March 27, 2020
Dear Charlotte County Mobilizers,
United Way of Charlotte County hopes you and your loved ones are staying healthy during this uncertain time. I was trying to explain to my middle school daughter that this was a defining moment for literally everyone and she was not really grasping it. Surely this is the case. The hardships are piling up and we don’t know how things will look a week from now and beyond. What we do know though is that while we are forced into six feet of separation, we are united more than ever. Examples are everywhere.
I am thankful to be tied to the wonderful network of community United Way’s and Worldwide -- the power and might of this group has never been more evident. Our Charlotte County nonprofits are binding together with stakeholders to respond to those hurting and it is beautiful. On the other side of this, many aspects of our world will be different and, in some ways, so much better, with updates to our efficiencies for sure.
Our mission is to mobilize the power of the community to break the cycle of poverty. For such a time as this, we are here and we will be here to ride this out with you.
Although many of our staff are working from home, we are actively responding to the pandemic in numerous ways.
- We have been compiling information from our funded agency partners and community collaborations on how they have been impacted by COVID-19.
- We have coordinated a local Youth & Education Task Force through the Charlotte County Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD).
- We are ramping up to help our ALICE families through the Season of Sharing grant funding.
- And as our UWCC fiscal year ends next week, our Board has been diligent in helping us close out an amazing campaign year to which we are so thankful. Of course, our inaugural campaign cabinet made it happen – kudos!
Read more here from Dawn who has been working from the office on her birthday week. Jennifer is our consultant funded through the Miriam P. Raines Fund at Gulf Coast Community Foundation. You can read more on her thoughts about COVID and the impact on women here.
We will keep you abreast of opportunities through this newsletter, specifically as it relates to our funded agencies and signature programs – noted in the main e-newsletter. In addition, if you have not visited the COAD site yet, please do so as it is a true testament to community – you can get help and volunteer to help all in one place.
Yours in service, Angie