United Way

home Staff news United Way Mystery Boxes

United Way Mystery Boxes

By Shannon Cary   Posted in Staff news
Posted on

The College of Health Sciences and University Data, Analytics, and Institutional Research are teaming up to raise money for the Heart of Missouri United Way.

Buy a $5 ticket for your chance to choose from our intriguing selection of Mystery Boxes and claim the treasure within it. Want more chances to win? Purchase 5 tickets for $20.

Winning tickets will be drawn on November 15 at 106 Clark Hall at 2:00 PM. Winners will get to choose their prize box from the Mystery Boxes available. Those unable to attend the in-person drawing will have a box randomly selected for them.

We are bringing you fun filled mystery boxes. Perfect for the Holiday gift giving season. Each box contains interesting item(s) ranging from new, vintage, delicious, useful, themed or just plain weird and fun treasures. You will want to be here for a fun and exciting opportunity!

Support United Way – enter today $5 each or 5 tickets for $20 for more chances to win!

Enter for your raffle ticket information here: https://tinyurl.com/MysteryBx2024

Pay with Cash, Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, or make checks payable to “Heart of Mo United Way”.

When paying via Zelle through your bank, you can make your payment directly into our United Way fundraiser. You initiate the transfer by typing Christine Ludeman at 573-239-9794 and the transfer is made. If you have questions, please contact Christy Ludeman at 882-4077.

Don’t want to enter the raffle but still would like to donate to United Way, you can do that too with the tinyurl link!

Please contact Rose Hayden Haydenrm@missouri.edu or Christy Ludeman Ludemanc@missouri.edu for any questions.

Let us know if you want to donate a box. We will accept your generous donation!

Please forward this on to anyone you think might also want a chance to win.

Thank you,
From the Lewis Hall Ladies

home Staff news Halloween Party and Costume Contest

Halloween Party and Costume Contest

By Shannon Cary   Posted in Staff news
Posted on

Come have a scary good time at the libraries’ Halloween party and costume contest! Join us on October 31st from 9:30-11 to grab treats and see the amazing costumes! Bring cash or your spare change to cast your votes for your favorite costumes! Winners get a prize, and all money raised will go to the Heart of Missouri United Way campaign.

Voting will be open until 10:30, with winners announced after donations are counted. Can’t make it in person but have a wicked costume? Send a picture of your costume to jbanderson@missouri.edu by 9:00am, and your costume will be included in the contest!

Everyone is welcome to come grab a bagel and enjoy the contest!

Donations to the United Way campaign will be accepted until December 13th. You can give cash donations to the libraries’ ambassadors (Colleen Smith and Jara Anderson) or donate online at uwheartmo.org/mu.

What is United Way? Heart of Missouri United Way is a volunteer-driven organization supporting Boone, Cooper, and Howard counties. It funds nearly 30 local agencies that provide educational, financial, and health or well-being programs, such as City of Refuge, Love Columbia, Read Across Columbia, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and many more! In 2023, over 33,000 people—or 1 in 5 people—received support through our local United Way. Your money is guaranteed to stay right here in the heart of Missouri.

home Staff news Help Us Build a Better Future

Help Us Build a Better Future

By Shannon Cary   Posted in Staff news
Posted on

We’ve been through a lot in 2020. And we still face significant uncertainty in the coming months and years. But this moment is also an opportunity to build a better future. One that includes every person in our community.

As our country and community recovers from the pandemic, we will see greater need for years to come. Consider this:

  • 11 million Americans are unemployed (U.S. Department of Labor)
  • 7% of the population of Columbia lives in poverty (Boone Indicators Dashboard)
  • More than 1 in 10 don’t know where their next meal is coming from (Feeding America)
  • 5% of Boone County residents are food insecure (Feeding America)
  • 38% of Boone County residents experiencing food insecurity are above the income threshold for nutrition assistance programs (Feeding America)
  • At least 30 million people are at risk of eviction (Aspen Institute)
  • 1 in 7 students don’t graduate high school (National Center for Education Statistics)

Addressing these challenges will take every one of us. Every day Heart of Missouri United Way helps chip away at these problems. The progress we make is only possible because of donors like you. Please help us do more by giving today.

The future will be different than we once imagined. But it can also be better than we ever dreamed it could be.

Sincerely,

Andrew Grabau
Executive Director
Heart of Missouri United Way

P.S. Did you know that for most taxpayers, up to $300 of donations to charity are deductible in 2020? Please, give to Heart of Missouri United Way now.

Donate Here

home Staff news Still Time to Support United Way

Still Time to Support United Way

By Shannon Cary   Posted in Staff news
Posted on

While the active period of the Mizzou Heart of United Way Campaign has come to an end, there is still time to join the campaign! So far we have raised nearly $300,000 and we still hope to hit our goal of $400,000 by the end of the year.

For those hoping to give through payroll deduction, those pledges can be made at unitedway.missouri.edu until Dec. 15.

Live United Day – November 21

Join the Columbia community at Level Up Entertainment (in the Columbia Mall) on November 21. From 5-9 p.m. 50% of ALL REVENUE at Level Up will benefit United Way. Great way to support the community while having a fun night with your family.

Every additional person that we mobilize, every extra dollar that is donated, helps address critical needs in our community.

If you haven’t already given, please consider making a pledge for long-term impact in our community. You can make an electronic pledge at unitedway.missouri.edu.

If you have any questions about Heart of Missouri United Way or making a gift, please contact me.

Thanks for your support and your commitment to the community.

 

home Staff news Thanks to Everyone Who Participated in the United Way Bake Sale!

Thanks to Everyone Who Participated in the United Way Bake Sale!

By Shannon Cary   Posted in Staff news
Posted on

The Great Libraries Bake Off was a big sucess! We raised $99 and enjoyed lots of yummy baked goods! Thanks to everyone who participated. Special thanks to the following staff who provided the baked goods.

Rachel Brekhus
Shannon Cary
Gwen Gray
Erin Powell
Ann Campion Riley
Paula Roper
Sheila Voss

You can give directly to United Way at  https://unitedway.missouri.edu.

home Staff news Great University Libraries Bake Off!

Great University Libraries Bake Off!

By Shannon Cary   Posted in Staff news
Posted on

As promised, here are some more details about our United Way bake sale next week. See the original post below.

  • The bake sale will be in the Admin office, but we will send out photos each day. If staff who are not in Ellis want to participate, just email me with your request. We will try to make deliveries.
  • If you want to buy baked goods, it will help if you have change. So plan ahead!
  • Bakers, please bring your items to the Admin office in the morning. Also, please price your items and have them bagged or wrapped. We will sell large items, like cakes and pies by the slice. We can sell small items in groups, like 2 or 3 smaller cookies.
  • Thanks to Gwen Gray and Sheila Voss who are helping out with the coordination of the bake sale.
  • Can’t wait to see all the yummy treats!

 

To support United Way, we are going to have a bake off (really, it’s a bake sale) on Nov. 4-8. Please participate by bringing in your best bake goods or purchasing the yummy treats! All the proceeds will support United Way’s fight against poverty in Boone County.

To make it more fun and more like the Great British Bake Off, each day of the bake sale will have a theme!

  • Monday: Cakes and Pies
  • Tuesday: Cookies and Brownies
  • Wednesday: Muffins and Scones
  • Thursday: Free for All
  • Friday: Leftovers!

I will send out more details soon!

If you would like to give to United Way right now, go to https://unitedway.missouri.edu.

home Staff news Announcing the Great University Libraries Bake Off for United Way!

Announcing the Great University Libraries Bake Off for United Way!

By Shannon Cary   Posted in Staff news
Posted on

To support United Way, we are going to have a bake off (really, it’s a bake sale) on Nov. 4-8. Please participate by bringing in your best bake goods or purchasing the yummy treats! All the proceeds will support United Way’s fight against poverty in Boone County.

To make it more fun and more like the Great British Bake Off, each day of the bake sale will have a theme!

  • Monday: Cakes and Pies
  • Tuesday: Cookies and Brownies
  • Wednesday: Muffins and Scones
  • Thursday: Free for All
  • Friday: Leftovers!

I will send out more details soon!

If you would like to give to United Way right now, go to https://unitedway.missouri.edu.

home Staff news 2019 Mizzou United Way Campaign

2019 Mizzou United Way Campaign

By Shannon Cary   Posted in Staff news
Posted on

How does United Way play role in meeting immediate needs while addressing systemic, generational poverty?

  • The underlying issues are the focus of United Way’s work.
    • Education – programs like early childhood education, literacy, tutoring.
    • Health – programs for mental & physical health, substance abuse, healthy lifestyles.
    • Financial stability – programs like job skills, financial literacy & budgeting.
    • Basic needs – programs like food banks & emergency shelters.
  • This year, Heart of Missouri United Way will:
    • Fund 47 grants to 34 different agencies.
      • Grants are DATA DRIVEN and outcomes are measured for every program.
      • Volunteers give more than 460 hours of time to the review and allocation cycle.
    • Invest more than $2 million in the local community through
      • financial support to non-profit agencies for specific programs.
      • coaching, mentoring, and supporting agencies in pursuit of excellence.
      • convening government, industry, education, and the non-profit sectors to identify address top community needs.
    • Despite this significant level of investment, we could only fund 60% of agency requested dollars in the 2019 Community Investment cycle.

If you would like to support United Way, go to the 2019 Mizzou United Way Campaign.

home Staff news Fight Poverty in Boone County: Support United Way

Fight Poverty in Boone County: Support United Way

By Shannon Cary   Posted in Staff news
Posted on

Hope can be hard to come by for people born into generational poverty in Boone County. In other words, if you are born poor in Boone County, you are likely to stay poor. In the national Opportunity Atlas, Boone County is at the 15th percentile nationally for likelihood to escape generational poverty. [www.opportunityatlas.org/] We are second to only the City of St. Louis when we look at GENERATIONAL POVERTY.  

United Way fights to improve lives in our community and brings together more than 200 companies, the City of Columbia, Boone County, stakeholders and service agencies to address pressing issues in our community.

We know that in our community:

  • Unemployment is 2% BUT
    • 40% of households reporting income earn under 200% of the federal poverty level.
      • ($24,120 for an adult, $40,848 for one adult with 2 kids)
    • More than 40% of children in Columbia Public Schools are on free or reduced lunch.
    • 51% of households in Columbia are “cost burdened” – where more than 30% of their income goes toward paying for their home (compared to 43% in Missouri).
    • The child poverty rate in Boone County is 15.2%.
    • Last year, a total of more than 200 kids in the Columbia Public Schools were listed as not having a stable place to sleep at some point during the school year.

If you would like to support United Way, go to the 2019 Mizzou United Way Campaign.

home Staff news United Way Raffles and Request for Baked Goods

United Way Raffles and Request for Baked Goods

By Shannon Cary   Posted in Staff news
Posted on

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Chili Kickoff!

On Wednesday, October 24 please bring in your baked goods, individually wrapped and priced. We will hold our United Way bake sale in 104 Ellis Library all day or until the treats run out! Anyone who brings in baked goods or buys baked goods will be entered in a raffle. The raffle prize is a pair of football tickets or a Libraries mug and umbrella.

There will be one final raffle drawing on Friday, October 26. Everyone who has participated by filling in the online or paper United Way form will be entered in this raffle.

Thanks to everyone for supporting our United Way campaign!

University Libraries United Way Committee
Sheila Voss, Chair
Michelle Baggett
Shannon Cary
Gwen Gray