Newsletter 
  April - May 2019
  United Way of Knox County, Ohio

In This Letter

Annual Meeting

Knox County ROX

Donley Auto Group
United Way Campaign
Contest Winner

Driven to Give with
Mount Vernon GM 

Free Tax Preparation Assistance 

Imagination Library
The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Online Presence

2020 Program Investments

Women United 
Recovery House Project

Power of the Purse

Volunteer Opportunities

Join us!

Upcoming 
United Way events

Friday, May 10 
Power of the Purse
Woodward Oprah House
Tickets
Contact Allison

Thursdays 5:30-6:30p.m.
YMCA Youth Enrichment
YMCA, United Way
OSU Extension and KCH join forces: Get a workout while your child learns something new each week! Free for YMCA members, $5 non-members
Call 740 392 9622

Daily
Edible Knox

Email for more details.

Join Our Friends!

Upcoming 
Community Events
 
Saturday, April 20 
12 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Brown Family Environmental Center
Earth Day at the BFEC
Brown Family Environmental Center, Kenyon College
See the Details!

Wednesday, April 24
6:00 PM
The Woodward Opera House, 2 Floor Recital Hall
Be A Parent, Not a Friend
Premier of the Teen Advisory Council's video production

Saturday, April 27 
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Knox County Health Department 
Drug Take Back Day
FREE disposal of unused or expired medications - no liquids. Sponsored by KSAAT. 

Saturday, April 27 
Walmart
Wellness Day Event
In partnership with FamilyWize and 
United Way, Walmart will be offering free Cholesterol and glucose tests, blood pressure screenings, giveaways, and more.

Daytime and Evening sessions available
Triple P
Positive Parenting Lessons
Mount Vernon Library
Childcare available through YMCA

May 1 through Summer
Ariel Foundation Park
Summer Fitness Schedule - Free Events
Ariel Foundation Park 
Schnormeier Event Center

May 5, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Mount Vernon Farmers Market
Opening Saturday
1 Public Square, Mount Vernon.  
Market is active May through October

Saturdays, 
April 20 - May 18
9 am - 5 pm
Mental Health and Recovery of Licking and Knox Counties
Peer Support  Certification Training
For more information contact  Emily Morrison or call 740.522.1234

Ongoing
Knox Out Tobacco
is looking for Service and Referral Providers
Contact Mike Whitaker 
740.392.2200 ext. 2233

1st Monday Each Month, 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.
the Freedom Center
Family Education Session
106 East Gambier St

During the School Year
Ohio Job and Family Services
New online Child Care Resource tool to find childcare before and after school.

Ongoing:
Get Healthy Knox County

Email for more details or to share your organization's events in the next newsletter!

In the News!

Recent Program and Community Events

Let's Talk About it: The Raw Truth of Domestic Violence
New Directions'  April 
event  an d

Alcohol Server Training
At the KCHD supported by KSAAT took place April 3

Brown Bag Chat
Get Healthy Knox County
United Way
Knox Community Hospital
Shared information about Healthy Living
Pictures are also available at the GHKC website

Women's Recovery House
Licking Knox Board of Mental Health and Recovery

KSAAT
Released an Updated Resource Book

United Way Videos 
Hear the United Way Stories
 

Email for more details or to share a story or event for the next newsletter.
Get Involved!

Active Enrollment Opportunities

SPI
Summer Camp Registration is open - special pricing for members or income-based scholarships and helpful services such as shuttles. Check out www.spi.jumbula.com for all the details!

Women United 
Utilizes the power of women to advance the common good in our community.

Imagination Library 
Encourages learning by providing free books to children birth to age 5.
 Email us to register, become a sponsor or to donate to the program

Knox County YMCA
Promotes health & fitness programs for all ages.

Muskingum Valley Council
Scouts are actively recruiting Boys AND girls for their scouting programs. Visit BeAScout.scouting.org and enter your zip code to find a troop 

Touchpointe KnoxWorks
Removes barriers for Neighbors in need of a second chance to transition to the workforce.
This is a win-win for both 

Email and tell us if you have an active program to include in our next letter.
 




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Do what you can,
with what you've got,
where you are.

- Theodore Roosevelt

Our 26th president used these words in discussion of duty, travel, and the outdoors. Our Knox County community is where we are - and we can each find a way to contribute to create something to be proud of.

Annual Meeting

At our annual meeting, we were pleased and proud to announce that we have achieved our 2018 goal of raising $1,150,000 to support the Knox County programs of the 2019 Investment Agenda!


Our meeting, held at the Alcove Restaurant on February 21, highlighted the 2018 organization and partner successes, shared community stories, and honored top workplace campaigns. Top ten campaign representatives pictured below.



View the 2019 Investment Agenda online to learn about the Knox County programs that our funds raised will be applied to support. Thank you Steve Oster, Superintendent of the Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities, for serving as our 2018 Campaign Chair - pictured below with United Way's Resource Development Coordinator, Allison, and Ariel Corporation Representative and United Way Board Member, Brian.



While we are no longer actively campaigning, donations and program sponsorships are always welcome (or inspire a culture of giving by donating in the name of a loved one). 

Use  this link to make an online donation or text UWay2018 to 41444 and follow the instructions in the return message.

Red Feather Gala

The yearly Red Feather Gala event was held at the Mount Vernon Country Club on Saturday, April 6. At this Kentucky Derby-themed party, we honored our Red Feather Leadership Donors and the impact the Ariel Corporation has on our community through their Philanthropic efforts. 



Our United Way of Knox County team are continuously impressed by the giving nature of this community and in awe of what can be found right here in Knox County. Each year this event reminds us of what we can accomplish together and the power of Living United

Knox County ROX!

ROX girls gathered on International Women's day for an event sponsored by New Direction and United Way of Knox County's affinity group Women United. Representatives for Ruling Our eXperiences organization, including founder and CEO Lisa Hinkleman traveled from ROX World Headquarters to lead the girls in discussion, empowering group break out sessions, and an introduction to self-defense.



Girls from Danville, East Knox, Centerburg, Fredericktown, Knox COunty Career Center, East Elementary, and Mount Vernon Middle School participate in ROX thanks to sponsorship from Women United. The evidence-based empowerment program is designed to promote healthy relationship skills, confidence, and guide girls to live healthy, happy, violence-free lives.


Donley Auto Group - United Way Campaign Contest Winner

Donley Auto Group and United Way celebrated Ariel Corporation employee, Dean McCutchen as the winner of the annual Television giveaway! Everyone who donates $260 or more to the United Way is entered to win the annual Donley Auto Group giveaway. Dean took home the brand new 43 inch smart television on March 11. 



As the Knox County winner, Dean was entered to win a two year lease on a 2018 EcoSport or $5,000. Dean joined local winners from United Way of Ashland, United Way of Crawford County, and United Way of Richland County in the drawing in Galion on Saturday March 16. Congratulations to the United Way of Ashland County participant, who drew the winning key to take home the grand prize.


Thank you to Donley Ford for making this campaign prize available again this year and to our former campaign chair, Ryan Sponsler of Donley Ford, for hosting this event. 


Driven to Give - 
United Way and Mount Vernon GM

Mount Vernon GM hosted the Driven to Give campaign through March. For the whole month, Mount Vernon GM, previously named DeCosky GM Center under different leadership, donated $10 to United Way of Knox County for each test drive. At the end of the month Mount Vernon GM present United Way with a $3,000 donation. That's a lot of test drives!



WCLT T-100.3 hd, Super Q 93.7 WQIO and 13 WMVO joined United Way and Mount Vernon GM staff and community members on March 9 and March 23 to celebrate the reopening of the center, to enjoy food, and to Live United! Thank you Mount Vernon GM and to everyone in the community who experienced the drive to give through this event.


Free Tax Preparation Assistance

In this year's Tax Season, 510 clients were touched by our United Way of Knox County Ohio's Tax Preparation Service through the Ohio Benefit Bank. This includes both Tax Assistance appointments and self-serve clients. Our volunteers and staff completed appointments throughout the day, on weekly evenings, and on 3 different Saturdays. As a conservative $200 price per return, this program saved the community over $102,000 in tax preparation fees. 


Our Tax Assistance volunteers totaled over 241 volunteer hours in Tax appointments - add to that the time that our office volunteers spent creating appointment mailings, on the phone making appointment reminders, and entering client survey responses into the computer tracking system. This is one of our most TAXING volunteer opportunities.

This program saves qualifying clients from paying costly fees to prepare simple tax filings. We help our clients boost savings by making sure that they claim appropriate tax credits, such as the Earned Income Credit and Child Care Credit.

Find out more about the program  online. United Way Free Tax Preparation Assistance Program will be actively recruiting volunteers next Tax Season. Contact [email protected] to learn to E-File taxes using the Ohio Benefit bank program.

Imagination Library Celebrates
The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Imagination Library celebrated the 50th anniversary of The Very Hungry Caterpillar by children's author Eric Carle this March. United Way partnered with Head Start to honor the beloved book in the first week of Spring. Program partners and sponsors took the time to visit Head Start Centers in Knox County and read during the Very Hungry Caterpillar Birthday Celebration Week!



Approximately 160 children were read to by a guest reader - several of them got to host more than one guest. The kiddos loved hearing the story all week (except one little guy who told the guest reader that he liked the story "only ONE time"). Close to 100 parents attended classroom events and participated in Hungry Caterpillar related activities.



Head Start classes continue to study caterpillars and butterflies and many of them have gotten their own caterpillars to watch as they change into butterflies. Keep watching Head Start's Facebook Pages to see their progress!

Pictures from the week are available on our United Way Facebook Page. 

Thank you for supporting our Imagination Library program. To become a program sponsor, pledge your support online or call our office.


Activating Our Online Presence

Many of you may have noticed our new and more active online presence. We have increased our communications on 
Facebook, made it a priority to create new content on 
our website, and have implemented a bi-monthly schedule for our newsletter.  Please take a moment to check out the website , 
Call for Volunteers
 
Would you like to volunteer to serve our Knox County Community?

Active Volunteer Opportunities

YMCA of Mount Vernon
is seeking volunteers to support their child watch services.  Stop by the YMCA's front desk to fill out an application.

Interchurch Social Services
Knox County Locations
Opportunities vary
740.397.4825

We aim to make United Way activities a reflection of Knox County's priorities. We rely on community volunteers to lead the process, we strive to LIVE UNITED.