The United Way

I like the name The United Way. It means to me that we can do it together, united, that's the way. I just returned from the United Way Kickoff and realized more than ever that we need each other...we must "Live United". All hands on deck! Everybody's gotta do something, now! I mean it! Whew, glad to get that off my chest. Let me tell ya why practically, then really make the point.

United Way funds local non-profit organizations. Seventeen of them. All good organizations. Ten of the seventeen are youth programs you would be familiar with (Scouts, FFA, 4-H and the like). The rest are adult programs ranging from hospice training to domestic violence shelters. One of our favorite is Corinth Welfare Association. They take United Way money and help pay bills for people who are in financial trouble. While that is a class favorite, virtually every United Way funded program is an asset to us at Crosswind. We send girls who have been abused to S.A.F.E. Some of our kids get to be Scouts. We had a grandma last year be tutored to learn to read. And on and on.

Here's the point. We're all in it together and we need each other.

Last year one of the companies in town who gives to United Way asked if I would come and give an inspirational talk to help their company give. They knew two things. 1. We are not a United Way funded non-profit and 2. It doesn't matter cause we need each other.

Did you watch the national news series on Katrina, Five Years Later? The story was touching at a lot of levels. So many organizations, churches, national non-profits, big named actors (Brad Pitt) have rolled up their sleeves and gotten involved. It was awesome. Over 5000 homes have been built by non-profits in just 5 years. Thats over 1000 homes per year. That's three homes per day. That's awesome! Thank God for all the people who helped.

But here's the catch, Katrina destroyed 200,000 homes! So... 5000 don't look so good now huh?

Friends it's like that here in our county. We've got a lot of great ministries doing a lot of great things but there's a lot more to do, so... we need each other. As long as our dropout rate is too high, as long as kids are going to bed hungry, as long as people are laid off from jobs, as long as families are broken, without God and without hope, we need each other.

All hands on deck... we've got a community to save, the united way.

BC