As parents, we are our child’s first teachers. They depend on us for their basic needs, and we are responsible for their earliest learning. They learn so much from watching and interacting with us, and we know them better than anyone else does. There is so much information available about what developmental milestones our children should be reaching and at times, it can be difficult to navigate.
If you picked up Saturday’s Sheboygan Press, you’ve already seen that I am leaving United Way to take on the Executive Director role at the Above & Beyond Children’s Museum.
Summer will soon have come and gone as my favorite season approaches: Autumn. Autumn is a special time for United Way, as we kick off our annual campaign and celebrate our community’s collective efforts to bring together and improve the Sheboygan County we all love.
About one year ago, Abby Block, Development Director of The Salvation Army Sheboygan, convened a small group of local nonprofit professionals, myself included, to talk about starting a Young NonProfit Professionals Network (YNPN) in Sheboygan.
United Way of Sheboygan County annually reviews the local social support environment to determine whether our work is best fulfilling the needs of the community and identify any potential opportunities for investment. As part of our current review, we have released a Request for Information (RFI) for the purpose of obtaining information. This RFI is simply for the purpose of assessing the services available to help United Way aid Sheboygan County and does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP). Information about the specific topics of interest are provided below.
Before taking this position with United Way of Sheboygan County nearly four years ago, I worked at Lakeland University in the Alumni Relations Office. In my last summer of working there, I wanted my employer to take advantage of one of the biggest volunteer opportunities in this community: the Volunteer Center of Sheboygan County’s annual Day of Caring.
In May of this year, United Way of Sheboygan County (UWSC) was proud to share the results of the annual Community Investment Process. As noted, twenty agencies and thirty-eight programs received investment funding for the July 2017- June 2018 fiscal year. Most of the recipient agencies are long-standing partners with United Way and the funded programs have been supported for many years. However, this year three new programs were added. Two programs that were newly added into the investment portfolio are supported by UWAY veteran agencies, and the other program will be run by an agency new to the UWSC Partner Agency group.
Parenting does not come with a handbook, but there are resources that can help ensure that your child is developmentally on track. One of the most valuable resources is developmental screenings.
Once again the end of July signals the time for the bi-annual Point in Time Homeless Count performed by the local agencies supported by HUD funds. Agencies such as Lakeshore CAP, the Salvation Army, Safe Harbor and others who try to supply emergency assistance to those who are homeless, or who are at risk of homelessness are required to sponsor a semi-annual physical count of the individuals or families who are living on the street in our communities.
I’m humbled and honored to begin my full time position as the Executive Director of the United Way of Sheboygan County. While I have been working in this role on a part time basis for the past six months, I am excited to fully embrace the position. I was certainly familiar with the United Way prior to my employment, but I have more recently learned how fortunate Sheboygan County is to be served by this organization. The mission of working with so many wonderful organizations and partner agencies for the goal of improving lives is one which I am looking forward to. It is my hope and commitment that with my leadership of the team, we will continue the rich tradition of the United Way of Sheboygan County.