The Annual Meeting of the Fort Madison Area United Way was held on May 11 at Ivy Bake Shoppe to honor outgoing board members, introduce incoming board members, celebrate the successes of the past year, and announce community investments for the next year. Carolyn Smith, Board President honored the outgoing board members Sheryl Decker, who has served 12 years on the Board, and Becky Munoz. New Board members include Jennifer Dravis who is Nurse Manager at Sunnybrook Assisted Living and Julie Heckenberg who works as Nursing Services Director at Iowa State Penitentiary.
Carolyn Smith expressed appreciation that though our area still faces economic challenges, generous people living in Fort Madison and surrounding area helped Fort Madison Area United Way reach its goal of $140,000, the highest amount raised in the last 10 years.
A total community investment of $102,212 was provided to the North Lee County area in the past year which helped fund 22 partner agencies, one time grants, United Way projects, and an overall community leadership strategy to coordinate meeting needs in our area. Two new organizations became member agencies this past year; Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and Fort Madison ALANO Club. These two groups fit in well with the objectives of the United Way. Special needs grants helped fund after-school clubs at the Fort Madison Middle School in 2009 and the Tri-State Coalition for a training to recognize and prevent domestic violence in early 2010. United Way also expanded our funding for Budget Buddies, inserted family information in the Fort Madison School activity calendars, and continued the Winterization Coupons program.
Another highlight from the year included relocating the office to 703 Ave. G which offered more visibility to the community and gave an opportunity to participate in Main Street events such as a Christmas Open House.
Connie Storms stated that the increased campaign this year provides an opportunity to increase funding by $3,000 for annual allocations granted to 24 member agencies for 2010. Three Community Investment Teams which are comprised of community volunteers and board members reviewed requests for funding and recommended grants based on how well the organization’s programs match the goals of the United Way.
Carolyn Smith summarized the aspirations of Fort Madison Area United Way by stating, “We dream of a community where our children are given the opportunity to learn and achieve their fullest potential, and where all people are valued and treated with respect and dignity. Our United Way agencies help us to achieve our dreams. This is what it means to us to ‘Live United.’ We look forward to spreading our message and encouraging even more people to ‘Live United’ in the coming year.”