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Information & Referral Committee:
Virginia Hartmann - Williamsburg S oap & Candle Co.
Bill Voliva - Busch Properties, Inc.
Brian Taber - James City County Dept. of Social Services
Capt., Greg Shannon - Salvation Army
Jim Goltry - American Red Cross
Cherokee Baer - St. Bede Catholic Church Ministries
Jonathan Weiss - Community Representative
Pete Wallentisch - Williamsburg Social Services
CRS HIGHLIGHTS
United Way HelpLine
The year 2003 was a time of growth and evolvement. During the past year United Way's Community Resource Service (CRS) with it's Information and Referral HelpLine, once again, was honored with the opportunity to serve the needs of the communtiy.
As a member of the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) this United Way service directs clients to its partner agencies as well as other agencies which include Colonial Service Board, Old Towne Medical Center, FISH, York and James City County's and the City of Williamsburg's social services, the Housing Initiative Program (HIP), Mission Day Star and many other local agencies and faith based organizations for assistance with their needs. Through this collaborative spirit of partnership, resolution was brought to many challenging circumstances. The service provides important statistical information and tracks changes in trends to assist in assessing community needs and meeting those needs.
A father was deserted by his wife and left to find day care for his children so that he could reorganize his life and attempt to raise his family alone. Or, resolving the life threatening situations for a grandparent who is living on social security. She is unable to pay for the insulin so desperately needed to remain healthy and able to raise her daughter's three children.
Acting as the community's single point of contact, the referral services provided help to children and their parents, the disabled, homeless, veterans and seniors.
Help Provided:
*Food Vouchers
*Assistance with eviction and foreclosure
*Protection againsty utility cut-offs
*Provision of shelter
*Repair of housing and utility systems
*Assistance for victims of domestic violence, child and elder abuse
*Response to mental health and substance abuse crisis
*Assistance with prescriptions and medical services
*Childcare assistance
*Nutritious holiday meals for hte disabled and elderly
*Positive youth development programs and volunteer opportunities
As 2003 came to a close, the United Way of Greater Williamsburg's Community Resource Service and its staff remained steadfast in the center's mission "to identify needs within the community and act as a catalyst for changes in services that will positively impact the quality of lives of the residents of the Greater Williamsburg area"
Volunteer Center
The Volunteer Center is another example of United Way's effort to connect resources with those most in need. In this case it's the countless hours, over 30,000 in fact, that our many volunteers unselfishly donate to make our community a better place. Examples during 2003 include . . .
*Day of Caring - the 11th anniversary of the Day of Caring, chaired by Mike Hartmann, connected hundreds of corporate and individual volunteers with peope and non-profit organizations needing help. September 11, 2003, bought together over 800 volunteers who contributed over 5,500 hours and completed over 70 projects. They fixed roofs, painted homes, cleared yards, and shared with one another the joy of helping their neighbors in need.
*The University of Tennessee and TeamVOLS were quite proud that this year from March 6-13 it sent teams to Washington D.C. and Williamsburg, VA. The group of 25 students worked on a number of projects during that week including Red Cross, Faith in Action, Avalon, CDR and the Camp Skimino. During that week they donated over 800 hours of volunteer service to our community!
United Way of Greater Williamsburg
Volunteer Center is a proud member of:
*Holiday Meals - Members of WIlliamsburg United Methodist Church and Walnut Hills Baptist Church worked with our I&R staff and volunteer center to deliver home cooked meals to the elderly and disabled during the holidays.
*GWVOAD (Greater Williamsburg Volunteers Active in Disaster)
As a member of Williamsburg's local VOAD, the Community Resource Service joined with other GWVOAD members to restore our community by providing support during the recovery process from disasters caused by the ice storm and hurricanes in 1999, 2000 and of course, Hurricane Isabel in 2003.
*Crisis Response - Your United Way continues to collaborate with local emergency programs to prepare the community to respond to disaster. We are building a crisis response plan for five communities (Williamsburg/James City County, Albermarle County, North Carolina, South Hampton Roads, Franklin County, and Portsmouth and West Chesapeake). Included in the plan for United Ways in the region are disaster training for adult volunteers, high school and college students and relocation provisions.
