By Q Hubo News Team
United Way of Lebanon County is one of the main non profit organizations in Lebanon county that has been established for many years. Just like other organizations, they have been affected by the pandemic but that does not deter them from aiming high. This year, their goal is to fundraise $1 million dollars to support programs and initiatives in Lebanon county that are focused on providing resources to children and youth, their independence and protection.
One of the things that they realized when the pandemic hit was the fact they the demands that came from COVID were similar to the demands they were facing before it all happened. The funds they provided to their community partners served to shift the way they were serving the Lebanon county and its communities in need. During this upcoming season they already know that the programs they will be supporting are the 211 program and Community Schools. The 211 program according to United Way is a program similar to 911 but in this case is not for emergencies, instead when a community member calls 211 they are able to be connected with an organization that can help the individual with their need. “Our community school program puts a coordinator right in Northwest Elementary school to bring students and families resources that break down barriers to learning. We are in the early stages of issuing a request for proposal from other Lebanon County school districts to expand this program next school year.” said Flame Vo, a representative of the company, in regards to how their community schools program works.
Another area where United Way of Lebanon County has been experiencing change is in the transition process of their CEO position. Brooke Smith, the previous CEO stepped down and Julia Krall became the new CEO of the organization. Julia is coming in taking a position of great responsibility in a time where the word “crisis” seems to be everywhere we look. Julia Krall said that in her experience working through collaborations, authenticity and transparency is where we are able to have the most impact with both internal stakeholders and external partners as well.
Author: Amaury Abreu
