Lynn Abramson (left), President Board of Directors and Marjolijn Wijsenbeek, Executive Director

Did you know the United Way has been active in the Westport and Weston communities for almost 50 years? That over the past 6 years we have invested more than $4,500,000 in programs that improve the quality of life for all members of our community? My guess is probably not. While talking to my friends and neighbors, I realized many have little idea of what the United Way is about.

Here’s a quick primer:

We currently focus on four key areas: Aging Successfully, Family and Community Wellness and Support, Inclusion of People with Special Needs, and Positive Youth Development.

Within these four areas of focus our emphasis is on impact. We want to create lasting changes in the community and in the lives of its residents. Moving beyond quick cosmetic fixes, we strive to focus on the heart of local issues and address the underlying causes. Not only do we invest in our community, but we require measurable results from participating agencies and organizations to ensure that we are on the right track.

Key to all this is our partnership with community members. We bring together local professionals and volunteers—organized groups and individuals—who are committed to addressing the needs of our community. United, our collective voice is louder and stronger. Together, we can accomplish great things that are beyond the power of an individual.

I know, it sounds great, but what does all this mean? The United Way funds initiatives both large and small and across the spectrum of community needs. Here are a few specifics to help you understand how we put our philosophy into action.

In 2004, when Norwalk Hospital closed the Westport Clinic, our community lost its primary source of local affordable counseling for individuals and families in need. In the face of tremendous demand for these services, the United Way filled this gap in services by putting the $65,000 previously allocated for the Westport Clinic in an escrow account and convening a committee of human services professionals, government officials, experts in the field, not-for-profit organizations and other stakeholders. This group determined the specifications for what was needed, circulated a Request for a Proposal (RFP) to qualified agencies, evaluated the responses, and finally awarded the grant to Positive Directions, the agency whose proposal best met community needs.

A much smaller example is last year’s grant for $89.27 awarded to Staples High School student Erica Kretschmann for the cost of printing and binding the materials she uses for her after-school study program at the Carver Center in Norwalk and Waterside School in Stamford. This program for elementary school students focuses on developing good study and homework habits, expanding vocabulary and improving test-taking skills.

This past year the United Way invested $15,000 to help fund an additional community outreach counselor for the Domestic Violence Crisis Center. This funding allows the counselor to work on multiple fronts, in the start-up a community task force, in increasing awareness of the domestic violence in our community, and supporting the newly created separate docket at the Norwalk Court for cases involving domestic violence.

This year, the United Way has allocated a total of $15,000 to the Warm-Up Funds of Westport and Weston and in close collaboration with the Department of Human Services, will administer the program for Westport.

The list goes on, but by now you should have a good idea about how the United Way strives to address community needs and create lasting change. We are constantly evaluating our goals and programs to try to figure out how we can improve them and what else we should be doing that will have a lasting impact on challenges facing our community. We need your help in this effort.

As our Annual Campaign gets underway in the next few weeks each local household will receive a letter asking for support. The United Way supporters in our community have enabled us to make a real difference in the lives of our friends and neighbors in Westport and Weston. This support has been particularly appreciated given the many charitable demands created by the disasters that have struck our nation and the world over the past several years.

We need our supporters to renew their commitments to the United Way. Only through the generous support of our past donors and with additional contributions from community members who have not previously joined our efforts will the United Way of Westport and Weston be able to continue to provide essential services and meet new needs as they arise in our communities.

To learn more about the United Way of Westport and Weston, or to volunteer, please email us at united.way.westport@snet.net or call us at 227-1743. And please give generously to our Annual Campaign.

Lynn Abramson
President, Board of Directors