United Way of Hall County kicked off a new fundraising campaign Wednesday by celebrating the accomplishments of the past year.
During the 2018-2019 campaign year, United Way awarded more than $1 million in funding to 35 programs managed by 22 social-services agencies, according to figures released by the agency. The programs assist local residents in the areas of education, health care and financial stability.
“This is why I love this community. We care,” Katie Dubnik, new chairman of United Way’s board of directors.
During the previous year, United Way allocated:
- $330,500 to education programs such as the Success Academy at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lanier, adult literacy programs at the Gainesville/Hall County Alliance for Literacy and the summer reading program at the Hall County Library System.
- $161,700 to health and wellness programs such as counseling and psychological services at Brenau University, as well as support for Gateway Domestic Violence Center, Hall-Dawson CASA and Rape Response.
- $507,800 to financial self-sufficiency programs at organizations such as Children’s Center for Hope and Healing, Edmondson Telford Child Advocacy Center, Good News Clinics and My Sister’s Place.
The programs and initiatives were chosen based on the organization’s Community Game Plan, a comprehensive strategy for dealing with the community’s most-pressing needs. The Community Game Plan was unveiled last September.
“It was designed to create pathways out of poverty,” Melissa Tymchuk, last year’s board of directors chairman, said.
Poverty was identified as the driving force behind many of the issues facing the community, the organization said. About 40 percent of Hall Countians struggle to meet basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter and health care. About 70 percent of children entering kindergarten aren’t ready to start reading.
“Children do not start going to school until age 5,” said Mimi Collins, CEO of Longstreet Clinic. “Some of the modeling about putting in a book in front of a children should happen well before that. Students that don’t have good reading efficiency by the third grade are four times more likely to drop out.”
To help combat this problem, Longstreet Clinic now give an age- and language-appropriate book to every child between 6 months and 5 years when they come in for a regular wellness visit with their pediatrician. To today, the clinic has given out more than 20,000 books since October 2017, when the program began.
United Way also hopes its funding will help access to mental health services for residents.
“We know that mental health and poverty and intertwined,” Tracy Vardeman, chief strategy officer for Northeast Georgia Health System, said. “By the time (patients) get to us, they are already in crisis and it’s hard to get out of that behavior.”
To better understand the needs surrounding mental health in Hall County, the United Way in conducting an online survey. Anyone in the county is eligible to complete the survey, which should take about five minutes to complete. You can take the survey by clicking here. The survey will be available until October 16.
