Hey everybody,
We recently had a good visit with Carol Ergenbright at the Blount Literacy Council. I think the folks there are wonderful. You can see their passion. There’s Ms. Teaster over there who feels like she’s really making a difference, and they all are over there.
They’re taking someone who maybe has never had education or they come from a family that didn’t value education and have always been on government assistance, and they’re helping them get a second chance. Like Carol said, they’ll help someone with a second, third, or even fourth chance – whatever it takes. Maybe the person takes that GED and gets a better-paying job at an ALCOA or a DENSO or a Clayton Homes or a Ruby Tuesday. Then as they grow, they instill in their children to better themselves and get a good job. And they become self-sufficient and break that cycle of needing assistance.
And a lot of times they have circumstances that people can’t help. There was one gentleman we met who had a condition that had kept him from getting his education, and finally medicine caught up and could treat his condition. Now he’s going back to finish school. That’s wonderful. He could have said, “I’m not gonna’ go back, and I’m gonna’ sit at home and draw a check.” But now he’s getting his GED so that he can go get a good job. And that’s the way it ought to be.
And it’s not the government. It’s people. The government doesn’t need to have anything to do with it. The government needs to just provide buildings and rooms, but it’s people changing people’s lives. Carol was telling us about the Families First funding and how the government has cut the education component because it’s too much paperwork, and that is ridiculous. It’s ridiculous that we as a government – I include myself because I’m a part of that government – cut that instead of looking at ways to get those people educated and off welfare. Blount Literacy Council lost $26,000 in funding all because a government office didn’t want to deal with the paperwork? That’s just insane. We as a United Way shouldn’t stand for that. I don’t know what we could do, but we could sure make a lot of noise.
Carol said there are over 15,000 people in Blount County with less than a ninth grade education. They’re practically illiterate. We consider Blount County a well-educated, rich community, and we have that many people who can’t read? There’s something wrong with that picture, and we need to be doing whatever we can to help those folks learn to read.
Education just opens door for people, and the Blount Literacy Council is helping people open those doors.
I gotta’ run, folks. Thanks for reading.
Blog you soon,
Dave Bennett
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
Campaign Cabinet
Hey everyone,
Thursday, we held the annual United Way campaign cabinet retreat. The campaign cabinet consists of all of the different division chairs for the campaign. Anyway, we fellowshipped some and got to know each other. There are several new faces on the cabinet who’ve been involved with United Way, but not at the campaign cabinet level.
We learned about the set-up of United Way, how we raise funds, why we raise funds, what the different divisions are, how the board’s set-up, how to utilize the office staff folks, and how this is all gonna’ come together for each division. It was really just an opportunity for everyone to share and ask questions early, early, early on before it’s time to start actually going out there to raise contributions.
I’m thankful so many attended. We had a great time and learned a lot about United Way and the campaign. This is my sixth campaign cabinet, and I gotta’ tell you this is the best one I’ve been on. Of course, that’s because I got to pick 'em!
Seriously, we’ve got a great, great bunch of folks put together who’ve got great hearts and lots of energy, and we’re going to be able to do some really good things for this community. The team we’ve put together is gonna' be tremendous. I’ve said it time and time again, but I’m just the head cheerleader. I may even put a cheerleader outfit on for the victory, and Julie Talbott’s gonna’ hold me to that promise!
Ya’ know, I have a lot of fun in life, and I cut up a lot. But I believe if you do things that are really in your heart, and you do things for the right reasons, they ought to be fun. None of us are forced to volunteer. But this is a wonderful group. I mean just go back and read some of these blog entries and look at the things we’re able to do. I think everyone of the folks that we’ve got together on this campaign cabinet has a great giving spirit, and that’s what it’s all about at the end of the day.
But this campaign is comin' up quick, so hold on tight, it’s gonna’ be a fast ride!
Blog you again soon,
Dave Bennett
P.S. Just so everyone knows who's on the cabinet, here's the list:
Dave Bennett, Campaign Chair
Denny and Cindy Mayes, Pacesetter Chair
John Hinkle, Major Firms Chair
Kevin Clayton, The Alexis de Tocqueville Society Chair
Fred and Carolyn Forster, The Pillars Society Co-Chairs
Joe Huff, Public Service Chair
David Conner, Commerce Chair
Bryan Daniels, Industry/Building Trades Chair
Andy White, General Business Chair
Joe Dawson, Professional Chair
Brenda Pilson, Special Gifts/Residential Chair
Boyce Smith, New Business Development Chair
Cathy Cate, Loaned Executives Chair
Brickey Beasley, Labor Participation Chair
Melissa Copelan, Communications & Marketing Chair
Mike Lewis, Golf Tournament Chair
Tom Hatcher, Public Service Hamburger Luncheon Chair
Lea Anne Law and Boyce Smith, Gas Day Co-Chairs
Julie Talbott, Day of Caring Chair
P.P.S. Send me some comments! I know there are some people readin' this thing, but everyone's bein' quiet. Don't be shy - even if it's just to say hello!
Thursday, we held the annual United Way campaign cabinet retreat. The campaign cabinet consists of all of the different division chairs for the campaign. Anyway, we fellowshipped some and got to know each other. There are several new faces on the cabinet who’ve been involved with United Way, but not at the campaign cabinet level.
We learned about the set-up of United Way, how we raise funds, why we raise funds, what the different divisions are, how the board’s set-up, how to utilize the office staff folks, and how this is all gonna’ come together for each division. It was really just an opportunity for everyone to share and ask questions early, early, early on before it’s time to start actually going out there to raise contributions.
I’m thankful so many attended. We had a great time and learned a lot about United Way and the campaign. This is my sixth campaign cabinet, and I gotta’ tell you this is the best one I’ve been on. Of course, that’s because I got to pick 'em!
Seriously, we’ve got a great, great bunch of folks put together who’ve got great hearts and lots of energy, and we’re going to be able to do some really good things for this community. The team we’ve put together is gonna' be tremendous. I’ve said it time and time again, but I’m just the head cheerleader. I may even put a cheerleader outfit on for the victory, and Julie Talbott’s gonna’ hold me to that promise!
Ya’ know, I have a lot of fun in life, and I cut up a lot. But I believe if you do things that are really in your heart, and you do things for the right reasons, they ought to be fun. None of us are forced to volunteer. But this is a wonderful group. I mean just go back and read some of these blog entries and look at the things we’re able to do. I think everyone of the folks that we’ve got together on this campaign cabinet has a great giving spirit, and that’s what it’s all about at the end of the day.
But this campaign is comin' up quick, so hold on tight, it’s gonna’ be a fast ride!
Blog you again soon,
Dave Bennett
P.S. Just so everyone knows who's on the cabinet, here's the list:
Dave Bennett, Campaign Chair
Denny and Cindy Mayes, Pacesetter Chair
John Hinkle, Major Firms Chair
Kevin Clayton, The Alexis de Tocqueville Society Chair
Fred and Carolyn Forster, The Pillars Society Co-Chairs
Joe Huff, Public Service Chair
David Conner, Commerce Chair
Bryan Daniels, Industry/Building Trades Chair
Andy White, General Business Chair
Joe Dawson, Professional Chair
Brenda Pilson, Special Gifts/Residential Chair
Boyce Smith, New Business Development Chair
Cathy Cate, Loaned Executives Chair
Brickey Beasley, Labor Participation Chair
Melissa Copelan, Communications & Marketing Chair
Mike Lewis, Golf Tournament Chair
Tom Hatcher, Public Service Hamburger Luncheon Chair
Lea Anne Law and Boyce Smith, Gas Day Co-Chairs
Julie Talbott, Day of Caring Chair
P.P.S. Send me some comments! I know there are some people readin' this thing, but everyone's bein' quiet. Don't be shy - even if it's just to say hello!
Friday, May 18, 2007
Advice for Nonprofits
Hello everyone,
We haven’t gone on an agency visit lately, so I thought I’d take some time and talk about some of the problems I’ve seen nonprofit agencies have to work through. One thing that can help a lot of nonprofit organizations is the Nonprofit Training and Resource Center at the United Way office in Blount County. They have all kinds of books and materials on how to set up and run a nonprofit agency.
Most nonprofits start as a dream by someone who’s found a need in the community and figured out a way to meet that need, and the training center can help a person turn that dream into reality. It can help a person figure out how to put a board together, what things to be careful about, and everything else in between.
I’ve worked with a lot of nonprofits, and the major problem I’ve seen nonprofits struggle with right out of the gate is setting everything up. If they set things up on a firm foundation, the organization is more likely to make it. What’s a firm foundation? There are two things I’ve seen that can make or break a nonprofit: money (support) and people (volunteers).
A lot of times people first get excited about forming a nonprofit, and they’ve got all of this energy and enthusiasm. The hard part is keeping that going. It’s like anything when you first get into it: your adrenaline’s flowing, and you’re all psyched up. But then what happens a year later when all that energy’s gone? Sustaining a nonprofit is one of the hardest parts, and that’s when a nonprofit needs to have the right people with the right vision in place to help it along.
Of course, money is a big part of it, too. The nonprofit’s gotta’ have the capital to continue that dream or the ability to raise funds. And as nonprofits, especially new ones, how can they get the money upfront to do the communications, the marketing, and all of those things that have to be done to raise funds for their purpose? It’s about having the right people and the upfront capital to be able to do those things.
I can’t tell you how important it is for people to do their homework on the front-end, and the training and resource can really help a nonprofit do that. With the center as a resource, a person can go into setting up a nonprofit fully aware of the possibilities and hurdles they’ll face. And there will be some. It’s wonderful to dream, but there are going to be bumps in the road. How people deal with those bumps is ultimately what decides whether or not they’re going to be successful.
Have a good one, everybody.
Blog you later,
Dave Bennett
We haven’t gone on an agency visit lately, so I thought I’d take some time and talk about some of the problems I’ve seen nonprofit agencies have to work through. One thing that can help a lot of nonprofit organizations is the Nonprofit Training and Resource Center at the United Way office in Blount County. They have all kinds of books and materials on how to set up and run a nonprofit agency.
Most nonprofits start as a dream by someone who’s found a need in the community and figured out a way to meet that need, and the training center can help a person turn that dream into reality. It can help a person figure out how to put a board together, what things to be careful about, and everything else in between.
I’ve worked with a lot of nonprofits, and the major problem I’ve seen nonprofits struggle with right out of the gate is setting everything up. If they set things up on a firm foundation, the organization is more likely to make it. What’s a firm foundation? There are two things I’ve seen that can make or break a nonprofit: money (support) and people (volunteers).
A lot of times people first get excited about forming a nonprofit, and they’ve got all of this energy and enthusiasm. The hard part is keeping that going. It’s like anything when you first get into it: your adrenaline’s flowing, and you’re all psyched up. But then what happens a year later when all that energy’s gone? Sustaining a nonprofit is one of the hardest parts, and that’s when a nonprofit needs to have the right people with the right vision in place to help it along.
Of course, money is a big part of it, too. The nonprofit’s gotta’ have the capital to continue that dream or the ability to raise funds. And as nonprofits, especially new ones, how can they get the money upfront to do the communications, the marketing, and all of those things that have to be done to raise funds for their purpose? It’s about having the right people and the upfront capital to be able to do those things.
I can’t tell you how important it is for people to do their homework on the front-end, and the training and resource can really help a nonprofit do that. With the center as a resource, a person can go into setting up a nonprofit fully aware of the possibilities and hurdles they’ll face. And there will be some. It’s wonderful to dream, but there are going to be bumps in the road. How people deal with those bumps is ultimately what decides whether or not they’re going to be successful.
Have a good one, everybody.
Blog you later,
Dave Bennett
Monday, May 14, 2007
East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Rehabilitation Center
Hello everyone,
The other day, we visited with Anne Woodle and the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Rehabilitation Center, and they provide therapy services at all levels to children - from birth to 21. They do it all: physical, occupational, & speech therapy. They provide these services to help children and give them a better chance to have independence or less of a need of depending on someone.
These kids are getting a shot at life that they wouldn’t have otherwise, and if they couldn’t get that care, some of those kids might not have a chance.
I gotta’ say Anne is a tremendous lady. She’s not doing this as a job; she’s doing it as almost a ministry. It really was uplifting to see those children. There was one little boy named Jonathan, and he was just amazing. He couldn't even sit up when he first came there, and he's come so far.
Because of Anne and East Tennessee Children's Hospital Rehab, he’s walkin' around - laughin' and screamin' like a young boy should.
And they have an open door policy, which has a tremendous impact on East Tennessee because then folks don’t have to worry about whether they have enough insurance or the right insurance or the resources to get help. They can worry about getting their children help and paying for it will come later.
And I think what United Way is doing is helping Anne and her folks bridge that gap. Ya’ know, someone who has the resources is going to get the help. Someone that doesn’t is not going to be able to get that help unless we can raise those funds and communicate the help is available.
Anne was telling us about these pockets in East Tennessee that we have of folks who aren’t able to get to these services. So how do you get these services to them? There are places where they don’t have vehicles or transportation. They don’t have any means, and there are still children with special needs in those areas, and they need the services the same as the folks from the wealthier neighborhoods.
Ya’ know, it comes down to money. Everything comes down to money. It shouldn’t, but it does. How can we pay for those services? Somebody has to pay for them. But that's what we're doing with United Way and this campaign. We're trying to make a difference, and I think Anne and her group do help make a difference every day.
I don't know about you, but I’m about ready to quit my job and go volunteer over at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Rehab Center!
Have a good one.
Blog You Soon,
Dave Bennett
The other day, we visited with Anne Woodle and the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Rehabilitation Center, and they provide therapy services at all levels to children - from birth to 21. They do it all: physical, occupational, & speech therapy. They provide these services to help children and give them a better chance to have independence or less of a need of depending on someone.
These kids are getting a shot at life that they wouldn’t have otherwise, and if they couldn’t get that care, some of those kids might not have a chance.
I gotta’ say Anne is a tremendous lady. She’s not doing this as a job; she’s doing it as almost a ministry. It really was uplifting to see those children. There was one little boy named Jonathan, and he was just amazing. He couldn't even sit up when he first came there, and he's come so far.
Because of Anne and East Tennessee Children's Hospital Rehab, he’s walkin' around - laughin' and screamin' like a young boy should.
And they have an open door policy, which has a tremendous impact on East Tennessee because then folks don’t have to worry about whether they have enough insurance or the right insurance or the resources to get help. They can worry about getting their children help and paying for it will come later.
And I think what United Way is doing is helping Anne and her folks bridge that gap. Ya’ know, someone who has the resources is going to get the help. Someone that doesn’t is not going to be able to get that help unless we can raise those funds and communicate the help is available.
Anne was telling us about these pockets in East Tennessee that we have of folks who aren’t able to get to these services. So how do you get these services to them? There are places where they don’t have vehicles or transportation. They don’t have any means, and there are still children with special needs in those areas, and they need the services the same as the folks from the wealthier neighborhoods.
Ya’ know, it comes down to money. Everything comes down to money. It shouldn’t, but it does. How can we pay for those services? Somebody has to pay for them. But that's what we're doing with United Way and this campaign. We're trying to make a difference, and I think Anne and her group do help make a difference every day.
I don't know about you, but I’m about ready to quit my job and go volunteer over at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Rehab Center!
Have a good one.
Blog You Soon,
Dave Bennett
Friday, May 4, 2007
Safe Haven
Hey everybody,
The other day we visited Holly and Safe Haven. They help people who’ve been victimized by sexual abuse. (Safe Haven used to be called the Sexual Assault Crisis Center.) They do counseling, and they even have an emergency sexual assault clinic on-site.
Anyway, Holly gave us a tour of Safe Haven, and I’m telling ya’ - that one was tough for me. The services they provide is filling a huge gap that I never thought about - between the courts and law enforcement and actually helping victims mend and heal. You never can forget something like that, but they really help victims through that healing process and get on with their lives.
Walking in to that children’s therapy room with the toys and the puppets was just tragic.
I’ve said it before, and don’t get me wrong - an adult does not deserve to be abused, but with a child, it just really breaks my heart. You think about the innocence that gets stolen from them - all the things it does to them mentally and physically. And then walking in there and seeing those toys and little puppet theater they use because the kids have trouble just saying what happened, so they use those toys to tell their story. It’s tough.
There are a lot of things in life that we deal with. We sweep them under the rug and don’t think about them, and then we see them up close and it’s kind of like ‘What do we need to do to help?’ Make sure no one ever gets abused again? Sure. But that’s not reality. So the next thing is we have to help people deal with that abuse.
Holly told us the VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) grants might get cut from the federal budget, which would have a major impact on their operations. And the whole point of VOCA grants is so that people won’t have to pay for treatment because they were a victim of a crime. If Safe Haven lost those funds, they would almost have to shut down - same as if they lost the United Way contributions. It’s amazing to see how these places operate and how important these contributions are.
Most people don’t realize this, but we have a hotline to report child abuse (sexual and otherwise). And it’s state law to report if you suspect a child is being abused. They database information from all over, and they track the bits and pieces of information. If you suspect someone is being abused, you should call 1-877-237-0004 (even anonymously), and if they get enough calls about someone, they’ll piece together the information and intervene and get these children on the road to recovery. It’s amazing what they do with technology these days.
Well, I better blog you later. In my next blog I’ll tell you about us visiting the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Rehab Center. Have a good weekend.
Blog you soon,
Dave Bennett
The other day we visited Holly and Safe Haven. They help people who’ve been victimized by sexual abuse. (Safe Haven used to be called the Sexual Assault Crisis Center.) They do counseling, and they even have an emergency sexual assault clinic on-site.
Anyway, Holly gave us a tour of Safe Haven, and I’m telling ya’ - that one was tough for me. The services they provide is filling a huge gap that I never thought about - between the courts and law enforcement and actually helping victims mend and heal. You never can forget something like that, but they really help victims through that healing process and get on with their lives.
Walking in to that children’s therapy room with the toys and the puppets was just tragic.
I’ve said it before, and don’t get me wrong - an adult does not deserve to be abused, but with a child, it just really breaks my heart. You think about the innocence that gets stolen from them - all the things it does to them mentally and physically. And then walking in there and seeing those toys and little puppet theater they use because the kids have trouble just saying what happened, so they use those toys to tell their story. It’s tough.
There are a lot of things in life that we deal with. We sweep them under the rug and don’t think about them, and then we see them up close and it’s kind of like ‘What do we need to do to help?’ Make sure no one ever gets abused again? Sure. But that’s not reality. So the next thing is we have to help people deal with that abuse.
Holly told us the VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) grants might get cut from the federal budget, which would have a major impact on their operations. And the whole point of VOCA grants is so that people won’t have to pay for treatment because they were a victim of a crime. If Safe Haven lost those funds, they would almost have to shut down - same as if they lost the United Way contributions. It’s amazing to see how these places operate and how important these contributions are.
Most people don’t realize this, but we have a hotline to report child abuse (sexual and otherwise). And it’s state law to report if you suspect a child is being abused. They database information from all over, and they track the bits and pieces of information. If you suspect someone is being abused, you should call 1-877-237-0004 (even anonymously), and if they get enough calls about someone, they’ll piece together the information and intervene and get these children on the road to recovery. It’s amazing what they do with technology these days.
Well, I better blog you later. In my next blog I’ll tell you about us visiting the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Rehab Center. Have a good weekend.
Blog you soon,
Dave Bennett
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Douglas Cooperative
Hey everybody,
After we left SCHAS, our last stop was with Jim Chatham and the folks at Douglas Cooperative. They work with the mentally challenged in Blount County to give them a productive place in our community through different work programs and classes.
What a good way to end the day. Walking through their building, I thought, ‘Now if this service was not here, what would these folks be doing every day?’ Obviously, they wouldn’t be having the productive days that they are having. And I’ll tell you, the smiles on those people’s faces are something else.
It amazes me what all Jim’s got goin’ on over there. I mean they’ve even got a whole furniture stripping and refinishing business – I had no idea. And Jim said as far as financially the furniture business part is not a huge impact on their program. But to those mentally challenged folks working there, it makes all the difference in the world. They need a productive, paycheck-earning place in Blount County, and it’s just tremendous that Douglas Cooperative can offer them that. I had no idea that the services being provided to our mentally challenged folks were of that magnitude.
And Jim said they have over 100 people on a waiting list to join the program. But you know it didn’t surprise me. It’s sad in any of our agencies that we have a waiting list, but it comes down to finances and the amount of money we got and the resources we got to handle those folks. Again, my wish would be that we could raise enough money that we didn’t have a waiting list in any of our partner agencies. But that’s probably just a pipe dream.
I just I wish all 115,000 of our citizens here in Blount County could go visit every United Way partner agency. The need wouldn’t be nearly as much because the outpouring of resources to fill those needs would just be tremendous. Now I’m guilty, too, of not visiting several of these agencies in the past, but it changes your perspective on what they do and how they do it when you see what they’re doing with the limited resources they have.
Now if the staff at United Way could just figure out a way to get all 115,000 people in Blount County in to see every agency!
Thanks for reading, and in the next blog you’ll read about my visit to Safe Haven.
Blog You Soon,
Dave Bennett
After we left SCHAS, our last stop was with Jim Chatham and the folks at Douglas Cooperative. They work with the mentally challenged in Blount County to give them a productive place in our community through different work programs and classes.
What a good way to end the day. Walking through their building, I thought, ‘Now if this service was not here, what would these folks be doing every day?’ Obviously, they wouldn’t be having the productive days that they are having. And I’ll tell you, the smiles on those people’s faces are something else.
It amazes me what all Jim’s got goin’ on over there. I mean they’ve even got a whole furniture stripping and refinishing business – I had no idea. And Jim said as far as financially the furniture business part is not a huge impact on their program. But to those mentally challenged folks working there, it makes all the difference in the world. They need a productive, paycheck-earning place in Blount County, and it’s just tremendous that Douglas Cooperative can offer them that. I had no idea that the services being provided to our mentally challenged folks were of that magnitude.
And Jim said they have over 100 people on a waiting list to join the program. But you know it didn’t surprise me. It’s sad in any of our agencies that we have a waiting list, but it comes down to finances and the amount of money we got and the resources we got to handle those folks. Again, my wish would be that we could raise enough money that we didn’t have a waiting list in any of our partner agencies. But that’s probably just a pipe dream.
I just I wish all 115,000 of our citizens here in Blount County could go visit every United Way partner agency. The need wouldn’t be nearly as much because the outpouring of resources to fill those needs would just be tremendous. Now I’m guilty, too, of not visiting several of these agencies in the past, but it changes your perspective on what they do and how they do it when you see what they’re doing with the limited resources they have.
Now if the staff at United Way could just figure out a way to get all 115,000 people in Blount County in to see every agency!
Thanks for reading, and in the next blog you’ll read about my visit to Safe Haven.
Blog You Soon,
Dave Bennett
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