United Way Story

This is my United Way story that I wrote about the presentation last Tuesday in class. Enjoy!!

            Two executives of the United Way of the River Cities told students at Marshall University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication about the importance to give, advocate, and volunteer last Tuesday.

Laura Gilliam, executive director, and Casey Bowden, marketing director, voiced concerns about current problems facing Huntington and outlined the objectives and outcomes of the organization when invited to speak to a news writing class. The United Way of the River cities serves Cabell, Lawrence, Mason, and Lincoln counties and is a non-profit organization that betters human conditions in and around the community.

Gilliam said that the United Way started its outreach back in 1922 and has since served the tri-state area. The organization gets it’s funding from partnerships, fundraising, and grant writing.

“No money, no mission,” Gilliam said. She told students about the need for community donors. “We need to reach our projected fundraising goal of $1.25 million.”

            Bowden said that the money goes toward medication, food, shelter, and other basic safety needs that people tend to go without. Gilliam said that rather than go straight to the homeless, unemployed, and drug abusers, the organizations tries to find the root cause of the issue and move forward from there.

 Gilliam outlined the four focus areas of the United Way. These include health/wellness, learning/earning, families/children, and basic needs/unforeseen hardships.

“We provide funding to local agencies and organizations,” Gilliam said. Some of these include the American Red Cross, Goodwill Industries, Boy Scouts – Tri-State Area Council, Huntington Area Food Bank, City Welfare Mission, and YMCA. Gilliam also told the initiatives of the organization including the Financial Stability Partnership of the River Cities, Success by Six, and the Cabell County Substance Abuse Prevention Partnership (CCSAPP).

Gilliam told students that she was working on a grant from USDA which would address hunger in Cabell County. “It is due Friday and we are excited about it,” Gilliam said.

Gilliam is a 1985 graduate from the University of North Carolina and has been executive director with the United Way since 2005. She is active in the community and within her church. Bowden is a Marshall University graduate and is a member in many community organizations. She began at United Way in 2004.

The class of 12 students asked questions and Rachel Hunter, student, said that the presentation was a great success. The United Way of the River Cities is located on Madison Avenue in Huntington. For more information, call 304-523-8929.

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.

WVU Renting Marshall's Rec Center?

Today in class, a student said that he heard that West Virginia University was renting out the Marshall University recreation center during the night of the Coal Bowl. After attempting to call athletics and the recreation center to see if there was any truth in this, we were still unable to get a definite answer.

Personally, I have no problem with them renting out the building if they so desired especially since Marshall will be the one benefitting. This would also be a wonderful thing because WVU fans can seclude themselves in the rec center and will not have to bother us Marshall folk while we are trying to tailgate. On the other hand, West Virginia fans are horrible. When I visited Morganown last year as part of the Marshall University Marching Band, I was barked at and was called every name in the book before I left that stadium. Should we be kind enough to rent the building out to them?

I can say so much more about this issue but this could be just a rumor. If there is any truth to this - please post below this. Anyhow, I am excited for the game on Sept. 10th and I am predicting Marshall to win by 14 points! We are Marshall.......

Jim Furyk Disqualified for Over-Sleeping

I examined an article dealing with legendary golfer Jim Furyk who ranks 6th in the world and how he was disqualified from a tournament at the Ridgewood Country Club. The reason for disqualification - his cellphone!! Thats right, his cell phone was supposed to awake him in the early hours of the morning but sometime during the night - his phone battery died which resulted in him sleeping in. Apparently, Furyk's caddie called him but got no answer due to the dead battery. Jim finally woke up at 7:23 a.m. and hurried as quick as he could in order to make his 7:30 tee time but by the time he arrived - it was too late. He, in a professional manner, handled the situation well although fustrated. PGA rules are strict and he was unable to continue during that specific tournament but he can, however, participate in the FedEx Cup even though he will loose his current standing.

Now personally, I was saddened by this. I feel soo bad for Jim Furyk because he played his heart out all year which ultimately earned him the 6th place standing. I mean, there have been times in my life where my alarm did not go off wether it was due to a power outage or my phone having low battery and I missed class or some other important event. That is like telling me that I was kicked out of the university simply because I overslept and was late to one class. This is, by far, uncalled for. PGA needs to re-examine their rules and regulations and allow more le-way. I do not understand why the caddie didn't play while Furyk was absent because usually that is how it is but who knows. I hope that the public speaks out about this which can hopefully lead to the PGA altering some of their current policy and rules. On the other hand, I applaud Jim for his professionalism in handling this and I hope he doesn't let this affect him because I want to see him at the next tournament with the number 1 ranking in the world.