By: Jennifer Holsman Tetreault, Valley of the Sun United Way Board Chair
Valentine’s Day has me thinking warm & fuzzy thoughts. We polled board members, volunteers, affinity group leadership, and United Way staff to collect just a small sampling of reasons to love United Way:
United Way maximizes my investment in ways I could not imagine on my own. The impact made within the community means so much to me and my family. By giving what we have, we receive much more back.
Because Valley of the Sun United Way is focused on those in our community who often have no one else looking out for them.
I love the work and commitment of United Way. The organization is an effective convener of the parties required to make lasting systemic changes in our community. Their commitment to children and families with the goal of ending poverty encourages me to be part of the change.
I love United Way because they take a holistic approach to fighting poverty. They are compassionate, generous, and making a difference in so many lives.
I am blessed with being a part of United Way and Women United. For me, “those who are the happiest, are those who do the most for others” and that is what United Way does.
United Way (and Women United) make an immediate impact in the lives of children in our very own community. It’s not a general, making life better, kind of thing. It’s very specific, in that – there are specific children that are NOT going hungry this weekend – because of the work United Way does. The immediate impact makes it meaningful for me and why I love United Way.
I like working with Women United (at the Valley of the Sun United Way) because the direction is clear. We are working to end childhood hunger. With programs like WeekEnd Hunger Backpacks, Breakfast in the classroom and volunteer events like snack-pack builds you can tangibly see the difference the United Way makes for the children in our community.
United Way takes a comprehensive approach to addressing the most significant issues in the Valley. I (also) love the Vello program, an online reading program that allows volunteering with elementary school youth from your office or home. So easy. So rewarding. So beneficial.
I love Valley of the Sun United Way because I love my kids. I want my kids to grow up in a world of compassion, where people help each other, and that's what Valley of the Sun United Way is all about. I want them to embrace people in need, not shun them. I want them to look at someone experiencing hard times and think, "How can I help?" instead of "That's their problem." Basically, I want my kids to grow up in a world of kindness and no other organization embodies that more than Valley of the Sun United Way.
United Way is a community hub for thought leadership, issue analysis, solution ideation, and real change. I love United Way because of the opportunity it has provided me to be on the front lines of fighting poverty alongside truly amazing individuals.
I love Valley of the Sun United Way because we strive to help those that cannot, or do not, have the resources to help themselves. AND, I believe we all deserve a fighting chance succeed.
Why I LOVE Valley of the Sun United Way? L is for Living UNITED in serving our community, O is for the Opportunity I've been given to serve, V is for how much I Value the work that I do, and E is for having the tools needed to make positive change. That is why I LOVE Valley of the Sun United Way!
I love that United Way allows me to invest and spend time on the things that I most connect with and are most passionate about.
I love that I am able to volunteer with United Way to be an action-oriented change maker!
All of these comments helped reinforce what I LOVE about the Valley of the Sun United Way! Find what you LOVE about United Way by getting involved. Become a donor, volunteer, tutor through VELLO...the options are endless. Explore the site to learn more!
