United Way in Donation Deficit

A RECENT SURVEY BY THE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION ADOPT A CLASSROOM FOUND THAT ON AVERAGE K THROUGH 12 TEACHERS IN FLORIDA SPENT ALMOST $1000 EVERY YEAR OUT OF POCKET ON SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR THEIR STUDENTS IN FORT MYERS, THE UNITED WAY OF LEE HENDRY GLADES HELPED ALLEVIATE THOSE EXTRA COSTS FOR TEACHERS BY GIVING AWAY NEARLY $200,000 WORTH OF CLASSROOM SUPPLIES AND FURNITURE. TEACHERS WAITED FOR HOURS FOR THE CHANCE TO RECEIVE FILING CABINETS, ART SUPPLIES, WHITE BOARDS AND MANY OTHER ITEMS. IT IS THE SIX-YEAR, THE NIGHT AWAY HEALTHY EVENT DESPITE FACING DIRE FUNDING CONCERNS OF THEIR OWN. >> FOR MORE, I AM JOINED BY HANNAH PELLE, THE INTERIM PRESIDENT AND CEO OF UNITED WAY OF LEE. >> HENDRY AND GLADES. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. >> AND THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. >> UNITED WAY RECENTLY TOOK PART IN A SUCCESSFUL EVENT THAT HAD TEACHERS FROM LEE COUNTY LINED UP FOR HOURS, STARTING AS EARLY AS 04:00AM IN DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE EVENT AND HOW IT CAME TO FRUITION? >> YES, SO WE HAVE MANY PARTNERSHIPS COMMUNITY AND ONE THAT WE'RE MOST PROUD OF IS THE FOUNDATION FOR LEE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WE WE HOST EVENTS WITH THEM ALL THE TIME. WE HAVE A INTERNAL PROGRAM AT UNITED WAY, CALL GIFTS IN KIND. BUT WE RECEIVE AND DONATIONS AND THROUGHOUT AND THE YEAR. GOODS AND OFFICE SUPPLIES FOR NYCHA CLASSROOM SUPPLIES AND I'M JUST TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF THAT PROGRAM LAST YEAR WE RECEIVED OVER 10 MILLION DOLLARS AND FREE DONATED ITEMS. AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO PARTNER WITH THIS WITH THE FOUNDATION FOR LEE COUNTY, PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND TO HELP THE TEACHES WE PROVIDED AND JUST ALMOST $200,000 IN CLASSROOM SUPPLIES AND AND OVER 300 TEACHERS SHOWED UP THAT DAY. AND YES, YOU'RE RIGHT. AND THEY STARTED AT 4 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING LINING UP AT THE FILING CABINETS AND CHAZ AND KINDS OF CLASSROOM SUPPLIES SENT AND THEY WITH REAL TO. I MEAN. I MUST SAY, THE BACKBONE COMMUNITY AND THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE TO GO INTO THEIR OWN POCKET AND FAR SUPPLIES LIKE THIS. SO WE ARE THRILLED TO PARTNER. >> THE TEACHERS ARE JUST ONE GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT YOUR ORGANIZATION SERVES. CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE MISSION OF UNITED WAY AND THE SCOPE OF THE WORK THAT YOU DO? AND LEE HENDRY AND GLADES COUNTIES. >> YES, AND ABSOLUTELY SO UNITED WAY. WE ARE A COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION. WITH THEN HE HAS SINCE 1957. AND WE REALLY BRING PEOPLE AND RESOURCES AND AND ORGANIZATIONS TOGETHER TO IDENTIFY LOCAL NEEDS AND INVEST IN SOLUTIONS AND IMPROVE LIVES. MISSION IS TO. WE ARE DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE LIVES OF ALL PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY. >> CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE SIZE OF YOUR BUDGET? AND HOW YOU'RE FUNDED? >> SHOW WE ARE WHO WE ARE FUNDED THROUGH. WE HAVE SOME GRANTS BUT WE HAVE FUNDED COMMUNITY A GENEROUS COMMUNITY AND OVER THE LAST. ALMOST 70 IS WE HAVE DISTRIBUTED 221 MILLION DOLLARS AND OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY INVESTING IN AND WE HAVE 92 PARTNER AGENCIES RIGHT NOW AND WE INVEST IN 260 PROGRAMS AND WE HAVE SOME INTERNAL PROGRAMS TO DO SO. IT'S REALLY FROM THE COMMUNITY. >> NOW, YOU RECENTLY STEPPED IN AS INTERIM PRESIDENT AND CEO AND YOU ARE AT THE HELM OF AN ORGANIZATION THAT REALLY IS FACING A CRITICAL SHORTFALL OF MORE THAN 1 MILLION DOLLARS. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW THIS HAPPENED AND HAS IT EVER HAPPENED BEFORE? WHY THIS IS DIFFERENT IN YEARS PAST. SO. >> FOR THE LAST 35 YEARS WE HAVE MADE THE CAMPAIGN GOAL CONSISTENT WAY. WE TYPICALLY MAKE THAT JEN APRIL AND THIS YEAR HAS BEEN DIFFERENT. AND WE WERE BEGINNING OF JUNE. WILL 1.6 MILLION DOLLARS SHORT AS THAT CAMPAIGN GOAL, WHICH IS 11.5 MILLLION AND WE ARE. WE'RE RIGHT NOW RIGHT AROUND A MILLION DOLLARS SHORT. >> CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THIS CAMPAIGN THAT YOU'VE JUST LAUNCHED RECENTLY FOR THE SUMMER? IT IS CALLED ONE IN A MILLION AND EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS. AND YOU'LL DONATION AND CAN BE ONE IN A MILLION LESS CLOSE. THIS GAP TOGETHER. THIS IS AN URGENT CALL. 2 MAKE THIS GOAL SO WE CAN FIND OUR AGENCIES THAT ARE PROVIDING FOOD ASSISTANCE, HOUSING SUPPORT AND YOUTH PROGRAMS AND I MEAN SO MUCH SENIOR SERVICES AND CRITICAL PROGRAMS THAT WE WE NEED TO FIND THAT WE NEED TO. GET TO SCHOOL. YOU HAVE TO. >> IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE TODAY? I DO KNOW THAT I BELIEVE YOU GUYS HAVE CUT YOUR STAFF BY AT LEAST 12 POSITIONS. SO IT SEEMS LIKE ON YOUR IN YOUR YOU'RE HAVING TO DEAL WITH THIS SITUATION AS WE WILL NOT. >> CUT THE AGENCY'S WITHOUT CUTTING OURSELVES AND MEAN THAT IS JUST NOT IN OUR NATURE. THIS IS A NUDGE, AN AGE, PLEASE. AND EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS. WE HAVE TO CLOSE THIS TAB. AND I JUST APPRECIATE THIS GENEROUS COMMUNITY. THEY HAVE RALLIED FOR EYES FOR THE LAST 70 YEARS. AND AND WE JUST WE HAVE AN AMAZING COMMUNITY HERE. SO AND I JUST THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO GET THE WORD OUT WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. HANNAH POWELL. THANK YOU. >> FOR MORE ON UNITED WAY OF LEE HENDRY GLADES AND THEIR CURRENT ONE IN A MILLION CAMPAIGN. YOU CAN HEAD TO THEIR WEBSITE AT UNITED WAY. THE DOT ORG