SIDNEY — Providing accountability and ensuring the community’s dollars are impacting Shelby County’s greatest needs is what the allocation process is all about for the Shelby County United Way. Every year the process in which five allocation teams consisting of over forty people including Board Members, Company, and Community Volunteers conduct agency reviews. The teams are comprised of 5 Impact Areas, two of which are “Promoting Health & Well Being” and “Community Initiatives”. The recommended allocation amounts are presented before the United Way Board of Trustees for final approval.
The United Way partner agencies that are “Promoting Health & Well Being” are:
• Catholic Social Services providing Counseling and Mental Health Services and Senior Health. CSS provides Individual, family, marriage and school-based counseling as well as Home Health services that provides educational programming and screenings for people 60 and older.
• Compassionate Care is a health care clinic that provides medical, dental and pharmaceutical assistance to the under insured (High Deductible) and uninsured.
• Rehabilitation Center for Neurological Development provides physical therapy, and aquatic therapy, neurological feedback to individuals with a brain injury, stroke, autism, developmental disability, etc.
• SafeHaven provides mental health clients a consumer operated center where they may participate in educational, social and vocational support in a safe environment toward mental health recovery.
• Senior Center of Sidney-Shelby County provides members age 50 and better exercise classes, fitness center, social and recreational programming for a $30 annual fee.
The United Way “Community Initiatives” are:
• Character Playbook that provides an innovative digital course that uses evidence-based strategies to educate students on how to cultivate and maintain healthy relationships during their critical middle school years.
• Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library that provides at no cost to the family an age appropriate book that is mailed monthly from birth to the age of 5.
• IMPACT Program that provides support, resources, and counseling for school age children and their families who are facing obstacles towards academic, social and community success.
• Shelby County 211 which is an information and referral human services hotline that is staffed 24/7 providing confidential guidance on all community resources.
• Workforce Partnership Career Coach who works with students not planning on going to college, military or currently not enrolled at a career center and matches them with industry-based jobs that offer career wages and benefits.
The Shelby County United Way is a local 501c3 non-profit organization that has earned the highest rating from Charity Navigator eight out of the past nine years. Monies raised in the annual campaign are invested locally under the leadership and direction of our local volunteer Board of Directors and Community Allocation Volunteers.
Through the sixth week of the campaign, the campaign total is $586,832. Donors can make payroll contributions with participating employers or make a one time or reoccurring donation by visiting www.shelbycountyunitedway.org or text SHELBY to 40403. Checks can be made payable to Shelby County United Way and mailed to P.O. Box 751, Sidney.
