Women United affinity group of United Way of Knox County, Ohio
Newsletter July & August 2020
If you have not renewed your membership for 2020, Please take moment to do so by clicking the Women United Dues link below and selecting the membership level of your choice.
Stay up-to-date with Women United events and activities by visiting our website and Facebook.

Hello,
 
Wow, what a year 2020 has been so far. Events have been cancelled, people are working remotely and PPE is a new acronym everybody talks about. I just wanted you to know that despite life taking a sharp turn, we are still active and making things happen at United Way. Since we cancelled our Power of the Purse, many generous patrons donated their table sponsorships to Women United. Since we do not have the funds to provide a backpack and supplies, we are purchasing each elementary school in Knox County (30) $10 Staples Gift Cards. We trust that the leadership at each school will make the most of this gift and get them in the hands of their most deserving students. We also bought taxable cleaning and personal hygiene supplies for Naomi’s House, our Women’s Recovery House. In October, we kick-off our Power of the Purse Online Auction. Lindsay is busy getting the picture and descriptions ready. It is not the fabulous event that we all know and love but this is not a normal year and with your help, we can make enough money to support the ROX girls in our middle and high schools. We can do this!

 Kelly Brenneman
Executive Director
United Way of Knox County, Ohio Inc.
2020 Kickoff Planned!
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2020 Power of the Purse goes Online!


Our Women United affinity group has made the decision to hold an online Power of the Purse Auction, partnering with Jagger Auctioneers, instead of holding a traditional live event.

This unique event will take place online the week of October 11-16, 2020. “This was not an easy decision to make,” remarked United Way of Knox County Ohio Executive Director Kelly Brenneman. This event is a major funding source for our Women United projects each year. Due to COVID-19 and the social distancing challenges that this event would present, we felt it best for Women United to take a year off and wait until we were comfortable holding an event with over 250 ladies safely.”

Power of the Purse does include an online auction each year with mid-range purses and Brenneman feels that it can easily be converted to the main event. “Our online auction grows every year as we continue to offer great name brand purses. We realize that the online auction will not be as powerful as our traditional event, but this is not a normal year and we are taking lemons and making lemonade,” said Brenneman.

As the event gets closer, more information will be released and shared with Women United from our Website & Facebook Event page. To donate a new purse to the auction, please contact United Way at 740.397.5721 or email lindsay@uwayknox.org.
ROX Measures in the Impact of Pandemic
ROX (Ruling Our eXperiences) and Women United know that the world was complicated for girls before COVID-19, which is why Women United has provided funding to make ROX available to girls in Knox County.

Because all of their work is powered by data, ROX recently deployed a national survey of teen girls to better understand how the current circumstances may be impacting their lives.

The insights from this survey tell us that this generation of girls has the potential to be left behind.
Girls are experiencing newfound fear about their futures since the onset of COVID-19. Over half (52%) of girls are thinking differently about their futures since the start of the pandemic, with nearly 60% reporting fear or uncertainty regarding what the future will bring.

Loneliness and isolation are negatively impacting teen girls at alarmingly high rates. Most girls (80%) are more lonely and isolated since the onset of COVID-19, and a full one-third are much more lonely/isolated.

COVID-19 markedly amplified the stress levels of teen girls. Nearly half of high school girls report experiencing higher stress levels than before the pandemic with 42% reporting that their life is harder than it was before.
Visit this link for more data from the latest research brief including recommendations on how we can help girls thrive during these uncertain times. Including audio clips sharing tips for these uncertain times.