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WHY I LIVE UNITED?
I chose to Live United a long time ago - in my small way, by donating through my workplace. Later on, my workplace was asked to participate in the "Day of Caring" and I volunteered for that worthy cause each year and felt I was, again, helping in my own small way. A few years later, I participated in the Loaned executive program and learned more about how the decisions are made for funding, the process that the agencies go through to explain what they are trying to accomplish and I felt I was, again, helping in my own small way. Two years ago, I was unexpectedly asked to come to the cafeteria at work. When I got there, I was surprised by camera's, microphones and several dozen people. Those people were there to "thank me" and the United Way, for helping them with their respective needs. I was extremely honored to be selected for this portion of the campaign video. As each person came up and personally thanked me for my time and efforts with the United way, as the tears came to their eyes when they told their story, I began to tear up, also. For I realized how much the United Way was doing that I was unaware of, how much was going on that I was blissfully ignorant of, and it came to me that my own small way of helping WAS making a difference. That it takes a lot of people helping in their own small way to positively affect the needy in the Valley.
One of the people that thanked me that day was a person who I had worked with for many years who had retired about 10 years before. It was a shock to find someone who I know had tried to save for retirement, who had a pension, in that line. He told me that his wife has Alzheimers and he needs help now to keep her in the home she has loved for many years. It humbled me to think of all the different ways the United Way helps, the myriad ways that people in the Valley find themselves needing help. When the opportunity came, I decided to join the Board of Directors so that I could learn more about the United Way, and so that I could, once again, help in my own small way. If we all help by donating, volunteering or advocating, the Valley will reap the rewards many times over. Please consider donating your time, your money or your voice to help this worthy cause - because we all need to "Live United" and make this Valley a better place for all - in our own small way.
Mike Berghammer ~ ATK
TCUW Board Member
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Women's Leadership Council
Learning Lunch
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Our Women's Leadership Council held their Learning Lunch this past month with a Kindergarten Theme. The event was used to help raise awareness and funds for our Children's Project, helping our children to socially and academically be ready for kindergarten.
Click here to see more pictures
SAVE the DATE for their next learning lunch
Friday February 24, 2012!!
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Success Story From the Field
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Snake River Community Clinic
*The following success story was used by CBS and aired on their prime time show "A Gifted Man" on Friday October 7th, 2011:
The economic downturn over the last few years has been felt especially hard in our nation's clinics. In tonight's episode of A Gifted Man, Michael treats a patient who lost his health insurance when he was laid off from his job. His desperation to keep his new minimum wage position, without health benefits, lead him to take risky choices with his health as he tries to "tough it out" and puts his life in jeopardy in the process. This scenario is common in many clinics as seen in the following story from the Snake River Community Clinic in Lewiston, Idaho.
Recently, a young woman from a nearby rural area came to our clinic saying she felt run down and perpetually tired. The doctor presumed that she was suffering from depression,
one of our most commonly treated illnesses here, but the doctor wanted to rule out anything physical. Thanks to a recent grant from a generous foundation, we had enough
money to run the labs the doctor requested for the patient.
The lab results came back and the results were startling. The young woman's red blood count was so low that she needed to come in for a transfusion immediately. She barely had enough red blood cells to keep her body alive.
Her husband had been laid off from one of the many shut down lumber mills in the region due to the faltering economy. In light of her family's economic situation, she was working ten hours a day, six days a week to pay the bills and put food on her family's table. I called her at work and told her that she needed to come into town right away for
a transfusion. To my surprise she asked if she could just do it in a couple of days. For the next ten minutes, I did my best to convince her to get to the hospital today to receive that life-saving blood transfusion. But she said she had felt this way for a while, and another day probably wouldn't kill her. She just could not afford to take the time off to get that transfusion.
I called her husband and told him she needed to drop everything and come to our clinic to get the life-saving transfusion. But he said, "She knows best. If she feels fine, I trust her. We need the money from her job and if she tries to take time off, especially without any notice she'll be fired. If she loses that job, then where does that leave us?"
I asked him, where would the family be if she died? To my surprise, he didn't seem worried at all. He assured me with perky words of encouragement, saying, "Oh that won't happen." I was angry and sad, but I knew I wouldn't change her mind or his. She needed that job to feed her kids. She needed that job to keep her home. I felt hopeless, she did need the job but I was scared that it would cost her the remaining years of her life.For the next two days, I continued to leave messages for her and the family. I didn't want to feel like a pest but I also knew the consequences and couldn't get her situation out of my mind.
Thankfully, she finally got the transfusion two days later on her day off - barely in time to save her life. I have told this story many times, because these are the kinds of people
we help at our free clinic: hard-working and selfless. They work hard, pay their bills, pay their taxes, and nearly die trying--daily.
To see the story on CBS click here.
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Honorary Campaign Chairs
Joe and Kelly Hall
"We support Twin County United Way because they raise funds for a variety of agencies serving the needs of those in our community who need help most." | |
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| | Free 3D Breast Cancer Screenings are being offered on Saturday November 5 here in Lewiston, brought to you by Joe Hall Ford. This event is now full, but the mobile health screenings will also be offered in Moscow & Pullman on Monday & Tuesday of next week. Click here for more information or call (855) 380-TEST (8378). |
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Look for our Ads in the Lewiston Tribune and help us spread the word to GIVE, ADVOCATE, & VOLUNTEER.
Click here to see our ads.
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Contact Us
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Mailing Address:
2207 E. Main Street
Lewiston, ID 83501
Phone: (208) 743-6594
Fax: (208) 743-7004
NEW Website: www.tcuw.org |
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Corporate Champions
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These businesses cover the administrative costs of Twin County United Way. That helps all donors know that their donations go straight to programs and services impacting our community and no amount is deducted for administrative costs.
THANK YOU!!
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