Connect the Dots Between You and Your Community

Kandice RileyConnecting the Dots

united way logo with text that reads "connect the dots, united way of the ozarks

United Way of the Ozarks is excited to launch our 2020 campaign Connect the Dots. This year, we are connecting the dots by helping people understand the linkages between the individuals, businesses, and government and nonprofit agencies that help our community thrive.  Each month, you’ll have the chance to tune into our Connect the Dots video series that dives into a local red flag issue and shows you how we can work together to address it. Our individual and collective successes are interdependent; in fact, the red flags and blue ribbons in our community can only be addressed by all of us working together.

Here’s the introduction to the series:

As you learn more about the issues we face together as a community this year, we’ll give you the inside scoop on how you can connect the dots and be part of the solution. We unite the community in the fight for health, education, and financial stability for all. To help us achieve this, you can give, advocate, and volunteer. 

Give

As a United Way donor, you’re investing in a better future for your entire community. Instead of supporting a single issue or organization, we provide the opportunity to increase the impact of your gift across a network of nonprofits that work together to solve community problems. Whether you participate in our annual workplace campaign, are an individual donor, sponsor a United Way event, or include United Way in your will, your donation supports dozens of nonprofit programs that create a safety net for the most vulnerable individuals in our community. United Way brings together our partner nonprofits so that we can all work together to address our red flags and blue ribbons more efficiently and effectively. 

United Way donors are also the ones who decide how their dollars make an impact. Donors who serve as Community Investment panelists are instrumental in determining how our funds are distributed to programs that improve our community’s access to health, education, and financial stability. Our donors truly make our dreams for tomorrow become a reality today.

Advocate

As an advocate for United Way, you are joining the thousands of individuals that fight for change in our community. Whether it’s poverty, educational equity, or access to mental health services, no community issue exists in a silo. It takes all of us with our diverse perspectives, connections, and solutions to solve the problems we face as a community. When you choose to be a voice for those in need, you help support over 117,000 neighbors in the Ozarks. 

Volunteer

United Way volunteers show up and put in the work to take care of our community. Every year, we host the largest single-day volunteer event in the Ozarks, Day of Caring, where thousands of volunteers complete hundreds of volunteer projects at local agencies. Give 5 matches baby boomer generation retirees with unfilled volunteer opportunities in the community. Hands on for Seniors volunteers complete outdoor home maintenance projects for senior citizens in Greene County so they have a safe, accessible place to call home. Each spring, our volunteer Community Investment panelists determine how funding will be allocated across our network of partners. These and other volunteer opportunities are available on Volunteer Ozarks, the website we created in collaboration with KY3, Community Foundation of the Ozarks, and Drury University’s Center for Nonprofit Leadership. When you choose to show up and volunteer with us and our partner organizations, our Ozarks community grows stronger.

Join the Fight

As you can see, there are many ways to get involved with United Way through giving, advocating, and volunteering. We often hear the question, “What is United Way?” Our answer: you are United Way. When you show up to give, advocate, and volunteer with United Way of the Ozarks, you own your community and become part of the solution. Sign up to receive our monthly videos here and join us in the fight for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in our community. Now more than ever, we must live united.