SEFCU Community Expo - a Nice Surprise for United Way 2-1-1!

Yesterday, one of our long-time volunteers, Frieda, came into the office with a big smile on her face, carrying a large plastic laminated check for... $2,500 from SEFCU!  The grin on her face erupting into laughter, she told me how she had won it for United Way 2-1-1 in a raffle at the SEFCU Community Expo on Sunday! 

What a wonderful gift for our program.  Anything earned this year will go towards chipping away at our deficit which looms large even this year.  Efforts to find multiple sources to fund United Way 2-1-1 are ongoing and while I still remain perplexed at why New York State chose to disconinue funding to build the 2-1-1 system statewide, I remin firm in my conviction that a fully-funded and operational 2-1-1 system could be the true nexus of the human services system, where ever it exists. 

In fact, if I were to dream of what 2-1-1 could do for the Capital Region - fully-funded - here is the beginning of my list....

• a service that all citizens would know about (just as they know about and use 9-1-1) and use all the time to connect them quickly (and courteously) to the services they need.
• a service that would help to demystify and destigmatize accessing human services.
• a service that could be accessed via online chat, texting and email as well as the easy-to-remember 2-1-1 phone number.
• a service that would also offer an easy-to-use online search platform, for anyone who prefers to search for services themselves.
• a service that identifies gaps in services and community needs as they are happening... and reports these to funders and decision-makers so they in turn can respond to the community.
• and so much more...

While exact funding sources are still unsure at this point in time, continued work by United Way of the Greater Capital Region as well as our agency, Family and Children's Service of the Capital Region, will ensure funding from multiple funidng streams to keep United Way 2-1-1 up and running into the future. 
In the meantime, I want to tell you one more thing about Frieda.  She tells me that when the SEFCU spokesperson announced that they would now be presenting the winners of the non-for-profit raffle, she stood up and immediately started walking toward the stage.  Something inside her had told her that she would be accepting an award for United Way 2-1-1.  When United Way 2-1-1's name was pulled out of the box and the award was announced, she was already halfway up to the stage, and just kept on walking, big grin on her face.

Thank you Frieda!  And a very big thank you to SEFCU!  You have helped us get that much closer to the dream of what 2-1-1 can be for our community.