Stakeholder Report

The New Year has long been a symbol of hope and promise. This year the symbolism of this holiday has special significance for our community and your local United Way .

As we near the close of the 2005 Campaign, I am pleased to report that many companies and individuals stepped up their support this year. We are hopeful that others will continue this positive trend and ask each of you, our generous stakeholders, to carry the message of need – so that we can sustain vital services in our community.

The timing is critical as the New Year is filled with uncertainty and worry for thousands of local families. Our community faces a new tide of working families in need with shift closings, hub closings, the Delphi bankruptcy, and the ripple effect on other Miami Valley businesses.

Fortunately, we can be prepared for an economic disaster and bring hope to our neighbors in need. A core business of United Way is to work together with nonprofits, government, business, labor, and others to address critical needs and prevent problems before the occur. Your United Way is resolved to make a difference and ready to respond to the pressing issues facing our community today.

Here are some of the important efforts your United Way is leading or supporting to improve lives and our community in 2006.

Recent announcements regarding Delphi , GM and UPS mean thousands of local residents face tough times ahead.

United Way is partnering with local government, labor, and other nonprofit agencies on the Rapid Response Team to meet the increased needs that occur during a massive layoff. I am chairing the subcommittee bringing together the health and human service organizations to ensure that we are prepared to provide the necessary services. Anticipated needs include emergency food, housing and utility assistance, job retraining, financial planning, and counseling to handle stress and prevent family violence. We have also published a joint brochure with the AFL-CIO Community Services to reach out early to those who may be impacted, so they will know where to turn for help.

Ohio leads the nation and Montgomery County leads the state in home foreclosure, creating a significant challenge for our community.

United Way is working with Montgomery County Clerk of Courts Dan Foley and his office, representatives of leading financial institutions, and nonprofit organizations to explore ways to prevent home foreclosures by connecting families in financial crisis with services before it is too late. United Way's HelpLink™ 2-1-1 will play a major role in both this effort and the worker assistance initiative, serving as the linkage between people in need and the services that can help.

United Way of the Greater Dayton Area is a leader of a collaborative effort on behalf of youth in the region called Strong Kids for Strong Communities. We are working to ensure that all children see the possibility of a brighter future and have the foundation and support in place to make that vision a reality. The growing number of partners in this effort is really exciting – including schools, youth-serving agencies, the Juvenile Court , Dayton and Montgomery County Library, business leaders, and the faith community – because together we can accomplish more than we can on our own. United Way is providing seed money for education and training for key school and community personnel who can then train others to ensure that all local youth get the necessary building blocks for their future success. The goal is to ensure that no child is invisible and that every child has caring adults in their lives. The initiative will help open doors for opportunity so that all children are ready to learn, that they have safe places to go before and after school, and more students graduate. This is about investing in our children because that investment returns dividends not only to the children but also to the future of our community.

These are difficult times.

In 2005 the world's attention was focused on the victims of unprecedented natural disasters …children without food …families without homes …workers without jobs. While there was no catastrophic event to call attention to local suffering, thousands of Miami Valley residents face these problems as well. Fortunately, with your help, your United Way is here to help – bringing people together to deal with our “tidal wave” of economic and social challenges.

Best wishes and thank you,

Marc R. Levy

President