Mark Your Calendars

Beta Kappa Tau/United Way
Crawfish Boil
Saturday, April 26, 2008

National Volunteer Week
April 27 - May 3, 2008

United Way & the National Association of Letter Carriers
(NALC) Food Drive
Saturday, May 10, 2008

Executive Committee Meeting
Thursday, May 15, 2008

Executive Committee Meeting
Thursday, June 19, 2008

United Way, WCBI, and
Main Street Columbus Blood Drive
Thursday, June 19, 2008

Watch the 2007-2008 campaign video produced by WCBI.

Download the 2008 United Way Brochure

Volunteers Needed
Visit our volunteer center to learn more about volunteer opportunities in your area and sign up to volunteer.

United Way of Lowndes County
Agencies & Programs

American Red Cross
Boys and Girls Club
Boy Scouts (Pushmataha Council)
Columbus AFB Youth Center
Community Resource Connection
Community Volunteer Center
CONTACT Helpline
Dial-a-Bus
Four H Clubs of Lowndes County
Girl Scouts of Northeast MS
Greater Columbus Learning Center
Helping Hands
Home Delivered Meals
Recovery House
Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP)
Safe Haven & The Rape Crisis Center
The Salvation Army
YMCA

2008-2009 Board of Directors

Lynn Atkins
Nick Ardillo
Susan Bell
Allegra Brigham
John Brady
Kathy Brown
Roger Burlingame
Whirllie Byrd
Beth Cook
Bryant Cook
Will Cooper
William Corder
John Davis
Learnard Dickerson
John Dowdle
Dennis Erby
Matt Fowler
Louisa Gerber
Bobby Harper
Sarah Heinkel
Jason Heliniak
Deborah Junkin
Frances Jutman
Brenda Lathan
Dr. Claudia A. Limbert
Dr. Stan McCrary
Stuart Phillips
Yvonne Sanders
Gerald Scallions
Scott Singley
Perrin N. Smith, M.D.
Stewart Stafford
Sandra Stone
Alma Turner
Jim Wilson

United Way Staff

Janice Ballard, Executive Director
Michelle Avant, Office Manager
Frances Tucker, Receptionist
Meagan Coughlin, Project Coordinator

Learn how you can make a difference. Donate today by calling 328-0943!

Welcome our 2008-2009 Board of Directors!

* Thank you to Past Presidents who continue to serve on the Board of Directors.

**New Member Nominations

Beta Kappa Tau boils crawfish for United Way

WHAT:     Boilin’ for Charity
               The Brotherhood of Beta Kappa Tau
               United Way of Lowndes County

WHEN:    Saturday, April 26, 2008
               1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

WHERE: Mississippi University for Women
              Shattuck Lawn
              Enter at the Main Gate

Crawfish will be available for $6.00 per pound including corn and potatoes. Tents will be set up with tables and seating for 50. Games for everyone provided by campus recreation.

National Volunteer Week encourages you to change the world

National Volunteer Week (April 27 to May 3) inspires, recognizes, and encourages people to seek ways to engage in their community. This week allows individuals to be at the center of social change discovering their power to make a difference.

The 2008 theme is "Volunteer to Change the World" because it truly reflects the power volunteers have to inspire the people they help and to inspire others to serve.

Consider what volunteering means in our community. Volunteering in our community means hot meals to the elderly, after school programs for our youth, and companionship to abandoned cats and dogs. What does volunteering mean for you?

Join the country in celebrating volunteerism by signing up today and volunteer to change our corner of the world by contacting United Way's internal volunteer center.

The Community Volunteer Center (CVC) is your one stop shop for volunteer opportunities. What's skills do you have? How often would you like to volunteer? What are your interests?" Answering these questions will help you find a volunteer opportunity that is right for you.

To learn more about volunteering, contact the CVC at 327-0807 or click on the Community Volunteer Center tab in the upper right hand of this page.

Get Ready to Stamp Out Hunger with the United Way/NALC Food Drive

Local letter carriers are teaming up with United Way in the annual National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Stamp Out Hunger food drive to benefit nonprofit shelters and food pantries. The NALC is asking Columbus city residents and Columbus Air Force Base residents to leave nonperishable food donations in a bag near their mailboxes to be picked up by the carriers on Saturday, May 10.

The NALC Food Drive emerged as the largest one-day food drive in the nation. In each of the last three consecutive annual drives, local letter carriers collected more than two tons of food items that were distributed to United Way agencies in Lowndes County including Helping Hands, Recovery House, Safe Haven, The Salvation Army, and the Community Resource Connection. First Assembly of God James Cook Food Pantry will also benefit from the drive.

Local organizer Jeff McDonald is hopeful that this year's drive will exceed the record 4,400 pounds of food that was collected in Columbus last year. Letter carriers ask for food items such as canned fruits, meat, soups and vegetables, as well as dry pasta, rice, cereal, peanut butter and other items that can be stored without refrigeration. Glass containers and out-of-date items should not be included. For more information, please contact Jan Ballard at 328-0943.

United Way Seeks Volunteers to Serve on 2008 Day to Care Committee
Every fall, United Way kicks off its campaign with its annual Day to Care event. This year the kick off is scheduled for Thursday, September 11. A lot of work goes into the big event - coordinating the luncheon, the t-shirt design and implementation, soliciting sponsors, asking for donations, and matching volunteers to projects at United Way agencies. We need your help! Sign up to today to serve on our committee by contacting Meagan at our Community Volunteer Center at 327.0807.

Recycle Inkjet Cartridges and Used Cell Phones
The Community Volunteer Center (CVC) is an internal service of United Way of Lowndes County that matches people to volunteer opportunities in the area.

The CVC partnered with Planet Green in a fundraising effort to collect empty cartridges and used cell phones. It's a great way to raise money for the CVC while helping our environment!

Collection Location:

Just bring your empty inkjet cartridges and used cell phones to the United Way office located at 501 Seventh Street North, Suite 5, in the Plaza Building Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bring your cartridges from home and work. It's that easy. Start collecting today!

For more information, please call Meagan at the CVC at 327.0807.

.