UNITED WAY OF LAKE COUNTY INC
9285 PROGRESS PARKWAY, MENTOR, OH 44060 www.uwlc.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: UNITED WAY OF LAKE COUNTY, ALONG WITH ITS MISSION TO "MEASURABLY IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF PEOPLE'S LIVES IN LAKE COUNTY", PROVIDES THE MOST EFFECTIVE CHANNEL THROUGH WHICH THE COMMUNITY MAY PARTICIPATE IN A VOLUNTARY, COOPERATIVE EFFORT TO IDENTIFY, EVALUATE, SUPPORT AND FUND CURRENT HUMAN SERVICE NEEDS IN LAKE COUNTY. UNITED WAY OF LAKE COUNTY IS A LOCAL, INDEPENDENT NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT FUNDS PROGRAMS IN THE THREE BUILDING BLOCKS TO A BETTER COMMUNITY; EDUCATION, FINANCIAL STABILITY, AND HEALTH, ALONG WITH BASIC NEEDS. UNITED WAY OF LAKE COUNTY AFFECTS TWO OUT OF EVERY THREE RESIDENTS WHILE STRIVING TO MAKE A MEASURABLE IMPACT ON ALL RESIDENTS IN THE COMMUNITY. UNITED WAY OF LAKE COUNTY'S VISION IS TO BECOME THE ENTRUSTED CHAMPION THAT DRIVES IMPROVED OUTCOMES IN OUR COMMUNITY BY FUNDING SERVICES THAT IMPACT EDUCATION, INCOME (FINANCIAL STABILITY) AND HEALTH.

ALLOCATIONS AND AGENCY RELATIONS INCLUDE THE EVALUATION OF COMMUNITY NEEDS AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS TO BEST MEET THOSE NEEDS. UNITED WAY OF LAKE COUNTY'S (UWLC) MANY VOLUNTEERS ARE CRITICAL DECISION- MAKERS WHEN MAKING PROGRAM FUNDING DECISIONS. STAFF LEAD THE GROUP, BUT IT IS THE COLLECTION OF 50+ VOLUNTEERS THAT MEET WEEKLY FOR SEVERAL MONTHS TO EVALUATE PROGRAMS, LISTEN TO AGENCY REPRESENTATIVES, THEN DECIDES WHICH PROGRAMS WILL RECEIVE FUNDING. STARTING THIS YEAR, UWLC UPDATED THEIR FUNDING MODEL AND OPENED UP THE APPLICATION PROCESS TO ALL NON-PROFITS IN LAKE COUNTY. THIS ALLOWED NEW PROGRAMS TO BE BROUGHT TO THE TABLE, EVALUATED, AND ULTIMATELY RECEIVE FUNDING IF THE VOLUNTEER PANELS RATED IT ACCORDINGLY. EVEN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC HAPPENED, UWLC WAS ALREADY MOVING TO AN ONLINE PLATFORM FOR APPLICATIONS AND EVALUATIONS, SO OUR DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS WERE ABLE TO MEET VIRTUALLY AND GO THROUGH THE ONLINE PROCESS OF EVALUATING ALL THE PROGRAMS THAT MADE IT THROUGH THE INITIAL LETTER OF INTENT (LOI) PROCESS. TO RAISE THE DOLLARS THAT OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE ABLE TO ALLOCATE, HUNDREDS OF COMPANIES RUN WORKPLACE CAMPAIGNS, INVOLVING CORPORATE GIFTS AND SPECIAL EVENTS, ALONG WITH HUNDREDS OF LAKE COUNTY RESIDENTS THAT GIVE INDIVIDUALLY THAT HELP KEEP LAKE COUNTY ENGAGED IN MAKING IT A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE AND WORK.

COMMUNITY PLANNING INCLUDES COORDINATION OF AGENCY STAFF, VOLUNTEERS, AND OTHER RESOURCES TO CONDUCT ACTIVITIES FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE COMMUNITY. IN A YEAR WHERE A PANDEMIC TOTALLY CHANGED THE LANDSCAPE OF THE WORLD, LET ALONE LAKE COUNTY, UWLC HAD TO CHANGE AND ADAPT TO ENSURE WE WERE STILL MEETING THE ARISING COMMUNITY NEEDS. OUR BIGGEST, AND MOST IMPORTANT, UNDERTAKING WAS THE CREATION OF THE LAKE COUNTY RELIEF FUND (LCRF). WE STARTED THIS IN MID-MARCH AND BY THE END OF JUNE GARNERED NEARLY 140,000 IN SUPPORT OF THIS FUND WHERE 100% OF THE FUNDS RAISED WENT RIGHT BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY TO FUND PANDEMIC-RELATED RELIEF EFFORTS. WE HAD NEW COMPANIES STEP UP TO SUPPORT THE FUND, ALONG WITH DOZENS OF RESIDENTS THAT HAD NEVER SUPPORTED UWLC BEFORE. OUR LARGEST VOLUNTEER EFFORT OF THE YEAR IS OUR DAY OF CARING IN JUNE, BUT WE KNEW WE COULDN'T GET 600+ VOLUNTEERS TOGETHER AT DOZENS OF SITES ACROSS THE COUNTY, SO WE DECIDED TO ROLL OUT A DRIVE-BY DAY OF CARING. WE HAD FOUR LOCATIONS ACROSS LAKE COUNTY WHERE PEOPLE COULD DROP OFF CARE KITS (BABY, EDUCATIONAL, HEALTH, PPE, ETC.) AND WE COLLECTED ALL OF THE DONATIONS AND DISTRIBUTED THEM TO OUR PARTNER AGENCIES. IN THE MIDST OF THE LCRF AND NEW ALLOCATION PROCESS IN THE SPRING, WE STILL RAN OUR ANNUAL FEED LAKE COUNTY DRIVE THROUGH A SOLICITATION MAILING AND SEVERAL COMPANIES STILL RAN FOOD DRIVES THAT WERE COMFORTABLE DOING SO. BECAUSE OF THE SUPPORT OF SO MANY COMPANIES AND INDIVIDUALS, EVEN DURING A PANDEMIC, WE WERE ABLE TO DO A 20,000 FOOD DISTRIBUTION IN MARCH THEN FOLLOWED THAT UP WITH A MONETARY CHECK DISTRIBUTION IN MAY. THIS PROCESS WILL CONTINUE INTO THE NEW YEAR WHERE WE WILL BE ABLE TO SAFELY DISTRIBUTE FOOD AND CHECKS USING THE FUNDS RAISED DURING THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR. WE ALSO HAVE A FEW AFFINITY GROUPS THAT WERE ABLE TO CONTINUE RUNNING ALL YEAR LONG. BELOW ARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM THEM: YOUTH UNITED WAY - MADE UP OF A GROUP OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, THE YUW PROGRAM IS A REAL-LIFE EXAMPLE OF EVALUATING COMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND GRANTING FUNDS TO THE MOST CRITICALLY NEEDED AREAS. THIS YEAR, THE GROUP GRANTED THEIR 5,000 ALLOCATION TO BE USED TOWARD THE LCRF. EMERGING LEADERS - MADE UP OF A GROUP OF LAKE COUNTY YOUNG PROFESSIONALS THAT HOST AN ANNUAL GOLF OUTING AND OTHER FUNDRAISING/NETWORK EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, THEY ALSO RECEIVE GRANT APPLICATIONS FOR DOZENS OF PROGRAMS EACH YEAR AND HAVE TO DECIDE WHICH PROGRAMS MEET THE MOST CRITICAL NEEDS. THIS YEAR, THROUGH OUR NEW ALLOCATION MODEL, THEY GRANTED 15,000 TO THE MENTOR PUBLIC LIBRARY AND ITS DOLLY PARTON IMAGINATION LIBRARY PROGRAM. WOMEN UNITED AFFINITY GROUP - MADE UP OF A GROUP OF LAKE COUNTY WOMEN WHOSE MISSION IS TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN LAKE COUNTY. THEY HOST A VARIETY OF FUNDRAISING EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, INCLUDING A SPEAKER SERIES, MEMBERSHIP DRIVES, AND THEIR SIGNATURE EVENT HELD IN DECEMBER, WOMEN'S WINTERFEST. DOLLARS RAISED FROM WLC FUNDRAISING EFFORTS ARE ALLOCATED TO PROGRAMS THAT SUPPORT AT-RISK WOMEN AND GIRLS IN LAKE COUNTY. WOMEN UNITED ALLOCATED 51,000 TO SEVERAL PROGRAMS THROUGH THE NEW ALLOCATION MODEL, INCLUDING 10,000 TO THE LCRF.

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