January 2007

Happy New Year! Your local United Way is starting 2007 with hope and optimism for the future, tinged with concern as our community weathers the current economic transition. The economy in the Miami Valley and Ohio makes the news daily. However, there are also a lot of individual and family stories that aren't in the media. Real stories of real people – that's where United Way is working to make an impact and positive lasting change.

Creating financial stability and independence

Indebtedness of households in America is at a record high. In fact, one out of every three Americans uses a credit card for basic needs such as food and shelter. Right here in Montgomery County , mortgage foreclosures continue to escalate. Jobs and salaries are unstable. Hardworking families are in need. Along with our current foreclosure prevention and dislocated worker response initiatives, we will continue to focus this year on ways to help create financial stability and opportunity for all .

Together we can do more than we can alone

When the need is so great, how can we make a difference? It might be easy to offer assistance to one person, but how do we help nearly 215,000 people in need? How can we help not only the worker who has lost her job, but also her children who are hungry? How can we be a hero to the senior who lives at home alone, and also the family who has no home to call their own?

United Way of the Greater Dayton Area's strong network of 86 health and human service agencies tackles a variety of problems, from hunger and homelessness to unemployment and domestic violence. United Way focuses on the underlying causes of these and other problems to ultimately prevent them from happening in the first place. Whether someone has lost a job, lost a home, lost a loved one, or simply lost hope, United Way works to remove life's barriers and put people back on the road to success.

Closing the Gap

When we launched the campaign in September, the Board knew we would have to raise more than one million dollars in new and increased contributions to overcome the lost revenue from plant and shift closings and corporate relocations. We're pleased to report that by the end of the year we had raised about $750,000 in additional contributions. We have forward momentum. Please help us sustain it because we need additional support to close the remaining gap.

The annual campaign wraps up at the end of this month. Obviously, we want to reach our goal of $11.8 million, but there's a great deal of meaning behind that campaign thermometer. It is a measure of the lives that can be improved and the dreams that can be realized. The organization is only as strong as the community's support – that's why we asking you to be a champion to encourage others to become engaged, participate, and contribute.

United Way is about motivating people to help others . It is about increasing resources to meet needs . It is about inspiring solutions to community problems. And, in the final analysis, it is about the impact made and the lives changed .

I believe we do that best by working in a united way and giving through the United Way . I hope you do too and that our community can count on your continued support in 2007 and beyond.

Marc R. Levy

President