Affordable Homes for Sale in Bethlehem

Please pass this information along to your coworkers!

HOM, Inc., a nonprofit affordable housing developer in Bethlehem, has partnered with the City of Bethlehem and KNBT to offer two new townhomes located in the 600 block of Montclair Avenue in South Bethlehem. Construction is currently underway with an anticipated ready date in the spring of 2009.

Each unit will contain a one car attached garage, living room, dining room and kitchen area, one and a half baths, three bedrooms, a laundry. Each property is gas heated and centrally air conditioned. Floor plans are available in .pdf format and can be obtained by calling Dan or Bob at the numbers listed below. The cost is $174,900, less a $75,000 home subsidy on each.

Prospective homebuyers must meet income eligibility requirements. For further information on these properties, please contact Dan Brady at (610) 868-9809 or Bob Ross at (610) 217-2630.

United Way Needs Your Help!

For many people in our community, making ends meet is simply wishful thinking.

There are many families in our neighborhoods - families who you may know well and not even realize are struggling - whose bread-winners work full-time, only to leave at the end of the day and head over to our local food banks... or may work full-time and frequent homeless shelters as a place to rest for the night... or have to make a choice between paying bills and putting food on their family's table.

The staff and volunteers at United Way are headed for a tough campaign this fall, hoping for the best for thousands of Lehigh Valley residents most in need. We know, through the generosity of people like you, we can continue to meet the needs of our children and families throughout the Lehigh Valley. However, we are learning every day that the needs are drastically increasing.

Consider these statistics over the last 12 months:

• Since 2007, requests for housing assistance through Valley Wide Help have increased a whopping 30% (almost 500 more calls!);
• Energy assistance calls have increased 64%;
• Food assistance calls have increased by 11%;
• Transportation assistance calls have increased over 33%;
• Financial assistance calls have increased by 17%.

Both your support and the support of your coworkers during this campaign is critical to making sure programs are available for local families when they need it most. Through your contribution to United Way, you help play a role in the health and vitality of our community... a health and vitality that is at risk for many of our neighbors, friends, and relatives.

For more information on how you can help or get involved, questions or concerns, please email sarahb@unitedwayglv.org.

Beginning Your Campaign...

The #1 reason most people don't give to United Way is because they weren't asked.

As you begin preparing for this year's United Way Campaign, remember that it is in times of economic uncertainty when the community's support is needed most; that less people feel they have the means or flexibility to contribute to charities when the need is greatest.

The following are key points to keep in mind when soliciting your organization's employees:

• Supporting United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley ensures local services are available for our community.
• Investments are recommended by local volunteer committees and approved by the United Way's Board of Directors (who also volunteer their time, talents and expertise).
• United Ways 2008-2011 investments are working to address local crises, with a commitment to "moving the needle" on current conditions and bettering the quality of life for all Lehigh Valley residents.
• United Way is accountable to every donor in the Lehigh Valley, and focused on measurable outcomes for those who benefit from services provided because of their support.

It matters whether this year's campaign is a success. It matters that our children are healthy and that they succeed in school; that our older adults live in their homes among a caring network of family, friends and neighbors; that our families are stable, safe, and financially secure. As a recent campaign video released by the United Way of Greater Milwaukee succinctly put it...

"Nothing changes if nothing changes."

We are each responsible for the health and vitality of our community both today and for generations to come. On behalf of the United Way staff, volunteers, and our community, thank you for your efforts in assisting your organization's 2008 United Way Campaign.

Idea Exchange at the Coordinator Roundtable Workshop

For those of you who missed yesterday's "Coordinator Roundtable Workshop" at Air Products, attendees were asked to bring their 3 best practices and 3 greatest challenges for a discussion on boosting participation and support during an especially difficult economic year.

Some ideas from the workshop included:

• Solicit your company's retirees
• New-hire brochures/packets; New-hire United Way presentations
• Fundraisers (golf tournaments, food fairs, Penny Wars)
• Free parking/vacation days
• Senior management car wash
• Find out which coworkers have personally benefitted from a United Way program or agency and ask them to contribute a testimonial for your United Way communications.
• Ask coworkers who volunteer on local boards or contribute to United Way programs/agencies to explain during a United Way presentation - or in printed materials - why it's important to give back to the community.
• Use % Participation among employees as a company-wide goal
• Establish your own recognition level within your company
• As employees to contribute a percentage of their salary to be eligible for incentives
• Ask your CEO to remind employees to pledge through your company's voicemail system
• *Get your company's marketing materials in a community-wide basket raffle

INCENTIVES
According to Linda Hamilton, Crayola's campaign coordinator, "find out what your employees want instead of guessing at what they want."

Incentives are a sure-fire way of getting employees involved in your campaign. Oftentimes, incentives are the only way to raise dollars from employees who may have an affinity for other charitable causes or don't have the means or desires to contribute otherwise. When considering various incentives to offer for your campaign, think like your coworkers... what would motivate you to give? Some ideas...

• Jeans days or casual days
• Vacation days
• Parking spots
• Dinner or lunch with your company's CEO

The coordinators at Follet Corporation expressed their challenge in getting employees to United Way meetings. A suggestion was made by the coordinator from Lutron to offer gas cards in amounts of $20 to be raffled off at meetings.

INCENTIVES - Where to get 'em...

From your company

From your company's vendors

Local businesses

Company campaign budget

*At the top, right-hand side of your screen under "Links," click on "Latest Coordinator eNewsletter" for information regarding 2008 basket raffles.

For more information on how to implement the campaign strategies listed above, please contact your United Way account manager.

As always, thank you for all you do to make our community a better place to live and work!

GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUTEER.

LIVE UNITEDTM

Growing up, we must have heard a thousand times that we are all different from one another. We each come from different backgrounds and environments and hold different jobs.

Yet we are all people - people who face similar life events, choices, and moments when we could use a "hand up."

Each year, campaign coordinators just like you increase United Way's ability to make a difference in the lives of children, teens, older adults, and families and neighborhoods. In early 2008, United Way of America launched its LIVE UNITED Campaign to remind communities across the nation that we have a tremendous impact on the welfare of others when we give, advocate, and volunteer. Click here to see the 30-second video airing in communities throughout the United States.

The 2008 campaign materials will be arriving at your door in the next few weeks and this year's campaign brochure features local people who get involved in United Way - those who impact our community through donations, advocate for a better community, and who give of their time and talents to make the Lehigh Valley a better place to live and work.

During your campaign activities this year, a different strategy you might use with your coworkers is to engage them in a discussion on how they each LIVE UNITED. As people, we interpret and apply "LIVE UNITED" differently. According to Rich Harwood from The Harwood Institute for Public Policy in his list of Top 10 Ways to LIVE UNITED, "For me, 'Live United' is not rooted in a utopian vision. Rather, it is a call for each of us to step forward to engage with one another and to do our best to repair breaches in our lives and society. It is an entreaty to turn toward one another and make hope real." What better way to engage your coworkers in your company's campaign than to have them realize their peers are actively involved in the community? (You might even offer an incentive prize for those who share their stories of living UNITED.)

Your United Way's efforts are focused on achieving measurable results. We can only get there with your help. Whether you volunteered yourself as your company's campaign coordinator or the opportunity came knocking at your door, your work this year will help us achieve results that change lives and shape the futures of generations to come.

For questions on applying LIVE UNITED to your campaign, please contact your account manager or email Sarah Blum at sarahb@unitedwayglv.org. Thank you for all you do to LIVE UNITED!

...When we reach out to one We influence the condition of all...

GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUTEER. LIVE UNITEDTM

United Way's Universally-Designed Home on YouTube!

Imagine a community in which older adults remain in their homes, staying involved with family, friends and neighbors...

Now imagine buying a home designed to fit your lifestyle and physical needs as you grow older.

This imaginary housing option became a reality on June 7, 2008, when United Way's Lehigh Valley Alliance on Aging and Lehigh Career & Technical Institute unveiled the Universally-Designed Home.



One of United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley's four community goals ensures older adults age successfully, remaining in their homes and communities and involved with family, friends, and neighbors.

For more informtion on the Universally-Designed Home, visit the Lehigh Valley Allince on Aging's website at http://www.lvagingmatters.org/ and click "Housing and Mobility Options."

MSNBC Report: Economy Hitting the Elderly Especially Hard

As each of you move forward in planning your company's 2008 United Way Campaign, are you having any of the following unsettling thoughts?

"I don't know how I am going to get my company's employees to give in a year when the economy is as bad as it is."

"My staff are paid low wages and I can't imagine asking them to make a United Way contribution now."

"My staff already feels they donate enough and I feel uncomfortable asking them to increase their giving when gas and food costs are so high."

If you have had similar thoughts cross your mind you are not alone. We all feel the strains on our wallets each time we make a trip to the gas station or the grocery store, yet there are many people right here in the Valley that can't afford gas at all; many of our relatives, friends or neighbors who sometimes have to make a choice as to what to pay for - their prescription medications, food, or their electricity bills.

Click here to read MSNBC's report on "Economy Hitting the Elderly Especially Hard." Then use similar messages when approaching your employees to give this year.

It is a known fact that when the economic faces difficulties and strains, more people than ever use the services and programs that United Way provides and yet less people give. Your role as your company's campaign coordinator is absolutely critical to making sure necessary services are available for people when they need it most.

Carrabba's 2008 A Success!

On Tuesday, July 15th, campaign coordinators from organizations around the Lehigh Valley converged on Carrabba's Italian Grill in Allentown to celebrate the successes in the 2007 campaign. This year's event also included the awarding of the annual Morning Call Silver Tray - an award given to a campaign coordinator or a campaign team that demonstrates outstanding ability during the United Way Campaign season.

The Morning Call Silver Tray was presented to the American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley for its outstanding achievements during the 2007 campaign. The efforts were chaired by Rhonda Xiques and a team of 8 other employees. Kicking off their campaign with a breakfast and utilizing a variety of other fundraising activities including a building-wide luncheon, an auction, a building bake sale, and a Halloween party, employees once again exceeded their 100% participation goal!

Through the committee’s hard work and the leadership of executive director, John Hughes, American Red Cross defines the term “leading by example” through their support of the Lehigh Valley’s United Way Campaign.

Carrabba's Italian Grill is an annual thank-you event held in the summer and graciously hosted by Gregg Johnson, proprietor. A dinner-only establishment, Carrabba's opens its luncheon exclusively to United Way campaign coordinators. Please support both the Allentown and Easton Carrabba's locations every chance you get!

To sign up for special events and offers from the Amici Club at Carrabba's Italian Grill, please click here.

Donors Support Charities that Demonstrate Results

According to Holden Karnofsky, program officer at GiveWell, a grant maker that publicizes its evaluations of charities, "[GiveWell] decided against giving money to certain groups because they did not provide enough evidence for an assessment."

Your United Way understands Mr. Karnofsky's words all too well, which is why it made its official change to a "Community Impact" model in December of 2007.

Over the three-year investment plan, United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley will measure programs for their effectiveness in improving the lives of children, teens, older adults, and families in the Lehigh Valley.

Click here to read the full article from The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

The Morning Call Silver Tray Award Winner Announced!

The Morning Call Silver Tray is presented annually to a Campaign Coordinator or campaign team that exhibits outstanding ability in the performance of assigned duties and promotes continued and deeper understanding of United Way and its community investments and initiatives.

The 2007 Morning Call Silver Tray award winner is the American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley, chaired by Rhonda Xiques.

Every year, the American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley goes above and beyond the typical campaign duties with their enthusiasm and energy. A strong advocate of helping those when they need it most, John Hughes, the Red Cross' executive director, is a critical component in the success of their campaign. So, how do they do it? The committee employs a few campaign strategies that are known to make a difference: the Red Cross hosts a bake sale for the entire building, gain 100% participation from the employees, and even go as far as to solicit their volunteers!

This year's award will be presented to the American Red Cross at United Way's annual Carrabba's event scheduled for July 15, 2008. Please join us as we thank them for making the Lehigh Valley a better place!

Invitations will be mailed within the next few weeks.

Don't Miss the 2008 Women in the Lead Event!

When: Monday, June 9, 2008 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Where: Kasych Family Pavilion, Lehigh Valley Hospital, Cedar Crest Blvd & I-78, Allentown, PA 18105-1556

This will be an exciting day of learning, empowerment, and networking. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and keynote speakers promptly at 9 a.m.

Keynote Presentations:

Michelle Hunt, serves as a Change Catalyst and "Thinking Partner" to leaders of organizations and communities on leadership development, organizational transformation and effectiveness. Author of DreamMakers: Putting Vision and Values to Work.

Debbie Salas-Lopez is the Vice Chair of Clinical Programs and Chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine at Lehigh Valley Hopital in Allentown and an Associate Professor of Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine. She has collaborated with many community-based organizations and has numerous publications.
Select from three tracks of concurrent workshops available for the needs of:

• Emerging Leaders - women who are relatively early in their careers, striving to grow as leaders to position themselves for future leadership roles. The workshop topics include:
  -The Next Generation of Leaders - YOU!
  -The Politics of Life
• Seasoned Leaders - established leaders who have made an impact in the workplace, striving to take their leadership to the next level. The workshop topics include:
  -Career Development is an Inside Job
  -The Value of Your Vision
• Community Leaders - women who are leading the charge to make a difference in the community, striving to lead through volunteerism and philanthropy. The workshop topics include:
  -Creating the Image of a Leader
  -Gaining Consensus: The Key to Successful Teamwork
  

The day will wrap up with a lively panel discussion. You will hear from women affecting change in their communities and around the world. Be inspired to learn how you too can make a difference!

Attendance is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

• Register now at: http://www.womeninthelead.eventbrite.com/
• Download the conference brochure: http://www.unitedwayglv.org/SiteData/Docs/WLI_Leadership_Event.pdf

Save the Date!

Save the Date for our first campaign coordinator training workshop. This 1 1/2-hour session will be led by Janice Lovegrove, Vice President for Community Impact at United Way, and will address the new funding decisions.

This session will help you answer questions you may receive from your employees during the 2008 United Way Campaign. All campaign coordinators are encouraged to attend!

Details:
Wednesday, June 25th
8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
United Way office
2200 Avenue A - 3rd Fl Conference Rooms
Bethlehem, PA 18017-2189

A formal invitation will follow in the mail.

Questions? Please call Sarah Blum at (610) 807-5704 or email sarahb@unitedwayglv.org

2007 Campaign Incentive Winners Announced!

On Friday, March 28, 2008, United Way held its annual campaign incentive drawing to randomly select the winners of the 2007 incentive prizes. Following are the winners who were selected for fantastic prizes courtesy of the Greater Lehigh Valley Auto Dealers Association (GLVADA), Martin Guitar Company, and participating restaurants in the annual “Good Eats” program.

• $10,000 Cash-Allowance toward Purchase of Automobile (GLVADA): James F. Lichtenwalner, PPL Corp.
• Martin Guitar: Jann Buczewski, Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network
• Good Eats Prize Package I ($750 value): Eileen Doncsecz-Romig, The Guardian
• Good Eats Prize Package II ($250 value): Rebecca A. Borger, PPL Corp. and Robert H. Littner, Litner Deschler & Littner
• Good Eats Prize Package III ($100 value): Lauren Schlegel, Giant Food Store in Wind Gap, PA; Jane Barnes, PPL; Frederick Haas, Victaulic; Charles W. Rissell, Mack Trucks Retiree; Christopher Gullini, The Express-Times; Paul A. Smith, Air Products; Karla Deutsch, PPL Corp.; Harry Spagnola, PPL Corp; Robert Zimmel, St. Luke’s Hospital and Health Network; James D. Dry, Eastern Industries; Veronica Boyer, Air Products; George J. Kropf, GEO Specialty Chemicals; Joann Deppert, Lehigh University

Save the Date!

Save the Date for our annual campaign coordinator thank-you luncheon graciously hosted by Carrabba's Italian Grill!

Details:
Tuesday, July 15th
12:00 - 1:00
510 S. Cedar Crest Blvd.
Allentown, PA 18103

More information to follow!

United Way's New Funding Decisions

For the past two years, United Way volunteers and staff have been working on Investment Plans for 2008 - 2010. These plans include extensive research on the needs of the community, the best practices for getting positive results in meeting those needs, and descriptions of the strategies and programs in which we will invest your money.

A few important points to relay to your employees about their United Way contributions:

• In Lehigh and Northampton Counties alone, there are 1,151 registered 501(c)(3) organizations. This number includes only those nonprofits whose budgets are large enough to register, and does not include faith-based organizations.
• Funding requests from United Way in December of 2007 totaled $10 million dollars. Your United Way only had $5 million to distribute.

Interact with your fellow coordinators and United Way staff by replying to this post with your comments, questions, and concerns. We need to hear from you!

Click here to read more about the funding process

Leadership Giving

What is "Leadership Giving?"

Leadership Giving through United Way is the strategy to use when soliciting donations from top management or executives. These gifts to our community can be given individually by your employees, or split gifts through your employee and their spouse's workplace.

Leadership Giving is critical to United Way's ability to effect positive results in our community and your United Way account manager can provide you with information on conducting a leadership campaign within your company.

Some quick facts about leadership giving:

• Leadership Giving begins at the $500 and ranges to the Alexis deTocqueville Society level of $10,000 or more.


• Leadership Givers are published in the annual Leadership Giving booklet (all requests for anonymity are honored).


• Leadership Giving receptions are often attended by your company's executive staff, your United Way account manager, and even United Way's president, Susan Gilmore, or the current campaign's chairman.


• Leadership Giving can multiply your company's campaign results substantially and provide much-needed programs to the Lehigh Valley. Remember, in 2007, program funding requests totaled over $10 million dollars and United Way only had $5 million to distribute!

If you are interested in boosting your company's campaign results through a new or reinvigorated Leadership Giving campaign, please contact your account manager:

Dave Jacoby, Vice President of Resource Development
davej@unitedwayglv.org 610-807-5709

Beth Blasco, Account Manager
bethb@unitedwayglv.org 610-807-5731

Sarah Blum, Account Manager
sarahb@unitedwayglv.org 610-807-5704