United Way Blog

Summary of the United Way of the River Cities:

The United Way of the River Cities serves Cabell, Lawrence, Mason, and Lincoln counties. It is a non-profit organization which ultimately betters human conditions in and around our community. River Cities provides support programs and strategies that address critical issues in specific focus areas including: health/wellness, learning/earning, families/children, and basic needs/ unforeseen hardships.

The United Way of the River Cities gets its support from three main sources: fundraising, grant writing, and funding through partnerships. It ensures a safety net of services throughout the region and provides strategies that create long-term solutions for problems. The United Way of the River Cities guarantees that all donor dollars will stay local and go toward programs and services that better the local community. Some agencies that are currently funded include: the American Red Cross Huntington, Boy Scouts – Tri-State Area Council, City Welfare Mission, Girl Scouts – Black Diamond Council, the Huntington Area Food Bank, the Salvation Army, Tri-State Literacy Council, and YMCA.

The initiatives of the River Cities include: Financial Stability Partnership of River Cities, Success by Six, and the Cabell County Substance Abuse Prevention Partnership (CCSAPP). The Financial Stability Partnership of River Cities works with other community partnerships and provides tool and strategies that help families maximize income. Success by Six seeks to ensure that children in the region will be ready physically, mentally, developmentally, emotionally, and socially before kindergarten. The CCSAPP is a coalition of various agencies, organizations, and individuals which try to reduce local substance abuse by utilizing awareness and education.

The United Way of the River Cities says that there are three basic things that one needs to ensure a good life: a quality education, income to support family, and good health. The goals outlined for the next ten years include: the cut by half of the number of young people who drop out of high school, the cut by half of the number of lower-income families that lack financial stability and the increase by a third of the number of youths and adults who are healthy and avoid risky behaviors.

Laura Gilliam, native of North Carolina, works directly with the United Way, specifically the River Cities' Branch. Gilliam acquired a Business Administration Degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and moved to West Virginia in 1990. Gilliam works closely with the community and is active in her church. She felt that it was her obligation to serve on various local and state level committees and boards. Gilliam has been married for 23 years, has two children, and enjoys listening to music and playing with her dogs.

Another woman, Cassey Bowden, also serves the local United Way Branch. Bowden grew up in southern West Virginia and moved to Huntington to acquire a Marketing and Economics degree, as well as, a Masters in Science from Marshall University. Bowden has worked for Human Resources and is an active member in the community. Some of her other committments include: Rotary, Public Relations, Chamber of Commerce, and a Women's Club. Bowden enjoys giving back to the community that has provided her with so much. She and her husband have one child.

The organization that I am following is the Boy Scouts - Tri-State Area Council. The area council is a branch off of the nationally recognized Boy Scouts of America. On the home page of their website, there is basic news about popcorn sales, jamborees, etc. I am planning a visit to the next council meeting in order to acquire more information about the group and I might, personally, give up my time to help them out since I am a previous Boy Scout myself.

Errors for Interview Assignment

Recently, I conducted an interview with classmate, Rachel Hunter. Following the completion of the interview, I wrote a rather short article about her in which Professor Morris critiqued. Today, I am blogging about the errors I made in the article in hopes of educating fellow classmates and help them to not make the same mistakes as I did.
First, I needed to check my Associated Press StyleBook beforehand to learn the rules of names. The rule states that after the first acknowledgment, only the last name should be used throughout the remainder of the paper. I said "Ms. Hunter" and "Rachel" various times where I should have used solely "Hunter."
Second, I was too wordy. I have always enjoyed writing stories throughout my life and always choose to use big words. My favorite website is thesaurus.com and I am not ashamed to share that. In print writing, however, being to-the-point is key and elimating descriptive and big words is important.
Third, I had a few sentences in which I never utilized "She said."
Fourth, I needed to answer the "how" question with many sentences I wrote. I included a lot of information but never told the readers how these things came to be. For example, I told the readers that Rachel hopes to inspire many, if not all, her readers through her writing but never reflected on how.
Fifth, I wrote that writing, in general, is one of her goals. However, writing is not a goal but rather a skill. Maybe I should have asked Rachel what kinds of things in life does she want out of writing. For example, Pulitzer Prize, or other big-time awards.
Finally, I was in the habit of using "has"alot when I should have been using "have."
In conclusion, I need to read and acquire a better understanding of the AP StyleBook and Arnold's book in order to not make these same mistakes in the future and then I can become a pro at print writing.