Blog

If I Had A Million Dollars Happy New Year! United Way of Steele County accomplished A LOT in 2018, some things were new like our CommUnity Tables intentional social interaction events and our Volunteer Connect website, and we had great outcomes with ongoing programs like…
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Why Workforce? Happy New Year! United Way of Steele County accomplished A LOT in 2018, some things were new like our CommUnity Tables intentional social interaction events and our Volunteer Connect website, and we had great outcomes with ongoing programs like Incent to…
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
The Season of Gratitude A lot of the time my job is to put a magnifying lens on the community issues that United Way is working on or problems that need to be addressed. It is important that community members are aware of problems that might not directly affect them or of…
Monday, December 17, 2018
Democratic Process Two weeks ago the Midterm election happened.  Even though I am very glad it is over – those ads can be very draining - I am also very encouraged by our local participation in the process.  Over 75% of eligible Steele County voters turned out for this…
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Steele County Nonprofits I frequently get asked the question “how many nonprofits are in Steele County”?  It seems like a reasonable question since United Way formally funds 16 locally operating nonprofits and partner each year with 6-10 other nonprofits, charities, and…
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
After the Fair The Steele County Free Fair, which happened last week, is one of the assets that makes our community great.  We prepare for this event for weeks if not months: the anticipation and buzz builds slowly until it arrives.  Then everyone attends and has a great…
Friday, August 24, 2018
Local Autonomy; Local Culture for United Ways Last month the Star Tribune published an article about the retirement of Greater Twin Cities United Way (GTCUW) Executive Director, Sarah Caruso, after 9 years of service.  The article also discussed changes in the giving…
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
The Annual Grant Making Process It is widely known that United Way of Steele County provides funds to local human service agencies that further our vision of a sustainable and vibrant community where residents enjoy an enriching quality of life, economic opportunities, and…
Friday, May 18, 2018
A Case for Pitching In I am privileged to spend a lot of time with people who care deeply about others and our community.  Hands down it is the best part of my job. UWSC staff and these community members talk a lot about the issues that adversely affect our community, such…
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
“Downtime” at United Way Sometimes people ask me if, now that campaign is over and we hit our goal, if we relax a little or have a little “downtime.”  I do try not to laugh or smirk but for some reason it takes me by surprise every single time.  To be honest, there really…
Tuesday, February 13, 2018