United Way of Lewis County’s Executive Director, Debbie Campbell, recently wrote about the importance & relevance of United Way in our community. The message rang clear - United Way has the unique ability to convene various components of our community -- donors, volunteers, nonprofits, businesses, government, schools, and faith-based organizations to inspire measurable change.
She fondly remembers 19 years ago when accepting the position of Executive Director. If she was told something could be done, that challenged her to make it happen. Over many years, she has accepted challenges and taken risks but has never forgotten her primary responsibility; to take the lead of an organization that is tasked with improving people's lives in a community she has been blessed to call home.
The role United Way plays today is one of uniting our community. The mission can no longer simply be raising and distributing funds. The objectives must be community change; increasing the number of high school graduates, reducing the number of people who are homeless or at-risk of being homeless, or reducing the number who are hungry. This new role is referred to as being issue-focused. Our bold goal is reducing the number of impoverished families in Lewis County by 30% by 2030.
For United Ways across the country, change is inevitable. The change must start with a transformation of the role of United Way. It takes everyone working together to make this happen, and all of this is possible through collaboration, support and advocacy. Thank you for trusting United Way of Lewis County to lead this community-wide effort to move the needle on poverty in our community.