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Caring about Community
AUGUST 2024
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Sunny Smiles at Sunrise
Last month we had a wonderful event at the Sunrise Community in Lincolnton! United Way of Lincoln County hosted this afternoon event for all the Sunrise residents as well as those around Lincolnton to help build our community. Residents and organizations from across the community came together for a cookout and to learn more about the amazing resources offered in Lincoln County!
Included organizations and resources were WellCareNC, Lincoln County Family YMCA, Lincoln County Senior Services, Lincoln County DSS, Community Care of NC, Lincoln County child Advocacy Center, Kintegra Health, Gaston Community Action, Lincoln County School, and Communities in Schools. These organizations showed up for the fun, sharing their information with Sunrise residents! With food, fun, and fellowship, this event was a blast!
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As the summer heats up, so did the calls to 211 and our main office! 211 reported 85 calls through the month of July, and we had dozens in the office as well. Based on the 211 data, the primary focus was for housing and shelter needs. Within this category, nearly 40% called for help with low-cost housing, and just over 30% called for rent assistance. The next highest category was utilities, with electric bills being the main issue people sought help for. Beyond these calls, many of our neighbors and fellow community members were searching for food pantries, help with money management, clothing and personal hygiene needs, and so much more. Having access to this kind of data and information is very helpful in indicating the main areas of concern that our community faces. When we know where the problems lie, we are better equipped to face them! | |
What's Happening in Our Community! | |
Back to School Student Fest!
While many of the other area back-to-school events have already past, western Lincoln County students still have the opportunity to get ready for the beginning of the new year with this fun event, happening this weekend (8/10)! This event will have free hair cuts, school supplies, groceries, clothes, and more! It's open to all students who attend North Brook, Childers, Love Memorial, Union, West Middle, or West High! Share this far and wide!
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Sneak Peaks at UWLC Events | |
Save the date for United Way of Lincoln County's Annual Meeting happening October 10, 2024! | |
Stuff the Bus is Coming to a Close | |
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Sadly, our Stuff the Bus event is nearly over. We are so grateful for all our donation locations and every single person who has donated school supplies and materials for Lincoln County children! These donations will help families and children be prepared for the upcoming school year!
A massive thank you to each of our donation sites: Bosch, Sally’s YMCA, First Federal Savings Bank, Lincoln Cultural Center, Lincoln County Senior Services, Kintegra Health, City of Lincolnton-City Hall, Salem Industries. Keller Williams Advantage, Chick-fil-A Denver (NC), First Federal Bank - West, United Bank-Lincolnton, United Bank-West Lincoln, Atrium Health Lincoln, Robert Bosch Tool Corp, Bosch (Shelby Plant), Covenant Church, Lincoln County Family YMCA, Lincoln County Tax Department, ProWellness Family Chiropractic, The Christmas Haus, Tabelco, and Verdict Ridge!
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It's Not Too Late:
Volunteers Wanted!
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If you're looking for a way to connect with your community and want to have a lot of fun, you're in luck! United Way of Lincoln County is looking for volunteers for Sort Day and Shop Day! Sort Day, 8/9, will occur at the Central ARC and the West ARC, and volunteers will go through and organize the donations from Stuff the Bus, while Shop Day is on 8/13. Both of these events are going to be a lot of fun and full of that back-to-school spirit! If you're interesting in volunteering, sign-up below! | |
August's Community Partner Highlight: Communities in Schools
We're highlighting one of our amazing partner agencies this month: Communities in Schools of Lincoln County! Established in 1991, this organization serves all four middle schools in the county through an elective class, where trained CIS Site Coordinators work with students through multi-tiered supports. They also help with mental health check-ins, provide social-emotional coping strategies and resources, and conduct home visits to bring assignments to those without printers. In fact, their data shows that CIS students raised their grade by two grade levels due to the hard work and passion that CIS Site Coordinators have for their students. The CIS Site Coordinators are such an incredible resource for our middle schools!
Communities In Schools ensures that students get the support they need through one-on-one attention with the goal of graduating and having strong life skills needed to contribute to our community. With the belief that all students need one-on-one relationships with a caring adult, a safe place to learn, a healthy start and future, a marketable skill upon graduation, and a change to give back to their community, CIS works tirelessly to serve Lincoln County families and students. For more information, check out the video below!
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June's Board Member Highlight:
Natalie Graham
This month we're excited to highlight board member Natalie Graham! Having grown up in Lincoln County, Natalie is a steady member of our community, often ready to offer her leadership and guidance to those in need. As a Global Human Resources Analytics/Reporting and Data Governance Team Lead with Bank of America, Natalie is well-versed in the corporate world as well as the nonprofit world! Having joined United Way of Lincoln County in 2021, she has served three wonderful years with our organization, highlighting her skills on our Events Committee by helping arrange and organize our events, such as the annual Christmas Gala. She is unwavering in her dedication to our organization, and we're so glad for her input and hard work! In her personal life, she loves traveling and trying new restaurants, but her favorite place is definitely her very own backyard—Lake Norman. Thank you so much to Natalie Graham and everything she does for United Way of Lincoln County and our community as a whole!
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A Massive Thank You to
Our Community Champion!
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