LIVING UNITED: BLOG

The needs are piling up, the hurt is weighing us down, and yet we somehow have to keep going. This pandemic is causing these feelings yes, but it sometimes too is what every day struggles of life look like. It’s wondering how to put food on our tables, making sure we have access to medical care when we can’t get insurance, the need for childcare so we can go to our two jobs, finding a place for our parents so they are cared for and have a community of friends as they age. It’s all of these things and more.

April is National Volunteer Month and right now, many of us are trying to figure out what that looks like. How do we celebrate when we are sheltering in place? There are still many opportunities to volunteer – by sowing masks, by delivering commodities to homeless shelters and area nonprofits, by writing notes to homebound seniors and more. You can see current volunteer opportunities here. For when we have more flexibility with our movement and can volunteer more in person again though, we thought we would share some insights. Happy volunteering! 

Nurses. Doctors. Grocery store employees. Nonprofit staffers. Delivery drivers. Warehouse workers. First responders. Truck drivers. Cleaners. There are so many people who are on the frontlines of the COVID-19 outbreak. They continue to help keep our community safe and the world running. To honor and celebrate their ongoing sacrifice, let’s say thank you! 

We love Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library! But many in our region may still not be signed up for this amazing program. So we wanted to bring a little bit of it to your home, virtually. Take a peek at Mark Madison, Director of Community Impact, reading from one of the Imagination Library’s books, Lion Lessons.

For months, our state and cities have been under orders to stay at home as best we can to ensure the safety and health of ourselves and others. Many of us, it may be inconvenient but nothing more than a frustration. For others, this means being trapped in an unsafe place with an abuser. Hear from one of our partner agencies, Project Safe, about the work they do for those seeking safe shelter from domestic violence.

Check out the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1yD5IBbI5c

Many parents have their kids at home right now and might be searching for ways to keep them engaged and entertained. So United Way Worldwide created a list of easy activities to do with kids age three to five.

What have you been building lately? I can imagine that many of us have learned to construct a swing set or we have redone cabinets or built a raised garden bed. We’ve learned to put together a tent or created a fun Lego kit with our kids. There are so many things we have learned to build. 

Welcome to our Blog!

Welcome to the United Way of Northeast Georgia blog! We are excited to start this adventure with you. Our hope is to use this avenue to share more with you about our passion to motivate and mobilize resources to meet the highest priority needs in our region, how we do that, who we are as an organization and individuals, and tips and stories. We hope you’ll stop back in routinely. Thanks for your support.