JANUARY 5, 2005 Hello, and thank you for your support of United Way of Greater Cleveland. We are looking forward to the new year and are confident that with your support we will continue to strengthen the safety net of care for Greater Clevelanders. In an effort to keep our donors informed of upcoming news and events, we are publishing regular email updates. If you would like to unsubscribe from further enews issues or all email communications, please see the preferences and unsubscribe links at the end of this message. Our best wishes to you and yours in 2005. 2004 campaign racing to the finish; your community needs your help. The 2004 United Way of Greater Cleveland campaign needs your help, now more than ever. If you have not contributed, please do so now. Every day someone in our community needs help and will turn to the safety net of services that United Way dollars fund. For example, eight hundred people received food certificates during the past holiday season, but 400 others who needed food, had to be turned away because there was not enough for all. Our 2005 wish is that no one will have an unfilled need. Please give generously. Donate securely online. IN THIS ISSUE: Aid to Indian Ocean tsunami victims 2005 Annual Meeting Adoption Network receives grant to assist teens in county custody Annual eBay auction is 1/14 to 1/24 Cleveland Sight Center and United Way Services partner for a success story Students learn "what matters" through Youth Fund Distribution Committee Cleveland Reads becomes a United Way partner agency 800 $10 food certificates help seniors GuitarMania® II lithograph poster Aid to Indian Ocean tsunami victims United Way of Greater Cleveland will donate $50,000 to the American Red Cross on behalf of United Way donors to aid the Indian Ocean tsunami victims. This donation will come from the reserve account and will not affect funding to Greater Cleveland partner agencies or initiatives. Make your reservation for the Annual Meeting on February 25 Do not miss United Way's Annual Meeting on Friday, February 25, at 11:45 a.m. at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel. Hear the 2004 reports from United Way of Greater Cleveland and the Community Vision Council as well as the 2004 campaign final tally. The 2005 campaign chair will be introduced and United Way's volunteer of the year will be announced. Meeting sponsorships are available at various levels by contacting Michelle Battle at 216.436.2121 or mbattle@uws.org. Reserve your seat now at $40 per person. Adoption Network, lead organization for the Community Vision Council adoption initiative, receives $1.6 million federal grant to assist teens in county custody The Adoption Network, lead organization for the Community Vision Council adoption initiative, received a four-year, $1.6 million Adoption Opportunities federal grant from Children's Bureau of the Department of Health and Human Services. Currently, when adoption-eligible children reach age 18, their adult connections through the county end. The grant will help provide adult mentors for older teens in permanent custody who have not been adopted and will help support the efforts of the Adoption Network to find adoptive homes for teens. The grant is an excellent example of leveraged funds that have been obtained to support the Strong families = successful children Vision Council, co-chaired by Jane L. Campbell, Mayor of Cleveland, and Robert S. Reitman, principal, Riverbend Advisors. United Way's Fourth Annual Auction on eBay is January 14 to 24 How does a trip to Disney World sound right now? Maybe you would like to fly to an interesting place anywhere in the continental U.S., Alaska, Carribean, South America or Mexico on Continental Airlines. A Disney World trip or passes on Continental Airlines are just a few of the options available for bidding through United Way's Fourth Annual Auction on eBay. Bookmark this link: http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/unitedwayservices and check back on January 14 to see all of the wonderful items up for bid. Bid often and bid high! You get a bargain while helping your community through United Way of Greater Cleveland. Cleveland Sight Center and United Way Services partner for a success story A work-study experience at United Way of Greater Cleveland is helping Paul Urban gain insight into his capabilities with challenged vision. Urban, who is working on his master's degree in public policy at Cleveland State University, has some vision limitations caused by keratoconus, a disease of the cornea. Currently on a 90-day program as a result of a partnership between United Way of Greater Cleveland and the Cleveland Sight Center, a United Way partner agency, Urban is utilizing his computer skills on a part-time basis to assist United Way Services 211/First Call For Help to identify what type of donations agencies will accept. After the program is completed, he intends to continue as a volunteer. Learn about our more than 130 partner agencies and what they do. High school students learn "what matters" through Youth Fund Distribution Committee Fifty-five students from 25 urban and suburban high schools learn about philanthropy by participating in United Way's Youth Fund Distribution Committee. The students - 39 females and 16 males - will spend the next five months reviewing proposals for youth-oriented programs similar to those considered by United Way's Investment Committees. Using the same format as United Way itself, the students will interview agencies, allocate approximately $55,000 to worthy programs, and personally present the checks to the selected agencies. Learn more about YFDC. Cleveland Reads becomes a United Way partner agency Congratulations to Cleveland Reads which officially became a United Way partner agency on January 1, 2005. Cleveland Reads, formerly a program of United Way of Greater Cleveland, serves as the Greater Cleveland central resource and advocate for youth, adult and family literacy. Executive director is Catherine Thomas. Learn about Cleveland Reads, their Book Kits for Kids and how to become a volunteer. Going…..gone - 800 $10 food certificates help Cuyahoga County seniors Holiday Spirit, an initiative of The Plain Dealer, with support from Dave's Supermarkets, brightened the holidays for 800 seniors with $10 food certificates redeemable at Dave's. Calls to United Way Services' 211/First Call For Help claimed all of the vouchers and made a difference in the lives of residents over the age of 60. 211/FCFH staff logged more than 1,200 requests for the certificates. United Way's 211/First Call For Help is the 24/7 information and referral line. Keep GuitarMania® II alive with commemorative lithograph poster A special full-color 2' by 3' lithograph commemorating GuitarMania® II, Encore in 2004, is available for purchase. The dramatic poster, created by Sharon Howser of the UWS Marketing Department, contains images of 84 of the 10-ft-tall fiberglass replicas of Fender® Stratocaster® guitars that were designed to benefit United Way Services of Greater Cleveland and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's education fund. View the poster or order here. Designating Community-Wide Needs puts your donation in the right place at the right time When you designate Community-Wide Needs on your pledge form, trained volunteers place the funds where they are needed most. Most are invested in immediate needs of approximately 400,000 Greater Clevelanders every year. Some are invested in the Community Vision Council's agenda for long-term community improvement where they can be leveraged to attract large grants and donations, such as the adoption grant mentioned above or the $2.55 million grant for prevention and cessation of tobacco use from Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Foundation. Donating online is easy and secure. Great Things, United Way's print newsletter to the community Our current edition of Great Things, United Way's community newsletter, can be viewed on our Web site, along with back issues of this enewsletter. Click here for the current edition of our print newsletter, Great Things. We publish What Matters to keep you informed about events, activities and developments affecting United Way Services and the Greater Cleveland community. We invite you to visit our Web site, after you've read this newsletter. United Way Services of Greater Cleveland 1331 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115 T: (216) 436-2100; F: (216) 436-2257 www.uws.org Email: marketing@uws.org