All the Latest - December 2023

All the Latest from United Way of Lake County | December 2023

Community Impact Leaders

Life's Domino Effect: The Fallout of One Wrong Move

As Shared by UWLC President & CEO Dione DeMitro

Stories that Matter. Stories that Move Us. Watch Above Video Now.

Nearly one-third of our Lake County friends and neighbors are struggling to afford basic needs, and the holiday provides a wonderful opportunity to make a difference with a gift you do not have to wrap. This season of giving serves as a poignant reminder of the power we have in uniting to make a difference.

Your gift will help put food on the table for those struggling with hunger, obtain medical care and prescriptions for our uninsured and underinsured, provide shelter for our homeless, refuge and care for victims of domestic violence, and much more. When you make your gift today, your heartfelt generosity will provide help and hope to the most vulnerable among us.

We Hope You Will Find a Place in Your Heart to Help those Suffering by Making a Holiday Gift Today.

$25 provides a senior in need with a week's worth of warm, nutritious Congregate Meals.
$25 provides a Dolly Parton Imagination Library book every month for one year for 2 pre-k children to help combat the 50% of Lake County kids that enter kindergarten without the sufficient skills and knowledge to do so.
$50 provides one night of shelter for our homeless.
$60 provides one night of refuge and care for a victim of domestic violence.
$100 provides $1,200 in medical and dental care to uninsured and underinsured residents.

YOUR GIFT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

This Holiday, Giving from the Heart Comes with Many Rewards.

Learn about the Exciting Rewards that Come from Making a Minimum $52 Gift by Watching the Above Video Now!

A minimum $52 donation - just $1 a week - is all it takes to put you in the running to win your choice of the two amazing prizes featured in the above video while helping the most vulnerable among us. Click the button below for all the great details and additional cash prizes you may also qualify to win when making a holiday gift!

COMPLETE CONTEST DETAILS

Register Now to Join our Emerging Leaders' 4 Under 40 Awards Ceremony the Evening of Thursday, January 18th at The Everly!

United Way of Lake County's Emerging Leaders' 4 Under 40 Awards honors our community's next generation of leaders. Join us for a celebratory evening where we will pay tribute to Lake County's best and brightest young professionals in the areas of leadership, community involvement, entrepreneurship, and professional accomplishment.

We look forward to recognizing this outstanding group of young professionals with this prestigious award for their hard work and achievements over heavy hors d'oeuvres and drinks.

Please Join us in Celebration of the Following 2023 Award Winners!

Sarah Bals

Owner, 440 Marketing; Executive Director, Lake County Development Council

Lindsay Defeo

Owner, Leolo Hospitality (Mentor)

Anna Dey

Owner, Smoothie King (Mentor & Painesville); Owner, Clean Eatz (Mentor & Westlake); Owner, The Yard on 3rd (Willoughby); Owner, The Vitamin Shoppe (Huber Heights); Partner, Bario Tacos + Tequila (Columbus & Pittsburgh); Founder & Director, The 24 in 24

Andie Musial

Professor of Biology, Co-Advisor of Phi Theta Kappa, Alpha Psi Rho, Lakeland Community College

The celebration will take place at The Everly in Mentor. Advance registration is required. Click below now for complete details and registration information. We hope to see you there!

CLICK HERE NOW FOR REGISTRATION DETAILS!

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES.

Letters of Intent (LOI) for United Way of Lake County Funds Being Accepted Through January 15, 2024.

At United Way of Lake County, we are opening our funding process and accepting Letters of Intent (LOI) from nonprofit organizations to request funding for the 2024 application cycle covering the 2024-2025 program year.

LOIs are being accepted now through January 15, 2024.

Nonprofits with programs currently funded by UWLC do not need to submit an LOI unless it is for a new program. All others with programs that align with our mission of measurably improving the quality of people's lives in Lake County and conform with one or more of our impact areas outlined here are invited to submit an LOI.

We have transitioned from the traditional closed funding model to an open approach.

“Our commitment remains to invest the dollars entrusted to us where there is the greatest need. To that end, we must balance supporting our current partners with a willingness to be responsive and agile during a time of great change,” said UWLC President and CEO Dione DeMitro.

Complete LOI submission details and eligibility criteria can be found here.

COMPLETE LOI DETAILS AVAILABLE HERE.

Volunteers Needed to Serve on our Community Impact Committee.

We are currently looking for volunteers to serve on our Community Impact Committee to help evaluate requests for funding and determine which nonprofit programs will receive grants as part of our 2024 allocation cycle. If you have an interest in the Lake County nonprofit community and a passion for making a difference, we invite you to fill out a volunteer application form here.

Communuty Impact Volunteers will meet once a week throughout this upcoming March and April to evaluate all funding requests and make impactful funding decisions. Training will be provided.

APPLY TO VOLUNTEER ON OUR COMMUNITY IMPACT COMMITTEE.

Notable Highlights

Women United Sets New Fundraising Record, Surpassing $100,000 with Winterfest Event and Online Raffle!

Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude for the incredible 450 women who turned out in full force to support our Women United's Winterfest & Holiday Food Tasting fundraiser to benefit Lake County women and children in need.

This year's ninth event was presented by Lighthouse Advisers in Mentor.

The fundraiser was held the evening of Thursday, November 30th at the American-Croatian Lodge.

Twenty restaurants participated, offering delicious samples to our guests, who also enjoyed loads of fantastic raffle prizes, a wine pull, Santa Sack surprise gifts, a Holiday Cash Explosion prize contest, and manicures compliments of The Brown Aveda Institute in Mentor.

The fundraiser also included two online raffles that ran leading up to and after the event. Record funds were raised from both the event and the accompanying online raffles which totaled over $100,000 in proceeds. Thanks to the generosity of our community, hundreds of lives will be positively impacted.

Online raffle winners can be found here.

SEE ALL THE FUN WINTERFEST PHOTOS HERE!

The Jerome T. Osborne and Georgeanne S. Osborne Charitable Trust Grants $75,000 to Support Our Fight Against Food Insecurity.

We are proud to announce our receipt of a generous $75,000 grant from the Jerome T. Osborne and Georgeann S. Osborne Charitable Trust. This significant contribution has been designated to strengthen our ongoing efforts in our fight against food insecurity.

Maryann Chaloupka and Sunny Masters, administrator of the trust, visited our office to award the funds.

According to Chaloupka, “The goal of the members of the Jerome T. Osborne and Georganne S. Osborne Charitable Trust is to effect positive change throughout our community in the same way that my dad did for so many years. Supporting nonprofits such as United Way of Lake County helps to build a stronger, healthier community. My family and I are grateful for this opportunity and proud to partner with United Way in their fight against hunger.” Continue reading here.