By Addie Nardi
Director of Resource Development
Sometimes my job wears on me.
I am always asking someone for something. I am pretty sure people hide from me when I come around now. I can almost read their mind, ‘Here comes that hyper chick from United Way. Quick, hide before she asks you for something. Whatever you do, DO NOT MAKE EYE CONTACT!’
I sound a little paranoid… right? Right? RIGHT?!?!
The awesome part of having a job where I get to come into contact with thousands of people throughout the year, though, is that I have thousands of opportunities to meet people who can pull me out of that funk. I would say that I have thousands of opportunities to meet people who can inspire me in some way.
To be honest, I meet some pretty incredible people; I’d argue that I meet the best that Washington County has to offer. Whether they are company CEO’s, department manager’s, teachers, nurses, doctor’s, teenagers, anyone! I think that through their fundraising efforts, I’ve even met the best residents of our three state prisons.
There is no great secret to running a stellar company campaign. All you need is an engaged Employee Campaign Coordinator and strong support from the BOSS (not Bruce Springsteen). I can give you countless examples of where that line-up has worked!
This week, probably when I most needed it, has given me plenty of opportunities to remember how awesome these opportunities are.
Yesterday, we judged the Chili Cook-off competition at the City of Hagerstown. ECC Dani Frye puts this together as an additional fundraiser to her campaign. When we asked her to run the United Way campaign, she took it on with what I have learned is her typical enthusiasm, creativity and energy. She gets an amazing amount of items to give away for raffles and the chili cook-off had a ton of people show up (for the record, 3 out of 4 United Way judges voted Bruce Zimmerman’s Diesel Fuel Chili as the winner, it was the best chili I’ve ever had in my entire life). I always feel energized after being around her.
I have seen the woman who runs the campaign for Washington County Government, Kathy Kroboth, grow and try out a LOT of new things with us United Way gals. Including public speaking AND spinning. Do you know that she rallied County Government employees to give almost $100,000 to United Way and Community Health Charities last year? And she felt bad she couldn’t do more! I have witnessed two presentations that she has given this week and she is incredibly articulate and passionate about United Way. I can’t help but hug her every time I see her.
One of Kathy’s presentations was at the Water Quality department this morning. The director of that department, Dan DiVito, asked us to come out because he has decided that he wants 100% participation from his staff this year. I know that his support of us will make a difference in that department, but his words about why he supports United Way and how any of us, at any time, could find ourselves benefitting from a United Way agency, will resonate far longer.
Four years ago, we approached John Williams, the owner of Jamison Door, and asked him to help us rejuvenate his campaign. For the past four years, on the day that we kick off his campaign, he comes to every presentation and tells his employees how proud he is of how supportive his employees are of our community. He also mentions how many different ways you can support a community and encourages his employees to help Jamison Door move up on the donor scale.
The fact that I could go on with hundreds of other examples of people I come across is a strong testament to the giving spirit in our community. But alas, I’m already well over my ‘350-word limit’ and have to run off to another meeting. So I just wanted to share a few examples to show you how lucky I am to come across these people every day.
Thank you for all of your support of our community. And I promise to try to keep my ‘asks’ to a minimum when I see you. O.k., that probably won’t happen. But I promise to at least be really nice about my asking and I'll try to throw in a joke!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Washington County: It IS a great place to work, live and raise a family!
Washington County has been my home for the past (insert my age here) years. Well, give or take a few years. I was born at Washington County Hospital, raised in the Halfway area, attended Lincolnshire, E. Russell Hicks and South High. I was a Girl Scout (drive past Piper Lane park in Halfway-we dedicated a tree there) and did a brief stint as a majorette with the Blue Jays. I danced for years at Miss Judy’s School of Dance, once located on Locust Street (where Community Impact Director, Jenny Fleming, also attended). I graduated from Hagerstown Community College (when it was still a Junior College) and received my MBA from Frostburg before it lived in the ever so beautiful and technological University Plaza.
But for a brief period, I lived away from my beloved Washington County. While attending Shippensburg University I lived on and off campus, but still managed to make my way home almost every weekend to spend time with my then boyfriend. Flash forward a few years and I lived in Fairfax, VA while working in Reston, VA at a satellite communications company. Flash forward again and I am contemplating with my soon to be city-raised (Reston, VA) husband as to where we were going to live after our wedding. We decided on Germantown. It was close to where we both worked at the time, but only a year later I was trying to entice my husband, Dave, to move even closer to Washington County…Frederick! We found a great house with a little larger than a postage stamp sized lot and an open field behind us, a jackpot in terms of land! But only after a few years, the open field became more houses and the traffic on our main road, Thomas Johnson Drive, became unbearable. Time to move.
After much discussion I finally convinced Dave to move to Washington County, only this time it wasn’t the Hagerstown area, but the Boonsboro/Keedysville one. Regardless, I was back home! 2 acres, cows and horses on the farm in the back of us, friendly neighbors, fantastic schools, and most importantly, I was close to my family and friends! I had finally come “home” even though I will now cheer on the Warriors (I am a forever Rebel)!
So now I am that mom that drives past the Valley Mall and says I can remember the day it opened, or past the Prime Outlets and say I can remember that used to be a field, or the auto parts store on Virginia Avenue that used to be a Burger Chef. I can name stores at the Valley Mall that used to be there before and after the addition. I try to explain to my children what “cruising the Dual” means and I love to hear them ask about my days at Hicks and South as we drive past those schools. The list seems to be endless but you get the picture.
So as my daughter , Madeline, who dreams of attending Stanford upon high school graduation and my son , Nathaniel, Virginia Tech, I hope they too take time to explore other places, but then find themselves coming back “home” as I did. There is truly no place like it. I know they, too, will be the parents saying I can remember when…
.....Karen Sigler-Goldstein, Finance Director
But for a brief period, I lived away from my beloved Washington County. While attending Shippensburg University I lived on and off campus, but still managed to make my way home almost every weekend to spend time with my then boyfriend. Flash forward a few years and I lived in Fairfax, VA while working in Reston, VA at a satellite communications company. Flash forward again and I am contemplating with my soon to be city-raised (Reston, VA) husband as to where we were going to live after our wedding. We decided on Germantown. It was close to where we both worked at the time, but only a year later I was trying to entice my husband, Dave, to move even closer to Washington County…Frederick! We found a great house with a little larger than a postage stamp sized lot and an open field behind us, a jackpot in terms of land! But only after a few years, the open field became more houses and the traffic on our main road, Thomas Johnson Drive, became unbearable. Time to move.
After much discussion I finally convinced Dave to move to Washington County, only this time it wasn’t the Hagerstown area, but the Boonsboro/Keedysville one. Regardless, I was back home! 2 acres, cows and horses on the farm in the back of us, friendly neighbors, fantastic schools, and most importantly, I was close to my family and friends! I had finally come “home” even though I will now cheer on the Warriors (I am a forever Rebel)!
So now I am that mom that drives past the Valley Mall and says I can remember the day it opened, or past the Prime Outlets and say I can remember that used to be a field, or the auto parts store on Virginia Avenue that used to be a Burger Chef. I can name stores at the Valley Mall that used to be there before and after the addition. I try to explain to my children what “cruising the Dual” means and I love to hear them ask about my days at Hicks and South as we drive past those schools. The list seems to be endless but you get the picture.
So as my daughter , Madeline, who dreams of attending Stanford upon high school graduation and my son , Nathaniel, Virginia Tech, I hope they too take time to explore other places, but then find themselves coming back “home” as I did. There is truly no place like it. I know they, too, will be the parents saying I can remember when…
.....Karen Sigler-Goldstein, Finance Director
Friday, October 14, 2011
What a Day of Caring
Wow! – Awesome! – What a day! – I love to help people!–these are words expressed by volunteers and non-profits involved with United Way’s 20th Annual Day of Caring. We’d love to hear the community’s thoughts on this special event where community service projects were completed all throughout Washington County. If you were one of the 900 volunteers – share your experience. If you were an agency or someone who was helped – explain what this meant to you. We’d love to hear from anyone else who is inspired to give away some of the most valuable assets to a community –time, talents and compassion.
As the person leading this event, I will share my thoughts here. It is incredibly rewarding for me to sit back once the dust settles from the day, and reflect on the numerous aspects that make it so fantastic. It’s a little overwhelming to list them all, which is a great problem to have! Here are a few . . .
Having First Data’s continued support as lead sponsor of this event is certainly incredible for us. They had a record-breaking team of over 200 this year! Great job!
Another great thing to see is the effective way talents are connected to a project and the synergies that are created. Artistic and creative volunteers painted murals –one team in an exam room at Safe Place, Child Advocacy Center and another in the women’s room at the REACH Cold Weather Shelter. Obviously, their work goes beyond putting paint on a wall. The once sterile settings have been transformed into places of hope. Women and children not only interact withcaring staff, their surroundings now provide encouragement as well. The very appropriate words of “Have no fear”spoken by Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat that appears on Safe Place’s wall is very appropriate to comfort abused children.
The opportunity for volunteers to learn more about non-profits is another reward. I’ve heard many times how impressed people were when they got the “behind the scenes” look at the operations of many agencies. We hope that this serves as a springboard for valuable relationships to be built with the team for continued volunteerism. Then there are those seemingly impossible tasks that are tackled, such as conquering a “jungle” and turning it back into a yard. What a sense of accomplishment this is for the volunteers.
The projects that leave the most lasting impression are those at the elderly and disabled persons’ homes. Many times these individuals have the “will” but not the “way” to do simple tasks in their homes. We also wanted to focus this year on their safety – making homes more accessible, helping preventing residents from falling and seeing if there were any fire hazards. Installing railings and grab bars, repairing steps and checking batteries in smoke detectors were just a few things that were done. I receive so many emotional and heartfelt phone calls from these residents. They are so grateful those people who take a moment out of their busy schedules to give them the time and attention that they deserve.
The Herald-Mail referred to the Day of Caring volunteer force as a “battalion-size army.” So, I encourage everyone to please share your memories of the day and how your “battle scars” of paint-splattered shirts, poision ivy, sweaty brows and sore muscles was a day well-spent.
--Blog by Jenny Fleming, United Way Community Impact Director
As the person leading this event, I will share my thoughts here. It is incredibly rewarding for me to sit back once the dust settles from the day, and reflect on the numerous aspects that make it so fantastic. It’s a little overwhelming to list them all, which is a great problem to have! Here are a few . . .
Having First Data’s continued support as lead sponsor of this event is certainly incredible for us. They had a record-breaking team of over 200 this year! Great job!
Another great thing to see is the effective way talents are connected to a project and the synergies that are created. Artistic and creative volunteers painted murals –one team in an exam room at Safe Place, Child Advocacy Center and another in the women’s room at the REACH Cold Weather Shelter. Obviously, their work goes beyond putting paint on a wall. The once sterile settings have been transformed into places of hope. Women and children not only interact withcaring staff, their surroundings now provide encouragement as well. The very appropriate words of “Have no fear”spoken by Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat that appears on Safe Place’s wall is very appropriate to comfort abused children.
The opportunity for volunteers to learn more about non-profits is another reward. I’ve heard many times how impressed people were when they got the “behind the scenes” look at the operations of many agencies. We hope that this serves as a springboard for valuable relationships to be built with the team for continued volunteerism. Then there are those seemingly impossible tasks that are tackled, such as conquering a “jungle” and turning it back into a yard. What a sense of accomplishment this is for the volunteers.
The projects that leave the most lasting impression are those at the elderly and disabled persons’ homes. Many times these individuals have the “will” but not the “way” to do simple tasks in their homes. We also wanted to focus this year on their safety – making homes more accessible, helping preventing residents from falling and seeing if there were any fire hazards. Installing railings and grab bars, repairing steps and checking batteries in smoke detectors were just a few things that were done. I receive so many emotional and heartfelt phone calls from these residents. They are so grateful those people who take a moment out of their busy schedules to give them the time and attention that they deserve.
The Herald-Mail referred to the Day of Caring volunteer force as a “battalion-size army.” So, I encourage everyone to please share your memories of the day and how your “battle scars” of paint-splattered shirts, poision ivy, sweaty brows and sore muscles was a day well-spent.
--Blog by Jenny Fleming, United Way Community Impact Director
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