October 1, 2005 Hello, and thank you for your support of United Way of Greater Cleveland. Helping Greater Clevelanders as well as those displaced by Hurricane Katrina Your contributions to United Way help assure that the safety net of services exists for all of us when that moment of need occurs. In our community, each year 400,000 Greater Clevelanders have used one or more of the services funded by United Way. Now those services also will extend to the 600 Hurricane Katrina evacuees who have relocated here. This makes your donation to United Way even more crucial this year. Please give generously to the 2005 United Way campaign. IN THIS ISSUE: United Way's Sports Auction Campaign Partner Profile: Hylant Group Inc. Networking Event: Building a United Business Community How United Way Cares: Strong Families=Successful Children Celebrating Ten Years on Playhouse Square Meet Joe National Breast Cancer Awareness Month Events Calendar

United Way's Sports Auction Tuesday, November 1 on WTAM 1100 It's a home run-three pointer-touchdown-goal! all rolled into one Bid high and often at the Third Annual United Way Sports Auction live on the air from 5 a.m. to midnight Tuesday, November 1, on Newsradio WTAM 1100. An online auction will begin October 21. Sports experiences and great memorabilia will go to the highest bidders. All the major Cleveland sports teams are participating and all proceeds benefit United Way of Greater Cleveland. View a list of some of the great items that will be up for auction (PDF document).

Hylant Group Inc. conducts excellent pacesetter campaign "Hylant Group is the kind of business we want to have more involved with the United Way family. Their pacesetter campaign this year is the kind of great result I am working hard to encourage across the entire campaign," Henry Meyer, the Chairman of the 2005 United Way Campaign says. Hylant ran their campaign with the kind of enthusiasm that resulted in record setting outcomes. Full story here.

Small Business Networking Event on October 27 Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell will join Henry Meyer, Chairman of the 2005 United Way campaign, and Mike Benz, President and CEO of United Way, for the Inaugural United Way small business event. Join your colleagues to hear about how important United Way is to our community and the benefits of conducting a United Way campaign. The event will be held at Pickwick and Frolic. Full story here.

How United Way Cares Strong Families=Successful Children, Second in a Six Part Series United Way provides critical assistance to programs that promote health and caring for children and families. By understanding the United Way community investment structure, you will better understand how your contribution to United Way impacts the lives of so many people in our community effectively and efficiently every day. Learn more about how United Way is organized.

Celebrating Ten Years on Playhouse Square Honoring Those Who Made It Possible United Way celebrates ten years on Playhouse Square. We honor those who had the vision and foresight to make the move to a new home, a place that has been a very significant force in United Way's culture and success. Go to full story.

United Way of Greater Cleveland community partners help people thrive Meet Joe to learn why this work matters. At six feet two and three hundred and fifty pounds, this gentle giant used his brawn for 29 years to make a living by working in Cleveland's manufacturing sector. However, Joe wanted to achieve more. After being laid off, Joe turned to the United Labor Agency (ULA), a United Way of Greater Cleveland partner for help in pursuing a new career as a nurse.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is in its 21st year of educating women about the importance of early detection. Learn more about this important initiative.

Upcoming events Check out this listing of upcoming United Way events. From volunteering to the auction on eBay, there is something for everyone.

Check Community-Wide Needs for the greatest impact on our community By designating Community-Wide Needs with your pledge, you authorize our trained volunteers to decide how your donations, and those of countless others, can target the greatest needs of our community. It might be to deliver meals to homebound seniors, train daycare providers to provide the best possible educational preparation for children or any of the nearly 180 programs provided by our community partners, or initiatives of the Community Vision Council. Here is how to pledge confidentially online.

We publish What Matters to keep you informed about events, activities and developments affecting United Way and the Greater Cleveland community. To ensure that you continue to receive What Matters, please add us to your address book or trusted sender list or ask your IT administrator to whitelist us. We invite you to visit our Web site, after you've read this newsletter. United Way of Greater Cleveland 1331 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115 T: (216) 436-2100; F: (216) 436-2257 www.uws.org Email: marketing@uws.org