United Way of Greater Kingsport | February 2019 Newsletter
Letter from Executive Director Danelle Glasscock
At The Heart of the Matter At the heart of the matter... Hearts have been everywhere this month, with dots of red and pink almost everywhere you look. It's supposed to the be the month of love, yet our local newspaper headlines bring to life the domestic violence tragedy that occurred just this week. In our own community on February 12th, a woman was killed at work by her alleged abuser. In a poignant Facebook post, her daughter wrote that people knew, but very few truly tried to help. Our community has resources that are listed below, but the heart of the matter is: we need to be "nosy neighbors," in the best sense. We need to be those who care for each other enough to have hard conversations. For most of these conversations, all we need to say is, "I care. Let me help you get help," to give hope to the hurting." In a WJHL interview last week, Tina Johnson, Safe House Director, was recently asked what to say to someone who is in a domestic abuse situation. Her passionate response was, "Get help. We can help you. We can shelter you. We can provide you with safety planning that is crucial in a domestic violence situation. We can help you get an order of protection. We can help you take all the steps to help you move on with your life free from abuse." Safe House is a program of Frontier Health industries that helped 432 women and children in 2018 and is supported with your United Way dollars. Click here to view the full interview. As we at United Way stand every day in our community, alongside SO many non-profit leaders and staff, we all know we aren't perfect. But we are trying to be on the front lines to make a difference and to provide hope for the
hurting in our community. We also recognize that in our fight to improve lives, evil does exist. The heart of the matter can be summarized from my favorite book: "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart, his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45 Today, be a "nosy neighbor" and let's bring hope to the hurting. That's the heart of the matter.
Live United, Danelle Glasscock Executive Director
New Faces at UWGK | 2019 Board of Directors
Left to Right: 1st Row: Michelle Bacon, Katie Steffen, Alyson Argabrite, Lindsay Powers, Bill Fortenberry, Danelle Glasscock, Brian Miller, Karen Boyd, Jenny Dugger, Becca Sutphen, Susan LaGuardia, Sharon Amstutz 2nd Row: Joy Shoun, Emily Merritt, Jeremiah Clark, Scott Davis, Sharon Hayes, John Perdue, Caroline Wright, Anne Newton, Eryn O'Brien, Lori Miller 3rd Row: Alan Freeman, Edd Baldock, Joshua Fuller, Andy Hatfield, Bernard Bryant, Brett Sago, Brent Mullins, Allen Booth
Welcome, 2019 Board of Directors!
2018 Annual Report Available Now! Click HERE to view the 2018 Annual Report online today, or swing by UWGK for your own copy!
2018 Annual Meeting Recap
Brian Miller & Andy Wampler
Keynote Speaker: Eric Deaton
Award Recipients: Wayne Little, Rhonda Reeves, Bruce Sites
United Way of Greater Kingsport (UWGK) hosted its 2018 Annual Meeting on February 7, 2019 with approximately 125 people in attendance, including those who GIVE, ADVOCATE, and VOLUNTEER on behalf of the organization, representatives from UWGK Member Agencies, community partners and public officials from the City of Kingsport. Andy Wampler, 2018 UWGK Board of Directors President, gave the invocation, and Senior District Executive from Boy Scouts of America, Brian Falin, led the Pledge of Allegiance. This year's keynote speaker was Eric Deaton, Sr. Vice President of Market Operations at Ballad Health. Deaton's topic was "Servant Leadership and Improving Community Outcomes." Deaton spoke about the importance of recognizing the power each person has as servant leaders in the community. "Leadership does not have to be in monumental moments. How can you lead today? How can you thank others who have changed your life for the better?" he encouraged. Deaton closed his speech by thanking United Way of Greater Kingsport for exemplifying leadership in the Kingsport Community and encouraged the audience to thank others who have made an impact in their lives.
For the awards portion of the meeting, UWGK used an NFL MVP theme, with Keith Parker, UWGK 2019 Board of Directors Vice President, "refereeing" the event. After recognizing the outgoing board, Parker presented the UWGK Live United awards to Rhonda Reeves and Bruce Sites. Rhonda Reeves, Market Director of Human Resources at Ballad Health, was recognized for her eight years of service and commitment the United Way of Greater Kingsport mission. Outlining Reeves' achievements, Parker stated, "Rhonda has served on our HR committee since 2011 and served on the board from 2013-2015. Always an active member on the committee, many times Rhonda would attend our early morning meetings after a late night shift at the hospital and has been of much value to our organization throughout the years." Bruce Sites was also a recipient of the Live United award this year. Bruce Sites, Executive Director of Friends in Need, has been a longstanding leader with United Way of Greater Kingsport throughout much of his life. Sites was instrumental in beginning Appalachian Miles for Smiles in 2016 and has served in various capacities with United Way on Vision Councils and in leadership roles. Bruce is retiring this year and Deborah Mullins will take over for Friends In Need and Appalachian Miles for Smiles. A new award for 2018, the Outstanding Campaign Coordinator Award, was announced, representing outstanding leadership and commitment to running the United Way of Greater Kingsport's workplace campaign. UWGK presented this award to Wayne Little, Director of Acid Concentration Operations at Eastman Chemical Company. Wayne has been involved in several United Way agencies, serving as a past President of the Board for Meals on Wheels and on the board for Small Miracles.Most recently, he led the Eastman employee campaign for United Way of Greater Kingsport. Under his leadership, they increased participation rates by 10%, increased Leadership Givers by 22%, and increased overall giving by 7%. Thanks to the 2018 Board of Directors for a wonderful year!
Member Agency Spotlight | Girls Inc. of Kingsport
*Ashley is 10 years old. Her mother is a single mom who recently graduated from King College with a nursing degree. When Ashley's mom got a job at a local hospital, she found out that she would have to be at work by 6:00 am. She was concerned that she would not be able to keep her job because of a lack of early morning child care. She signed Ashley up for our Before School Program. Ashley was new to Girls Inc., and she was very nervous about attending. She has now been in our program since August. Ashley has made new friends, and she has also joined our after school program where she is a member of the Basketball team. When Ashley first joined our program she attended on a scholarship. Now, her mom can pay the daily fee because she has been able to keep her job. A happy Girls Inc. member and a confident and employed single mom are one of the success stories we have experienced over the past year. *Name changed for storytelling purposes
Hours: 5:45 AM - 8:30 AM $10 a day, with a three day a week minimum. Program includes breakfast, homework help, Girls Inc. programming, and transportation to Kingsport City and Sullivan County Schools. Phone: (423) 247-2321 Email: ceogirlsinckingsport@gmail.com
Ballad Health and UWGK Committed to 3rd Grade Reading United Way of Greater Kingsport and the United WE READ Initiative are excited to announce their participation in a regional partnership between Ballad Health and seven area United Ways. With a $300,000 regional investment committed from the United Ways, Ballad Foundation, and Ballad Health employees ($75K of total for UWGK), the momentum and support of this partnership ensures that United WE READ can continue to engage, empower, and equip all children, families, and the Greater Kingsport community with tools and strategies that build a literacy-rich culture, and a pathway to lifelong success, expanding on its successful programs and initiatives. More can be read on the regional partnership through the stories that were reported via WJHL, Kingsport Times-News, and Bristol Herald Courier, among others.
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