Issued Quarterly by United Way of Union County, Inc., 232 N. Main St., Suite I, P.O. Box 145, Marysville, Ohio 43040-0145 Shari Marsh, Executive Director -- Dave Bezusko, Campaign and Public Relations Director
Vol. 3, No. 2 Spring, 2005
In this issue: -- Volunteers give of their time and talents -- Around the Block:Annual Meeting Recap -- How the File of Life can help responders save your life -- New needle disposal program will help keep community safe -- Agency Spotlight: Consolidated Care, Inc. -- I’m too busy to scream for ice cream: Caring Hearts Project -- Local agencies helping families who can’t pay school fees
Volunteers give of their time and talents You can set your watch to it. At 11:15 every weekday morning, you can find Al and Annabelle Converse in the meeting room at the Richwood Civic Center ready to serve lunch to the group that gathers at the Memorial Meals site. It’s a labor of love, literally, for the Richwood couple that has been married for 58 years. The Converses have spent their golden years assisting with the United Way Member Agencies. 93-year old Al serves meal trays and busses tables while 85-year old Annabelle staffs the registration desk. “Everyday for the last 20 years or so,” Al said. “I like to do it, I guess. I just enjoy the people.” Al has amassed more than 4,000 hours of service time over the past two decades, besting Annabelle by about 500 hours. She explained it’s because she took off on Tuesdays a few years back to go shopping! But she’s been a fixture at her post ever since. "Janet Webb said ‘I think Annabelle can take over the desk and do the same thing everyday,’ so I retired to the desk then and I’ve worked here for more than 10 years,” Annabelle said. “I enjoy that because I see everybody everyday and get to talk with them.” The Converses are two of the 1,700-plus volunteers within the United Way family of Member Agencies in Union County, helping to keep administrative costs low. But a common theme among these volunteers who freely give of their free time is a sense of purpose and satisfaction. Longtime United Way Board Member Betty Hoile has been instrumental in building up the annual Community Care Day into the countywide event it’s grown into. As a Publicity Committee volunteer, Hoile loves helping to plan special events which help United Way celebrate volunteerism. “One idea can make big things happen and continue to happen,” Hoile said of the brainstorming sessions the Publicity Committee holds once a month. “The more ideas, the more volunteers, the better the community!” Hoile also encourages her family to be active. Her daughter Jessica, a senior at Marysville High School, assists in the United Way office once a week after school. Volunteer opportunities abound in Union County and there’s always an organization that can benefit from your talents and expertise. United Way can help you if you’re looking to get involved and can guide you or your group to find volunteer activities that meet the interests and schedules of all involved. For more information, call us at (937) 644-8381.	Richwood’s Annabelle and Al Converse been married for 58 years, and have helped staff the Memorial Meals site at the Richwood Civic Center for the last two decades.       “One idea can make big things happen and continue to happen. The more ideas, the more volunteers, the better the community!”       Jessica and Betty Hoile help at a recent United Way event.
How the File of Life can help responders save your life A refrigerator is the typical household’s bulletin board. Magnets keep important schedules, messages, and pictures posted for all who enter the hub of the house—the kitchen—to see. The addition of one more magnet to this information station could save a life. The File of Life program, being promoted by the Richwood Civic Center (a United Way Member Agency) and the Union County Council on Aging, offers a simple and effective means of recording vital information which is stored in a brightly colored file that attaches to your refrigerator door. The goal of the File of Life Committee is to have every Union County resident post this information on the front of their refrigerator door. Then, in the event of a medical emergency in your home, the paramedics who respond to your situation can be made quickly aware of important medical information before beginning treatment. This is especially important if the patient is unable to communicate or cannot think clearly about these details because of their condition. If the File of Life is handy and up to date, responders will not have to rummage through the medicine cabinet looking for clues about allergies or medicines the patient might be taking. This saves critical time and can reduce the effects of any injuries or damage sustained by the victim and could save the victim’s life. So the Richwood Civic Center and the Union County Council on Aging have been working to produce the File of Life kits and distribute them throughout Union County to all residents over the age of 60. But the File of Life is not just for senior citizens. All families should be recording a medical history, allergies, and changes in medication for every person in the household. Individual File of Life packets are available for seniors at the Richwood Civic Center, Windsor and Community Seniors in Marysville, the Council on Aging, Memorial Hospital, your local fire or EMS Department, or your parish nurse. Groups or businesses that would be interested in mass producing the forms for members, employees, or customers can do so as well at minimal cost. The Council on Aging has a template of the forms, which can be customized to include your corporate or group logo. This makes it an attractive advertising opportunity, as the File is placed on the refrigerator for long periods of time. The File of Life should be updated every three months and should include information about your normal pulse rate, blood pressure, emergency contact information, medication you might be on, and advance directives such as “do not resuscitate” orders and living wills.	In the event of a medical emergency in your home, the paramedics who respond to your situation can be made quickly aware of important medical information before beginning treatment.                             Groups or businesses that would be interested in producing the forms for members, employees, or customers can do so. The Council on Aging has a template of the forms, which can be customized to include your corporate or group logo.
Agency Spotlight: Consolidated Care, Inc 715 S. Plum Street, Marysville Bob Ahern, Site Manager 937.655.9192 What it does: Accredited by the Ohio Departments of Mental Health and Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, Consolidated Care provides treatment to families and individuals for a number of behavioral health issues. United Way funding supports CCI’s youth drug and alcohol prevention programming. Other Fast Facts: 2005 United Way allocation was $44,487 (or 44% of the program’s budget). Consolidated Care receives the second largest amount of United Way funding of any Member Agency (Red Cross is first). Reaches thousands of youth in after school-based programming in the Marysville, Fairbanks, and North Union Districts as well as community-based collaboratives with the Juvenile Court system, the Union County Health Department, and the Marysville Victory Center. Prevention of drug and alcohol abuse can nip bigger problems before they happen. “Any time you can prevent a problem, it saves a tremendous amount of money and improves the quality of life for people,” said Will Wright, a CCI preventionist working with area youth. One new program, the Tobacco Education Group, works with kids who have been cited for tobacco use. “Most of our youth start smoking between the ages of 11 and 15 and some even younger than that,” said Ann Popovich-Knueven, a CCI preventionist. “It’s hard to believe that you can be 30 years old and have been a smoking for 20 years. That’s scary.”	Creekview Intermediate students work on a team project during CCI’s after school program.
Around the Block: Annual Meeting Recap The 2005-06 United Way Board of Trustees and new Slate of Officers were approved at the Annual Meeting/Neighborhood Block Party on March 10. The slate includes: John Waite, HER Real Living, President; Brian O’Kane, Siemens, 2nd Vice President; Brady Waltz, Sky Bank, Treasurer; Mike Heifner, Worknet, Assistant Treasurer; Derric Brown, Mannasmith-Hale Funeral Home; John Collier, Union County Sheriff’s Office; Dr. Charita Cooper, Buckeye Sports and Family Chiropractic; Betty Hoile, Honda of America; Chip Hubbs, Memorial Hospital of Union County; Paul Jaeb, Union Rural Electric; LouAnn McKeen, Honda of America; Barb Nicol, Union County Board of MR/DD; Avanelle Oberlin, Retired; Jason Rader, The Scotts Company; Mike Rose, Union Rural Electric; Denise Sheets, Memorial Hospital of Union County; George Spurling, Honda Marysville; and Vince Williams, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. The officer positions of 1st Vice-President, Secretary, and Assistant Secretary will be filled at a later date. This group of volunteers is responsible for guiding the United Way through the next year, making all funding and policy decisions. Dr. Richard Boettcher, former Dean of the College of Social Work at The Ohio State University, spoke about the importance of volunteerism in American society and presented a historical perspective on non-profits.	Plain City’s Steph France performs at the United Way Block Party.       Listen for daily reports on the United Way of Union County on Your United Way Today at 7:50 a.m., 11:40 a.m. and 4:20 p.m. weekdays on
New needle disposal program will help keep community safe Diabetics and other Union County residents who use syringes in their homes have a new, safe way to dispose of their used needles and sharps thanks to a new program developed by Memorial Hospital and the Union County Health Department. The Community Needles Disposal Program, funded by the United Way of Union County, allows for the proper disposal of these commonly used instruments, preventing potential exposure situations and health hazards. Residents can now dispose of their sharps in a puncture-proof container and drop them off at the Memorial Hospital Outpatient Lab or the Health Department Nurses Division. The sharps will then be taken for incineration at no cost to the consumer. Until now, residents and health care facilities creating under 50 pounds of sharps waste a month would have to double-bag the needles and place them in the regular trash. Dee Houdashelt with the Health Department says that during the last two years, law enforcement officials have contacted her about needles being found open in dumpsters or lying in the woods behind Eljer Park. The needles can infect anyone with blood borne pathogens and germs, including hepatitis or HIV. “We know that probably through no fault of the user that needles had been improperly disposed of and put other people at risk,” Houdashelt said. “On the way from the consumer’s home to the landfill, many people handle that trash and many people can get placed at risk, including waste haulers, children, and animals. This is a much better solution.” Residents are asked to follow these steps to properly dispose of their needles and sharps. Dispose of used sharps in a puncture-proof container, ideally a liquid detergent or fabric softener bottle, or at least a milk jug. Do NOT use baggies, cardboard boxes, or grocery sacks. Do not re-cap the needles. Put the needles in the appropriate container needle-first, but uncapped. Take them to the drop-off sites at the Memorial Hospital of Union County Outpatient Lab (Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. or Saturdays from 7:00 a.m. to Noon) or the Union County Health Department Nursing Division (Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.). The needles will be disposed of via incineration, avoiding the landfill. “This is another wonderful collaboration between Memorial Hospital, the Health Department and United Way,” Houdashelt said. “Union County is such a marvelous place to live and work because the professionals who work here all work together so well to create these types of programs that contribute to our community and make it such a wonderful place to live.” The United Way of Union County awarded a $400 grant in February to get the program off the ground.	of Union County..       The Community Needles Disposal Program, funded by the United Way of Union County, allows for the proper disposal of these commonly used instruments, preventing potential exposure situations and health hazards.                 “Union County is such a marvelous place to live and work because the professionals who work here all work together so well to create these types of programs that contribute to our community and make it such a wonderful place to live.”
I’m too busy to scream for ice cream! In February, United Way volunteers and staff went back to school —elementary school— to teach students the ABC’s of caring. It was the sixth Annual Caring Hearts Project in which students collected loose change to help their neighbors. Volunteers talk with students about the importance of thinking about the needs of others, showing them ways they can help. Money raised by the project helps area children through the Youth Arts & Recreation Grant Fund, which pays participation fees for children’s activities, such as summer pool passes. Some of the schools designated half of their proceeds to United Way’s Tsunami Relief Fund to aid countries devastated by the natural tragedy in South Asia. “There are little things that the kids can do to help other people,” said Stephanie Coler, third grade teacher at Edgewood Elementary. “And many of them donated their allowances to help other people.” 2005 Caring Hearts Project School Change Collected Mill Valley Elementary $917.53 Edgewood Elementary $441.75 Fairbanks Elementary $318.72 Fairbanks High School FCA $116.50 Creekview Intermediate $82.07 Other loose change $10.15 2005 Caring Hearts $1,886.72 2004 Caring Hearts $3,086.54 All-Time Caring Hearts $12,777.87	A kindergartener at Mill Valley Elementary digs into his scoop of ice cream during an ice cream party which is awarded to the top classroom in each Caring Hearts school.       Volunteers talk with students about the importance of thinking about the needs of others, showing them ways they can help.
Local agencies helping families who can’t pay school fees Through the teamwork of several social service agencies in Union County, financial assistance is now available to income-eligible families for the purpose of paying basic school fees. Matching $750 grants from the United Way of Union County and the Union County Foundation have made money available to pick up the costs of extra materials, supplies, and lab fees. The Community Action Organization is administering the fund which totals $1,500. Case workers from four other partners; Consolidated Care, the Union County Board of MR/DD, the Union County Department of Job and Family Services, and the Union County Health Department; screen applicants and refer families for the funding. Although the various school districts in the county have different policies regarding the collection of school fees, some families are still unable to cover this cost even when a payment schedule is available through the school district. When payment of school fees is not made by parents, students sometimes feel the ramifications. “If they’re not able to pay their school fees they might not be able to get report cards or they might not be able to participate in the picture taking process,” said Laura Zureich, Associate Director of the Union County Board of MR/DD. “I think the main thing for families is that they want their children to be able to fully participate in the complete school environment.” The program provides up to 90% of the assistance and parents are responsible for the remaining 10%. Assistance is paid directly to the school system.	send your comments to: United Way of Union County, Inc. 232 N. Main St., Suite UW P.O. Box 145 Marysville, Ohio 43040-0145 or eMail us at: mailbag@unitedwayofunioncounty.org