United Way expands to serve Athens County
The following article first appeared in The Athens Messenger on November 29, 2021 by Dani Kington.
A regional United Way announced last month it would expand to serve Athens County and has begun making an impact while building relationships to support the county long-term.
“As we’ve stepped in and started to get oriented in the Athens County community, we see an endless number of partners and opportunities, so we’re super excited,” said United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley Executive Director Stacy DeCicco.
DeCicco said the regional United Way, which funds local nonprofit and public organizations while also running its own programs, has eyed an expansion to serve Athens County for many years. The organization decided to officially expand, however, after local nonprofit United Appeal for Athens County closed this summer, creating additional need.
On top of the loss of a funding source for local nonprofits, the closure of United Appeal caused the loss of a hotline for social services and assistance, 211. United Way quickly restored the 211 service, DeCicco said, while updating it to better meet the needs of individuals and families.
Since the official announcement of its expansion last month, DeCicco said the United Way’s main focus has been building relationships with local organizations. DeCicco said this will help United Way better understand the lay of the land locally, while also preparing local nonprofit and public organizations to succeed in United Way’s next grant cycle, which will open in early 2022.
“We want to make sure everyone knows we’re there, and we want to make sure people are ready to be competitive in that funding piece,” DeCicco said.
DeCicco added that the organization is particularly focused on helping local organizations build their capacity and provide sustainable services over the long term.
In addition to the restoration of 211, the United Way brought two new Little Free Libraries to the county, which allow visitors to take and leave books from book stands. The Little Free Libraries are located outside the The Dairy Barn Arts Center and Passion Works Studio.
United Way also supplied essential care kits to My Sisters Place, a domestic violence agency in Athens serving Athens, Hocking and Vinton counties. The care kits will be provided to those seeking shelter and consist of items such as water bottles, gum and notebooks, as well as toiletries and other basic needs supplies.
“We don’t pretend to think those are big impact items,” Decicco said. “We just wanted to start small, get to know some of the players and get our feet on the ground.”
My Sisters Place Executive Director Kelly Cooke said the care kits will help the organization improve the experience of those seeking shelter.
“When folks first come into shelter, it can be an anxious time — folks don’t really know what to expect,” Cooke said. “We try to provide a few personal care items to provide a little comfort when they first come in.”
Cooke added the organization is excited to have a new partner in the area.
“They seemed enthusiastic about expanding into this area, and of course we can always use the additional support in Athens County,” Cooke said. “We’re excited to work with them.”
United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley is based in Parkersburg, West Virginia and serves a total of nine counties in the mid-Ohio valley region, including Athens County.