show adults what they’ve learned. Having the United Way Women’s Leadership Circle volunteers make connections with students has been very beneficial,” said Saxvik Elementary Principal Linnett Schmidkunz.
This volunteer opportunity aligned perfectly with a local need identified by partner agencies, donors and United Way’s Need Assessment. The assessment reported that only 29 percent of youth in Bismarck-Mandan felt they had a positive adult role model. WLC Steering Committee Vice Chair Dorothy Lick explained “A goal identified this year was to have even more contact with kids and be involved in a more hands-on way.”
“In the short time that we’ve been doing this, they’ve been able to trust me as another adult in their lives. When I come in (to the classroom) they all want to tell me how they are, what’s new in their lives. They share their lives with me, and that’s really exciting,” commented volunteer Teresa Chrest.
Twice a month, volunteers spend two hours with students. “My day of activities with the students includes going out for recess, then we have lunch, we come back and have story time, then we usually have a math assignment, and if we have time, we’ll do something with reading or an art project,” explains Chrest. “It’s a really great break from everyday life, being in an office, to see how education works and how second graders are learning. It’s fun to see them grow,” adds Lick.
Three months in, the program is proving to be a success. “The interaction is great for our students because some of them don’t get a lot of attention. This is the perfect way to introduce them to a positive role model from the community, someone who wants to read and interact with them. They work one-on-one with students. In my classroom we have the volunteers working with reading. The kids like their attentiveness and being able to see the same person from week to week,” explains second grade teacher Jessica Frank.
Yes, volunteers help students improve their school work, but, just maybe, the greatest benefit is letting kids know that someone cares. With early success and the support of local businesses, the program has been expanded to Will-Moore and Jeannette Mhyre Elementary. If you or your business are interested in sponsoring a classroom, contact marketing@msaunitedway.org.
Do you want to learn more about the impact of MSA United Way in the Bismarck-Mandan region? Download our 2014 Report to the Community. The report includes community-level data on United Way priority issues, collective impact data, client stories, donor recognition, campaign highlights and more.
With less than two weeks to go, United Way is asking Bismarck-Mandan community-members to pitch-in towards the final $100,000 necessary to effectively address community needs. While that may seem like a large task, it could be accomplished immediately if everyone in the Greater Bismarck-Mandan area shared $1 or more to go toward the betterment of our community.
Missouri Slope Areawide United Way is closing in on the end of the annual campaign to meet the community needs in 2015. So far, over 150 volunteers have helped lead the effort amongst individuals and businesses. This has led to the Bismarck-Mandan community contributing 96% of the $2.5 million goal, leaving a mere $100,000 between United Way and its ability to address needs in the community in 2015.
MSA United Way works to identify the pressing needs in the Bismarck-Mandan area and support the most effective ways of meeting them. This includes supporting cost-effective and evidenced-based programs to stop the cycles of poverty. The cost of getting back on track is recouped by our community by decreasing, and at times eliminating, the need for expensive help down the road. For example, $2,000 places 22 caring tutors in school classrooms around Bismarck-Mandan for a week and $2,500 places tutors with 20 children not meeting the reading proficiency level by the fourth grade. Consider the cost for an extra year of school, $11,420, and the decision seems easy. When our neighbors succeed, we all win.
Whether you’re a long-trusted partner in this work, or have never been a part of the United Way movement, consider doing your part to help United Way serve Bismarck-Mandan in 2015. For more information, visit msaunitedway.org.
As you consider your charitable gifts between now and the end of the year, remember that gifts made now can generate income tax deductions that could help reduce your income tax bill. The amount you save depends on tax rates, how and when you give.
Consider the North Dakota Charitable Giving Tax Credit. Individuals and businesses are eligible for a 40 percent tax credit with a gift of $5,000 or more to MSA United Way’s Endowment Fund or other qualified endowment funds. When federal savings are taken into account, your gift of $10,000 could cost as little as $2,500. If the credit cannot all be used in one year, it can be carried forward for three additional tax years.
Congress recently passed legislation (H.R. 5771) to reinstate, retroactively, the IRA charitable rollover. Anyone over the age of 70-1/2 may take tax-free distributions of up to $100,000 from a traditional IRA if the money is distributed directly to an eligible charity.
Gifts of stocks, bonds and property may also be advantageous. Contact your financial advisor or tax professional to find out what situation is best for you.
Only gifts made by Dec. 31 can help reduce the amount of taxes you will owe next April.
For more information, visit msaunitedway.org or contact a financial advisor.
MSA United Way - Bismarck, North Dakota 