United Way of Greater Fort Dodge is all about “community” – building connections and leveraging resources to achieve real impact in improving the quality of life and well-being for all people in our community.

Hundreds of thoughtful and generous people donate to United Way every year because they understand and appreciate that their donation is focused on helping the disadvantaged and underprivileged in our community. And particularly, the youths in our community that are born into poverty or into families close to poverty.

It is not uncommon for people to ask, “Will my donation really make a difference?” The answer lies in the understanding of how these funds are actually working in our community and why they are so important.

Let me begin by saying, “a donation to the United Way campaign has the potential for giving a child in poverty a sense of hope; hope for breaking the cycle of poverty and hope for a better and brighter future.”

Giving to United Way is one of the truest forms of charity because our funds are used to help the less fortunate and most of the time, it is hard to even see the impact or end result of this charitable support. That is usually the case when you’re helping people. When a teenager receives counseling that prevents her from committing suicide, when a child no longer has to sleep on a floor because he received a donated bed, or when a family is prevented from becoming homeless, there is no picture on the front page of The Messenger to celebrate success. Yet, these contributions are supporting a wide range of critical programs that are making life-changing differences every day; one child, one family at a time.

The latest research on poverty and children, estimates that close to 20 percent of children in Fort Dodge and Webster County live in households that are at or close to the poverty level. The children in these families experience the stress and the social ills that often accompany poverty such as hunger, homelessness, crime, violence, abuse, depression and a lack of hope.

United Way of Greater Fort Dodge exists to mobilize people and maximize opportunities for achieving results that improve the lives of those most in need in our community. United Way focuses on long-term solutions while making sure that the money donated is used efficiently and effectively. We strive very hard to maximize the greatest return on our investment in our youth and their families in the greater Fort Dodge area.

We work closely with our partner agencies and our schools to identify the most critical needs and determine the best programs and initiatives to effectively address those needs. We bring together donors, businesses, nonprofits, schools, government and others to create better solutions to our community’s challenges. We focus on the necessities of life and the most vulnerable populations to improve community conditions. Our main focus is to have clear goals and priorities and we invest the donated dollars in solutions that we feel will get positive results. We strategically focus our collective resources on the challenges that disadvantaged youth and their families have to face and implement effective strategies to create lasting change.

Our volunteer board of directors ensures the strictest accountability so that we are sure to carefully steward every donor dollar that comes to us. This year United Way dollars will provide financial support to over 40 agencies and programs. Our core mission is to help every child in our community reach their full potential academically and developmentally so they will have a future filled with hope.

Please help us all become agents of positive change and make a difference in the lives of youth and families in our community by contributing to this year’s campaign. Ninety-nine cents of every donated dollar stays right here in our community. If we all work together, collectively we can make a very positive difference.

Donations to the United Way campaign can be made payable to the United Way of Greater Fort Dodge, 24 N. Ninth St, Suite B, Fort Dodge, IA 50501. For questions about our campaign, please call 573-3179.

Randy Kuhlman is chief executive officer of the United Way of Greater Fort Dodge. Amy Bruno is the organization’s program coordinator.