3 Reasons why we love United Way

Recently, I faced the largest single grant application in my tenure at Salvation Army (all 6 months of it). Not in size, no, but in grant request amount. 

I tackled the mountain of (metaphorical) paperwork (it's an electronic application) that is the annual Tulsa Area United Way (TAUW) Request for Funding. The application for 2014 funding was a beast- it included financial information, detailed information about our Advisory Board, as well as reporting on all 6 of our United Way funded projects, IN ADDITION TO the actual agency request for funding. 

Due to some scheduling issues, I ended up only having about a week to work on the application/report, whereas most other agencies have been crafting their application since mid-Decemeber.We were a little busy around here.  :)

You may be wondering, why is the United Way application such a big deal? and why its well worth the effort? Well, three main reasons:

Key support for programs:
The United Way is a key component of the financial stability of our major programs; annually, between 13 and 15% of the overall agency budget comes from United Way funding. The 6 major programs that TAUW funding supports are:

1. Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Tulsa- neighborhood clubs offering academic, sport and social programming for lower income youth, ages 5-18.
• North Mabee
• Mabee Red Shield
• Sand Springs
• Sapulpa
• Broken Arrow
2. Community Centers- adult health and educational programming offered at each area Boys and Girls Club.
3. Emergency Shelter- Northeast Oklahoma's largest overnight shelter with a capacity of 350, serving 3 meals a day for guests and a public dinner meal nightly
4.  Emergency Financial Assistance- a homeless prevention and financial aid program for utilities, medical and other essential service
5. Supportive Housing Program- a transitional housing program for homeless families
6. Project Able- a permanent housing program for recovering substance addicts.

Community support
In addition, being part of the United Way is important to The Salvation Army because of the connections that it brings to other agencies- to avoid duplication of services as well as to form partnerships and make referrals in the event that our programs are not a good fit for clients seeking assistance- and connections that the public can have with us as a result.

One of our favorite events during the year is the annual Day of Caring. Day of Caring, to me, is mind-blowing for it's coordination and for the sheer number of people, from different companies across Green Country.

From TAUW Fast Facts:

The Tulsa Area United Way Day of Caring is one of the largest such events in the nation, with 4,125 volunteers completing more than 33,000 hours of work at area parks, schools and non-profit organizations.

2012's Day of Caring was a great experience: we had over 300 volunteers working for The Salvation Army. And those volunteers undertook more than 30 different projects at our various locations and volunteered for a total of 1,280 hours!

Volunteers lay flooring for a storage building at the BA Boys and Girls Club.

As volunteer coordinator Jenny McElyea said in her Day of Caring blog post,

"The great thing about Day of Caring is that it’s a perfect testament to what people can do when they work together!  This year projects ranged from a cook-out for the guests at the Center of Hope courtesy of Mazzio's to the cleaning of the fence line at the Sapulpa Boys and Girls club, courtesy of the Williams Companies."

Volunteers from ONEOK paint a new picnic table they bought for the North Mabee club.

We are looking forward to attending the "Live United" Awards Banquet next week, where top companies and organizations will be recognized for their volunteer and monetary contributions to this year's campaign (the largest in TAUW history!). We love being a part of the success of the annual United Way campaign, not just as recipients of funds, but as donors ourselves.

Donor Confidence
Lastly, we really value being a United Way member agency because of the confidence that it gives our donors. As a United Way agency, we are held to some pretty rigorous financial standards and must submit our financials every year upon application for funds. Of the hundreds of non-profit organizations in the Tulsa area, only 60 are Tulsa Area United Way member organizations.

After we, the agencies, submit our applications in January, review panels are assembled and conduct assessments.  

"The Panels conduct in-depth assessments of each agency according to the following criteria: community need, program effectiveness, fiscal and administrative strength and additional resources leveraged by the agency. The panels hold several meetings during the spring to study agency applications for funding. In addition, a separate, independent Audit Committee pours over each agency's financial statements.

After reviewing the applications, panel members participate in site visits of each agency, followed by conferences with agency staff. Finally, the panels recommend funding for each agency, including their rationale, and funding priorities within and between agencies."

Not only do United Way donors benefit from this process, in knowing that each agency is closely assessed, but so do our Salvation Army donors.  Our accounting processes are efficient and our overall budget benefit from the stability of a regular deposits from the TAUW.


You can find out more about the TAUW's fiscal responsibility here.

Hope you've learned something new about the United Way and feel proud to be part of community that so enthusiastically supports non-profit work!

 -Vicki

p.s. Check out the 2012 campaign video, it's great!

EFA program popular as ever

EFA interview room

I just don’t know how they do it. I was at the Center of Hope this week with a Tulsa World reporter and photographer. They were covering our Emergency Financial Assistance (EFA) program because for the fourth year in a row the 211 social services line has referred more people to EFA than any other program. EFA helps prevent homelessness by helping people pay their utility bills and sometimes other bills. Case manager Cathy Kumm coordinates the program and clerk Heather Houston assists.

EFA Case Manager Cathy Kumm

People who need assistance call the Center of Hope and make an appointment for EFA. After checking applicants’ paperwork, Cathy and Heather call the utility companies and negotiate. They often get part of the bill reduced, then tell applicants about other agencies which can help with the rest of the bill.That means Cathy and Heather listen to the applicants’ sad stories, four days a week, a couple of hours a day.  You can read more detail about the process here.

I’ve listened to some sad stories myself and I don’t know how Cathy and Heather do it. Today I heard the story of a 69-year-old widow who was conned by a man her age who wanted to be her boyfriend.  She left her cozy apartment and moved into his house with him.

EFA Clerk Heather Houston

When she became sick with breast cancer and had to have a radical mastectomy, he lost interest, moved out, took her car and shut off the electricity in his house. She ended up with overwhelming bills. Thankfully, she has a good support network of longtime friends who found her a vehicle and bring her food. I imagine that’s not the worst story told during EFA interviews, but it left me feeling drained. It’s a tough job that they do and I hope they know how appreciated they are.  

-Sallie

Want to work in Fundraising? Be our Intern!

Are you interested in getting some hand- on experience in fundraising, special event or non-profit development? Then we want to hear from you!

We saved you a spot!

Fundraising/Special Event Planning Intern Job Description    

Intern is responsible for planning, implementing and participating in any fundraising events during internship.

    Assist with planning of special events, including meeting with event committees, developing community resources, generating new ideas and attending event meetings. Work with development staff to increase quality of events.

    Aid development director and special events directors with tasks, which are specific to each special event/function.

    Help with special event mailings, publication design, logistical tasks for events, phone calls related to donations, and other tasks as determined necessary by special event staff.

     Participate in any activity related to the event.

 What You Will Gain

    Attend support group meetings, internal/external meetings with fundraisers, government officials and committee members
    Learning how non-profit works versus commercial enterprise
    Learn how to plan an event from beginning to completion in various venues and profitability.
    Learn how to work on a budget for an event

  Management and Direction

    Reports to special event director and volunteer coordinator.
    Manages daily activities with minimal direction.
    Provides support and assistance for events as needed.
    Professional attire.
    Start and end date flexible with school schedule.
    Five to Ten hours per week worked typically between Monday-Friday Between 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. occasional weekends as needed.

**Internship can be done for up to 3 hours of college credit, with the prior approval of an instructor. **

 Please send all resumes and cover letters to Jenny McElyea, Volunteer Coordinator at Jenny_McElyea@uss.salvationarmy.org or by fax 918 587 7868

TSA Disaster Training

Last weekend, Tulsa Area Command hosted a Salvation Army disaster training. 

I have always been interested in volunteering in a disaster so I was quick to sign up.  Many others did as well.  We offered 6 courses and had volunteers from at least 3 states attend! 

Why does this matter? Because a well trained volunteer network ensure a quick, effective and organized disaster response team when it is needed most.  

My class was Incident Command Systems, which is basically learning the Salvation Army version of the federal NIMS system, which is used by FEMA, local emergency management, fire departments and others.  It basically ensures continuity between all the responders during a disaster.  What makes the Salvation Army's command system a little different is that we have a large focus on emotional and spiritual care.  Yes, we provide food, shelter and other needed items but we also offer a shoulder, prayer and reminder of God's love. 

The capstone part of my course was a mock disaster where we had to set up a command structure, identify our resources, utilize them appropriately and properly delegate the disaster related issues that popped up.  

What did I learn? It takes an Army to stay organized during a catastrophic event and I'm very glad The Salvation Army has a plan to handle whatever may come.  

- Lindsay

Kids celebrate MLK Week

Chrinasia

I visited the Mabee Red Shield Boys and Girls Club yesterday to talk to the kids about Martin Luther King, Jr. and find out what they know. Turns out that they know a lot, likely more than some adults!

Chrinasia, age seven, is a second grader at Hawthorne Elementary. I’m naming her the resident Martin Luther King Scholar of the Mabee Red Shield Boys & Girls Club. Here’s what she shared:

“He was a civil rights leader fighting for his country so that white people and black people could go in the same bathroom. Maybe he wanted to be president. He would walk with the national flag. He was a preacher and he also had a dream. He dreamed that his four little children could live in a good nation." Then Chrinasia recited the best known passages of Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech, word for word, and with expression. Turns out that her 23-member reading group memorized the speech and recited it in front of the whole school.

Marcus

Marcus, an eight year old who attends Hawthorne Elementary, said Dr. King had a dream.
“He knew the world was not fair, because you couldn’t go to all the white restaurants. There was a colored sign at some. You had to sit on the back of the bus. Whites sat on the front of the bus. So he wanted to do a speech about freedom. He gave freedom to African Americans. Now can I tell you about the Civil War? “ Marcus said. I have to save that for a later date, and I hope by then that Marcus has learned that it did not involve George Washington.

Thank you volunteers!

The Police vs. Fire competition
is legendary.

Impossible. That is what Christmas at The Salvation Army would be without volunteers. This Christmas more than 2,000 volunteers provided 8,805 hours of service. Two thousand volunteers is the size of a small army. Which is kind of perfect!

As the volunteer coordinator, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people who were willing to give of their time just so others could have a Merry Christmas. As I was thanking our volunteers it blew my mind when they started thanking me! The people who stood on their feet all day in a freezing warehouse were thanking me for this experience? Wow. I thought the cold or exhaustion had finally started getting to them. Then I realized something that everyone at The Salvation Army already knew. We truly have the most amazing volunteers in the world.

If you gave any of your time to us this holiday season or even this year, thank you. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We couldn’t do it without you!

Without our volunteer food sorters
our staff would have to work DAYS
to get the job done!

Type of Activity                   Volunteers        Hours Served

Bell Ringing                             403                      2250

Angel Tree                              196                      784

Christmas Eve Meal                  38                      76

Gift Sorting                               99                      396

Checking Bags                          33                     122

Distribution                              838                     3392

Food Sorting                           222                     667

Food Packing                          373                    1119   

Total Volunteers                    2,202                    8,806

Thank you so much!

 -Jenny

Shoeless child touches hearts

When you’re busy processing, packing and distributing gifts and toys for 9,500 people – mainly children – it was sometimes easy to get so caught up in “making it happen” that you forgot what you really were making happen.

On the first day of distribution the weather was bitter cold. I was helping a mother take her items to her car when her little girl who appeared to be about seven came running to meet us, hoping she might catch a glimpse of what was in “her” bag. (She couldn’t. The bags are opaque for that reason!) I looked down at her feet and saw that they were bare, leaned over and said, “Missy, what in the world are you doing without your shoes on? It’s freezing out here!” Still bouncing with excitement she said to me in a very matter of fact manner, “I don’t have any shoes anymore. Our house burned down the other night.”

 I looked up at the mother who shrugged her very weary shoulders and said, “We thought me losing my job was the worst thing that could happen before Christmas then our house caught on fire. We have nothing left and had no insurance. If it weren’t for you [The Salvation Army], we wouldn’t even have a Christmas.”

Disaster Training - Sign up Today!

Have you ever watched news coverage of a disaster and saw the brave volunteers in red, and wondered who they are and how they know what to do? Those caring civilians are actually well trained Salvation Army disaster relief volunteers and they help us do the most good when disaster strikes.

Many people think about helping disaster victims when a disaster happens, what most people don’t realize is that the time to be prepared is now-- BEFORE a disaster hits.  This is why it’s so important to have trained volunteers in the wings waiting for when the time comes. The Salvation Army relies on volunteers to deliver quick and efficient relief to victims of disasters like hurricanes, fires, tornadoes, etc. across the country.
 
If you are interested in learning about our disaster training program or becoming one of our well trained volunteers then please join us for our Disaster Training, January 25 and 26.  Training is free to attend and all registrations must be returned by January 18.  Click here to register or for more information contact Jenny McElyea, Volunteer Coordinator. Jenny_McElyea{at}uss.salvationarmy{dot}org. If you are trained you will become a part of our national disaster team and will be notified when your services are needed, both in Oklahoma and across the U.S.

Courses available:

Class 1 - Introduction to Disaster Services (pre-requisite)
This class is for those new to disaster services. It is an overview of The Salvation Army’s mission and role within disaster work.
Class 2 - Individual Crisis Intervention
This course is for those wanting to develop skills for one-on-one crisis intervention techniques in the fields of emotional and spiritual care, disaster response, etc.
Class 3 - ServSafe Basics
This course is for anyone wanting to serve in mass feeding.
Class 4 - Incident Command System
This course provides participants with the general orientation to The Salvation Army Incident Command system and explains how it is used to command, control, and coordinate disaster relief operations.
Class 5 - Foundations of Emotional and Spiritual Care
This course is designed to provide a basic understanding of emotional and spiritual care during times of disaster.
Class 6 - Canteen Operations
This course will train delegates how to use an emergency mobile feeding unit, including preparing and serving lunch for the training, and cleaning up and stowing the unit.

*The Salvation Army's national disaster training program includes courses developed by The Salvation Army and training certified by other partner organizations whose technical expertise is nationally recognized in a given field.

-Jenny

32 Pictures to Capture 2012 at Salvation Army of Metro Tulsa

West Mabee Boys & Girls Club Cooked Cajun!

Boys & Girls Clubs showed their amazing art skills at Philbrook!

North Mabee Boys & Girls Club toured KJRH!

Former Board Chairs David Johnson and Billie Barnett helped dedicate the
new Area Command Facility.

The Southern Baptist Disaster Relief team served lunch at the Area Command dedication.

The "Others" award is presented to Peggy & Rik Helmerich, honoring
the contributions that Peggy and her late husband Walter made to
The Salvation Army.

Boys & Girls Club members get a special visit by the Ringmaster of Barnum
& Bailey Circus-- just for them!

The circus also gave us 200 tickets!

Moving on up...we had to say goodbye to some great leaders as the
Majors Williams headed to ALM division!

Our Boys & Girls Clubs ROCK PHILBROOK every summer!

We said HELLO and WELCOME to Majors April & Jim Taylor!

The Broken Arrow Boys & Girls Club got a new swingset that is wheelchair accessible!

The Sapulpa Women's Auxilary welcomes Mrs. Taylor

Club members from our Boys & Girls Clubs pick up school supplies during Target's Back to School event.

Bottled water collection during the Creek County fires.

Women Helping Women Golf Tournament 2012

We always have fun!

Staff building a Habitat for Humanity house.

Chairs of the 2013 William Booth Society Dinner, Charlotte & Wade Edmondson
kick of the dinner planning with a tour of our West Mabee Club. Also pictured
Board Chair John Bowen and Majors April & Jim Taylor.

2012 Day of Caring

Sand Springs Boys & Girls Club staff and youth celebrate at the
2012 Youth of the Year banquet.

Art Supplies from JP Morgan make for some happy kiddos at Mabee Red Shield Boys & Girls Club.

Angel Tree season kicked off in the Malls, with girl vocal group "MP3" signing some holiday favorites.

The 2012 Women's Auxliary Luncheon and Charity Auction was a smashing success- with over 500 Silent Auction items and raising $100,000 + for Salvation Army programming.

Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett came to visit the Joy Center! Pictured here with former
Advisory Board Chair, Billie Barnett and Major Taylor

Food baskets for 4200 families wait to be picked up.

Nearly 9,000 Angels were adopted for Christmas; unfortunately, over 500 Angels didn't come back in time for Distribution, but...

A tidal wave of donated toys came pouring in to meet our need!

Full Angel Tree Bags- All 8500 are ready, just in time.

Ready for guests! Volunteers line up for their marching orders at Food and Toy Distribution.

Distribution! 2 1/2 days of toys, food, laughter and (happy) tears!

Christmas Eve Dinner at Center of Hope; Served over 1000 meals, with the help of 60+ community volunteers!

WHEW. We were busy! Thanks to all who donated, volunteered, worked, prayed and participated in any of our programs and events in 2012, here is hoping 2013 is just as great!

-Lindsay

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Tulsa Looking For Outstanding Community Leaders

Advisory Council President Aaron
Massey (right) with Mabee Red Shield
Director Jerome Smith (left) and India
Noriah, a 2012 Youth of the Year.

One of the most rewarding, and educating, aspects of working for the Salvation Army is that I get to be surrounded by people who truly want to make Tulsa better.  These are people who want to have a say in what happens to the future of our city and the people living in it.  It makes me want to do more for our community.
  
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Tulsa is looking for eager, innovative and committed people to join its Advisory Council.  The Council meets once a month, usually on a Thursday during lunchtime, to discuss what is happening in our six Boys & Girls Clubs in the Tulsa area and provide leadership to move the Clubs forward.
   
Right now, about a dozen people make up the Council, all coming from different backgrounds and working in various industries across Tulsa.  

Aaron Massey, who works for JP Morgan Chase, is the Advisory Council President. “I joined the Boys & Girls Clubs for the opportunity to immediately impact the lives of kids in our community,” says Massey.  “There is no better way to ensure the future of our kids and our communities then to help lead our young people to become productive, caring, and responsible citizens.”

Administrators are looking for those who are willing to educate the public about activities, success stories and needs in our Clubs.  A Council member is also someone who is willing to help with fundraising efforts.
   
“The Boys & Girls Club Council is fun environment to help change the lives of those in our community,” says Massey.  “We’re a fun council where we constantly are focused on improving our youth to become productive, caring, and responsible citizens. Please join today so you can have an immediate impact on the future of our community and the lives of our kids.”
Those interested in joining the Boys & Girls Advisory Council can call the Administrative office at 918-835-6902.

-Carrie