Happy Holidays!
Christmas Bureau
Thank you to everyone who reached out and made the Shawnee County Christmas Bureau a success this year! You served 1,729 households, that’s 6,279 people!
If you have ever wondered just how big a job this is, here are some interesting ways to look at it.
- If you spent just 30 minutes per individual—shopping, wrapping and delivering—it would take more than 3,100 hours! That’s more than 130 days! More than 4 months! Something this big can’t be done by one organization—it quite literally takes the entire community.
- If all we did was collect money for this, it would take more than $300,000 to provide the level of help that this community gives each year.
- Christmas Bureau is the main focus for our Senior Director of Volunteer Engagement from October all the way through December. This year, she had a dedicated core of volunteers and committee members to help make sure no details were left undone!
- Thanks to all our community partners who make this enormous effort possible, including Topeka Rescue Mission, Doorstep, Topeka Housing Authority and El Centro.
We have matched everyone that we can. Each year some families have special circumstances that make it difficult to connect them with a volunteer adopter. Sometimes a family that applied loses access to the phone or email they had used on their application and we aren’t able to connect with them in time to get them adopted. When that happens, we take care of them by providing a “secret shopper” service where we purchase items, have a big wrapping party, and then staff or the volunteers make sure everything is delivered.
Each year we average about 50 households that end up needing this service, which is why monetary donations are so important. To cover all of those families, we need $15-20K. We always find a way to provide at least something to every family, but without donations, what we can do for them is very limited. The good news with donations is also that if we end up with more than we need to take care of all the families this year, that money stays in the Christmas Bureau account and gives us a head start for next year. If you would like to support Christmas Bureau with a donation, you can go online at UWGTChristmas.org, you can bring your donation to our office, 1315 SW Arrowhead Road between 8 and 5 (we’ll be closed December 24 and 25.
Recycled Rides
Each semester United Way helps the students at Washburn Tech give away Recycled Rides to deserving individuals or community organizations. Students, faculty and community members gathered at the Washburn Tech auto shop to celebrate the completion of car number 25!
Check out the story on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10156755768204361&type=1&l=a676abda44
Campaign Update
Thanks to all the businesses and individuals who have supported the community as part of our current workplace campaign. Here are just a few highlights of the $1.7 million contributed so far:
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Kansas employees increased their giving for the year and donated $269,315.06. That includes a $50,000 donation from the BCBSKS Foundation. Employees also volunteered to pack food boxes at Harvesters and build school supply kits.
Because the company goal was exceeded, BCBS will sponsor a special project to enhance the playground at TDC Learning Center’s Parent-Child Learning Center at Highland Park High School with a donation of $7,000. Employees will once again get to volunteer to help with the project, as they did this year with the Born Learning Trail at Deer Creek Community Center.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber employees this year raised $182,395.14, including involvement from United Steelworkers Local 307. Security Benefit and SE2, which match employee contributions dollar for dollar, raised $270,491.68.
Thanks to all the employers who make workplace campaigns an easy and fun way to support the community! Don’t have a campaign where you work? Starting one is easy! Just contact AJ Patterson at aj.patterson@unitedwaytopeka.org or 228.5117. If you are retired or not connected to a workplace, consider giving an individual gift. It’s easy to do online at GiveTopeka.org, or you can download a printable form or call in your contribution.
We’re Moving!
United Way of Greater Topeka is always looking for ways to serve Shawnee, Jackson and Jefferson counties more efficiently. In January 2019, we will be moving to a new building that will provide a substantial monthly savings in rent while also raising our visibility.
We will be moving to 1527 SW Fairlawn Road from January 10 through 12. Right now we plan to be closed to outside business during the actual move, January 10 and 11. With a little luck (and no ice storms or blizzards!) we will open for business in our new location on Monday, January 14.
You might know our new space better as the former Bryan University building. We are excited to have a bigger community room, plenty of parking and a prime spot on Fairlawn Road. We will plan several open house opportunities once we get all settled.
Starting January 14, our new address will be:
United Way of Greater Topeka
1527 SW Fairlawn Rd.
Topeka, KS 66604
Some of our phone extensions MAY be changing, but our main number will remain 785.273.4804. Our email address and social media will remain the same.
Advocacy Committee Finalizes 2019 Public Policy Agenda
The Kansas Legislature will be back in session soon. United Way knows all the good work in the world won’t create sustainable change if underlying policies don’t support it. UWGT Advocacy Committee members recently finalized a public policy agenda that help donors and community members understand the legislative issues and priorities that affect education, financial stability and health locally, regionally and nationally. Read or download the Public Policy Agenda and find out more about this committee on our web page: unitedwaytopeka.org/advocate/