New United Way Website

Working with Nate Reusser of Reusser Designs, United Way of Wells County has developed a new website. Be sure and explore the new site. The blog will be incorporated directly into the site - you can Donate Online - the campaign video is available for viewing - and there are several campaign resources all accessible through the website.
www.unitedwaywells.org

Battle of the Banks

Last night there was something noisier than a game of basketball happening at the City Gym. The local banks banded together to hold a cornhole tournament and auction - all to benefit the United Way of Wells County and to kickoff their annual giving.

Auctioneers Rudy Frauhiger, Gary Shaw and Isaac Stoller all donated their services for the annual event.



While the auction was busy looking for bidders and selling items to the generous banking community, those same banks fielded teams of two for a cornhole tournament. Bragging rights and a traveling plaque were given to the winning team from Ossian State Bank represented by Rick and Shane Brodie.




When all was done, leaders from each of the banks competed against each other in cornhole. Tim Schwartz from 1st Source Bank took top honors for the night.

MarkleBank Auction

MarkleBank holds an internal auction and many special events that benefit the United Way of Wells and Huntington Counties. Yesterday, was said auction.

Two plates of fudge made and donated by Dorothy Stinson are a perennial favorite and brought quite a bit of interest and dollars. And then, there was the surprise auction item - MarkleBank President's license plate removed from his vehicle. In order for him to get it back, several bank employees drove up the price. Greg was a good sport with all of it - and paid the price to retrieve his license plate.



In addition this year, there was a cake decorating contest where each branch made and decorated a cake - all bank employees then had the opportunity to vote for their favorite cake. Cakes were auctioned off to the highest bidder as well. The winning cake was the Frankenstein cake decorated by the Warren branch.









Peg DeBolt continues to put a lot of thought and energy into running their employee campaign. Phil Patz spoke on behalf of United Way indicating that bankers should all be in the business of helping people - and giving to United Way was a key example of how to do that.



If your company is interested in running an employee campaign, please call Pamela at 824-5589 to talk about what we can do together.

Campaign KickOff Luncheon

On Thursday, October 8, United Way of Wells County kicked off the 2009 annual campaign.
Chairman Tom Kneller announced that the fundraising goal this year would be difficult, but necessary.

Over 60 community and business leaders in Wells County gathered at Lighted Gardens for a luncheon to officially kickoff the campaign season.

Mr. Kneller also introduced his campaign cabinet - Vice Chair Tamra Boucher, Industry Chair, Rick Singer, Government Chair Bob Plummer, Commerce Chair Chuck King, Finance Chair Alan Gunkel, Medical Chair Karyn Gilly, Service and Nonprofit Chair John Whicker.

Campaign KickOff Luncheon Announced

The 2009 United Way KickOff Luncheon will be held on Thursday, October 8 at noon at Lighted Gardens in Ossian. Reservations will be accepted until October 1 and tickets are $12 each.

Campaign Chair Tom Kneller will speak briefly to kickoff the annual campaign - the goal this year is an ambitious $315,000. That is just over last year's campaign. The needs are up and the entire community is going to have to come together to support the United Way efforts so that agencies and programs can continue doing all the good works that they have been doing.

Please join us as we kick off the annual campaign this year. Call 824-5589 for reservations.

What Page are You On?

United Way of Wells County is pleased to participate with the Wells County Public Library by extending a grant to purchase books to be used in the schools for the One Book One County project. This year's book is Rocket Boys.

I have read the book, and, as a disclaimer was also on the selection committee. Rocket Boys is riveting and will appeal to folks of all ages and genders. Click here for more complete information on the book and the activities in the community.

I encourage you to support the project by encouraging your friends, service clubs, organizations and businesses to participate. Discuss the book everywhere you go. The whole point it to promote conversation.

There is a discussion board available on the website also. Please add your comments about the book and help us get, and keep, a lively online discussion going.

If you haven't picked up a copy of Rocket Boys at the Wells County Public Library yet, do so today and start reading this engaging book.

Be sure to talk about what you are reading and ask "What Page Are You On?"

Imagination Library facts

I was able to have breakfast last week with the regional director for the Imagination Library. I learned a lot of very interesting facts associated with the IL.

Dolly Parton started the Imagination Library for her home community if Sevier County in Tennessee in 1995 - it was opened up to other areas in 2000 - Wells County United Way became involved in 2001.

Today there are over 1100 communities offering the Imagination Library to its children. Children from the time of birth through their 5th birthday are eligible to receive age appropriate books mailed to their home every single month - at no charge to the families. United Way of Wells County is proud to support the Imagination Library in Wells County and has over 850 children receiving books every single month. The cost of this program is $29 per child per year. The Imagination Library promotes reading, but it also promotes a love of books and learning.

There have been over 20 million books mailed in the years since the Imagination Library began - over 550,000 books are sent every single month. I remember attending a conference with Dolly Parton when she presented the 1 millionth book - the program has been exploding since then.

We plan to continue offering this program for the children in Wells County. If you would like to support this program, please contact United Way of Wells County at 824-5589. If you would like to register your child living in Wells County, please go to our website

How do YOU Live United?

Live United is much more than a slogan - it is a way of life. It is an action - it is what we do. It is not just wearing the shirt - it is living it!

We are looking for individuals who are willing to be recorded on video to tell their story in 2 minutes or less. Personal, authentic video clips of how real people, right here in Wells County, Live United.

Do you volunteer? Do you work with a United Way agency? Do you donate to United Way?

Let us record you and post it on our blog - we want to know how YOU Live United.

Contact the United Way office at 260-824-5589 or comment on this blog and we will make arrangements with you to set up the taping.

Career Expo

Wells County Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a Career Expo on November 5 for high school students. What an awesome opportunity for our students to learn about various careers and opportunities. And what a great opportunity for our local businesses to meet high schoolers.

Again, we are blessed with wonderful things here in Wells County - and this is just one more of those things.

If you are a business, please consider participating. You can contact the Chamber for more information.

If you are a high school student, go to the Career Expo and soak up all the information and knowledge that will be there.

Campaign Staff Expanded

United Way of Wells County has added a staff person and restructured existing staff. We are very fortunate to have Michael Fox join our staff as the new Resource Coordinator. Michael has been with us for one week and is busy learning the ropes and catching on quickly. He will be responsible for working with the campaign volunteers in running United Way campaigns in the workplace, among other things.

Michael comes to United Way with a background in sales - he has a B.S. in Business Administration with a marketing concentration from IU.

Please welcome Michael to Bluffton and United Way.

In addition, Karen Dauterman will be working exclusively with the Faith Fund, Santa's Workshop and related activities. Karen has been with the United Way of Wells County for 2 years and has great empathy when working with clients, as well as a wealth of knowledge on the services and programs available to help low-income families and individuals.

Marsha Werling is a volunteer who comes into the office once or twice a week to help with some general clerical duties and the Imagination Library.

And last, but not least, Maddie Merkel is a student intern from Bluffton High School. Maddie will be in the office performing light clerical duties the first semester.

Please join me in welcoming everyone to United Way of Wells County. We now have a fully staffed office and I expect great things to happen.

News Flash - The Whims Update

I know I have been encouraging everyone to attend the Battle of the Bands to support a local band this Thursday night. And I'm still going to encourage you.

However, they will not be playing at 9 pm - instead they have been given the final time slot on Thursday night - 11:30 pm. I know that it will be hard for a lot of you to come out at that hour and still get to work the next day (me included). Consider going to Columbia Street West at 9 pm anyway, pay the cover charge ($5), get your ballot and vote for The Whims. You will at least be getting your vote in and that is 50% of the scoring.

We still need a lot of people to come at 11:30 to hear The Whims and to support them and clap and encourage them. This is a great band and they are from Wells County - we need to do what we can to support and encourage local groups.

Hope to see you Thursday night at Columbia Street West at 11:30 pm

Battle of the Bands semi-finals

We know The Whims will be playing in the Battle of the Bands semi-finals. Now, we have learned that they will again be playing at 9:00 pm - great time so we don't have to stay out all night to support them.

Mark your calendar and plan to come out and listen to this great group - Will and Heather and Trent and Jena play some great music - music that you can actually listen to and understand. It isn't every day that a local group gets this kind of recognition - but they can't keep moving forward without our help.

Thursday, August 13 at 9:00 pm - Columbia Street West - $5 cover charge - you will get a ballot to vote for your favorite band - and I'm sure you will be convinced that the best band will once again be The Whims.

Battle of the Bands - quarter-finals - The Whims

Didn't make it to see The Whims perform last night? That is really a shame - they Rocked Columbia Street West! This was only their second public performance ever, if you can believe that!

They are setting the world on fire with their awesome sound - these kids have it together and are great musically too! After listening to a couple of the other bands last night, there was no doubt in my mind that they would be advancing - and they are! They have officially advanced to the Semi-finals of the Battle of the Bands this year. As soon as I have particulars on when, I will post that so we can get an even larger local group there to support them.

Will Gerber, keyboardist, was happy to show off his new keytar - sounded awesome! Check out the video.

Great Job - THE WHIMS!!!!!

WCLA

The deadline is almost here for the Wells County Leadership Academy - have you applied yet? Still not convinced that this is worth your time and money? Let me give you a few more reasons.

In addition to the community trainers that are on the slate for this year, we have some special presentations that will be made. Two of those are:

Kirk Nevins, retired VP of Sales at Franklin Electric. Kirk will be delivering his riveting "Listening" presentation. Come and learn from the master on how to advance yourself and your career through better-developed listening skills.

Roger Frick, President of Indiana Association of United Ways. Roger will give a presentation on how non-profits operate and what is expected from non-profit board members. Roger draws upon his vast career of working with many non-profits.

These "bonus" presentations will help the WCLA participants become better leaders in our community.

For additional information and an application click here. Hope to see your application soon - deadline is July 31.

The Whims

Are you looking for something to do this Thursday night? Do you like to support local people? Well, I have the perfect activity!

The Whims are a band that has local members in it. They have made it to the quarter-finals of the Battle of the Bands in Fort Wayne. And they are playing this Thursday night - July 30 - at 9:00 pm. They will be playing at Columbia Street West ($4 cover). These kids are great and have a bright future and I know that I plan to have been there with them at the beginning.

The Whims are sure to give us all a musical treat - come and support them (part of the judging is crowd participation and voting). You will not be sorry that you did.

Hope to see you there.

Do you need another reason?

Are you still looking for more reasons to apply to the Wells County Leadership Academy? Previous posts have shown what a couple of former participants have said about the benefits. But let me tell you now about some of the classes and instructors.

First of all, this curriculum was written by Dr. Tim Elmore of the Growing Leaders organization. He did this for Huntington University's Center for Leadership Studies in partnership with the Wells County Leadership Academy. This curriculum follows along with the Habitudes theme. Each lesson is presented with a graphical depiction to help cement the concept in your mind.

Second of all, we use local community leaders. This is a great opportunity for participants to get to know some of the local leaders. Trainers include names like Mayor Ted Ellis, John Whicker (Bi-County Services), Mike Row (Wells County Economic Development), Tamra Boucher (Bluffton Regional Medical Center), Leon Gerber (Christian Care Retirement Center), Tony Garton (retired BHS), Judi Merkel (retired Purdue Extension), Roger Sherer (Purdue Extension), Mark Miller (News-Banner Publications), Jim Schwartzkopf (retired SWS), Pamela Beckford (United Way) and State Senator Travis Holdman.

These trainers bring leadership concepts and principles to life through the use of interactive discussions and multi-media presentations.

Classes will meet on the second Wednesday of each month, beginning on September 9 from 8:00 to noon. You can download an application. Class size is limited and applications are due by July 31. For questions, please call Pamela at 824-5589.

Wells County Leadership Academy

Chuck King, in sales at the News Banner and one of the leadership academy past participants, talks about his experience last year.

Wells County Leadership Academy is now accepting applications for the new year of classes beginning in September. You can download an application here.

One of the best things about the WCLA is that the lessons and principles are presented by local community leaders. This allows the participants a chance to get to know some of the leaders in our community.

But, hey, don't take it from me - listen to what Chuck has to say or Karen Everett (from last week's blog). These are the real experts.

Another local treasure

Wells County has been blessed with another local treasure - The Whims.

This is a local band comprised of two local couples - Trent and Jena Hirschy (Trent on electric guitar, bass guitar and vocals and Jena on vocals) and Will and Heather Gerber (Will on keyboard, accordion and vocals and Heather on vocals). There were chosen to participate in the What's Up Battle of the Bands in Fort Wayne.

During Round One they performed at Columbia Street West in June. Then they received the word that they had advanced to Round Two.

The Whims call their music electronica/fusion/progressive - I call it great! Catch some of their music on their myspace page

Round Two will again be at Columbia Street West at 9:00 pm on Thursday, July 30. There is a $4 cover charge. Part of the voting comes from audience participation and voting. Join me and support a local group that is making big music.

Wells County Leadership Academy

The Wells County Leadership Academy is now taking applications for the new year of classes which will begin in September.

The Leadership Academy is all about personal skill development and learning and putting into practice essential leadership principles. Dr. Tim Elmore developed the curriculum that is used for the Academy - the lessons are based on the Habitudes that Dr. Elmore has written.

Classes meet once a month from 8:00 am to noon and class size is limited. You can download an application here. Application deadline is July 31. If you have any questions, please call Pamela at United Way of Wells County at 260-824-5589.

Here is a video from one of last year's participants, Karen Everett, talking about what this program has done to enhance her life. Karen is the office administrator at Honegger Ringger Co.

Good food right here in Bluffton

I have been told that I am not blogging enough - and I sure can't argue with that - I just don't always feel like I have anything to say. But, I just want to report that Bluffton is not only a great place to live and raise a family - but there are some wonderful places to eat here as well.

There is really no need to drive to another town for good food. We have a new restaurant, Market Street Steakhouse, that is reasonably priced and has very good food. We have Tyeger's Pizza on Market Street - great pizza! We have El Camino (my personal fav) for good mexican food. Can't forget CoCo China for awesome chinese buffet. For a town our size, there are lots of choices.

Tonight I went to Billy Ann's - good nachos. But the best part was the Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake. Now, I'm not much of a chocolate person so I was a little bit leery of getting this. However, it was a chocolate crust with plain cheesecake with raspberries in it and then topped with chocolate icing and raspberries. It was delicious. And they make it in house so it is fresh - I can't wait to go back - next time, I'm skipping my meal and going straight to dessert.

Bottom line - Bluffton has a lot to offer all of us without a drive. Stay in town - support your local businesses (if we support them, they will be around for us too!).

"Un"employment Fair in Bluffton

Last Friday was the "Un"employment Fair. It was designed to help the unemployed and underemployed people in Wells County find out about services and programs that could help them through these tough economic times.

Some of the exhibitors were Wells on Wheels (affordable public transportation), Park Center (we all need some help coping with bad times), Faith Fund (housing and utilities assistance), and Wells County Health Fair (it will be held on October 31 this year).

There were also workshops presented that dealt with how to apply for public assistance, reducing some of your utility expenses, and shopping on a reduced budget.

This first-ever "Un"employment Fair was attended by about two dozen people - not the numbers we had hoped. But, for those two dozen that attended and learned something, it was very worthwhile.

We are looking at the possibility of holding such an event quarterly through these tough times - changing our venue (probably using the meeting room at the library), and holding it in the afternoon/early evening. We know that some people were unable to attend because they do have jobs and had to work. We also know that just because you have a job, doesn't mean you can make ends meet.

Watch for news of the next "Un"employment Fair.

Social Media

Tweet Up on April 14 at the Bohemian Bean Cafe just outside the Wells County Public Library.

What is a Tweet Up you ask? A Tweet Up is a gathering of local people who use Twitter. Twitter is a microblog used by millions of people around the world. It is a great way to connect with people in next door or across the world. The airplane crash news in the Hudson a few weeks ago was broken by passengers tweeting as they reached safety. You can announce to your followers that you will be having lunch at a particular restaurant at a particular time and you would be surprised to see who will show up.

Jerry Battiste from the News-Banner and I have been working to increase twitter traffic in Wells County, along with other forms of social media. Twitter, Facebook, blogs, MySpace are all ways of connecting people with other people.

If you don't use twitter, consider coming to out next tweet up - we love talking to other people - we learn from each other and are happy to help you navigate the various forms of social media.

Imagination Library

I will be speaking to the Bluffton Rotary Club on Tuesday about the Imagination Library, and it occurred to me that I hadn't talked about it publicly in awhile.

The Imagination Library is an awesome program that the United Way of Wells County partners with Dollywood Foundation. Every eligible child in Wells County that registers will receive one free hard-cover age-appropriate book mailed to their home every single month from birth until their fifth birthday.

The books are very high quality and children get so excited to receive their very own copy in the mail. If your child is eligible (age 0-5 and living in Wells County), you can register them at any of the local public libraries, through Healthy Families, the United Way office or at our website (www.unitedwaywells.org).

Reading is such a fundamental skill for children as they go to school and learn. While they will not be actually learning to read necessarily, they will get used to holding books and looking at them and it does foster a love of reading and learning.

So, sign up your child today if they are eligible.

Middleton shaves moustache for United Way

As a finale to the United Way campaign held with employees at Bluffton Motor Works, Mike Middelton agreed to shave his moustache if enough money was collected specifically for that. Mike made good on his promise and shaved it during the lunch break last week. Other events that were held in support of United Way were jeans and hat days for the office staff, chili dogs, sloppy joes, and personal pan pizzas throughout the week.

United Way serves the entire Wells County Community and provides funding for over 25 programs with an emphasis on childhood development, health and safety, and self-sufficiency programs (financial stability).

BLuffton Motors Employees Making a Difference

Bluffton Motor Works employees had fun with their United Way campaign this week. They have had chili dogs, sloppy joes and personal pan pizzas - they have had their employee meeting on Thursday and are still raising money to see if Mike Middleton will have to shave off his mustache on Monday. Mike's wife is running up the total to let him keep his mustache. Monday at 11:15 will be the shaving ceremony - or will it? Will Julie up the ante enough? Will the employees step it up? Kirk Nevins, friend of Middleton, has contributed and pledged to contribute more to see him shave it off. Watch for the next update and maybe a photo of that shaving!

Bluffton High School Student Council Comes Through for United Way

Members from the Bluffton High School student council collected money in buckets for United Way this year. These extra dollars make such a difference in the community.

United Way supports over 25 programs right here in Wells County - many of those programs impact students throughout the county - everything from Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to Boys & Girls Club, Mentor Mom, and Students Out of School (SOS).

Students collected nearly $500 from various fundraisers.

How to stay viable in your job

Ran across a very interesting blog this morning and wanted to share it.

It starts out "And, it is the determining factor to why people stay at their job. How can you make sure you are not anonymous at work, how can you stand out amongst all the others? Here are some ideas for you to try:"

Read the entire blog by clicking here:

The “Rapid Refund” Rip-Off

Can you imagine spending up to a full week’s wages on a service that speeds up your tax refund by only one week? It may sound crazy, but each year, many Wells County residents pay outrageous fees to borrow their own tax refund money.

We’ve all seen the commercials for “Fast Cash Refunds”, “Express Money” and “Instant Refunds.” In this tough economy when money is tight and bills are due, these offers seem tempting. However, most of these too-good-to-be-true “refunds” aren’t refunds at all. They are short-term loans with APRs that can reach over 700%! These loans are borrowed against your own tax refund money and come with a hefty price tag.

Let’s say you are expecting a tax refund of $2,000, and you visit a tax preparations site that offers a “fast cash refund”, promising that you will get your money right away. You can expect to pay a RAL (Refund Anticipation Loan) fee of about $75, plus an Electronic Filing Fee of $75 more, in addition to a Tax Preparation Feel of around $100. You just paid $250 (nearly a week’s wages for some workers, and more than 10% of your refund!) to get your money just a week earlier than you would have with a direct deposit from the IRS. Is it worth it?

If you are facing a serious financial emergency, the “rapid refund” may seem like your only option, But it is merely a short term solution to a long term problem, and will just leave you with more debt in the long run. These loans can get you into serious trouble if the IRS delays your refund, or if your refund is smaller than expected. You are still responsible for paying off the loan and all the interest that has snowballed in the mean time.

There are many resources available in northern Indian to help you keep more of your hard-earned tax refund. If your household income is $42,000 or less, you qualify to have your taxes prepared for free at a VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) site. You may also qualify for the EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit), a refundable tax credit of as much as $4,800 for some families. This credit is often overlooked by tax preparers, but VITA volunteers are trained to identify qualifying taxpayers. The VITA volunteers can c-file your return and you can request that your refund be deposited directly into your bank account. You can have your refund in as little as a week. I encourage all qualifying Wells County residents to take advantage of these valuable opportunities. It’s your money. Hold on to it.

For information on the VITA site nearest you, call 2-1-1 from any phone. The 2-1-1 operator can give you directions to the site, tell you what you need to bring, and answer any other questions you may have. Happy filing!

United Way of Wells County is trying to create a presence on the internet in Wells County. Bear with me, I'm still learning all of this, but I think it is such an important way to communicate with everyone - and definitely the direction the world is moving in. After all, I'm not particularly young (well, maybe at heart!), and I'm on facebook and love it - I read all my news on the internet, I get all my information from the internet and use the computer a lot to keep track of my work. So, it just stands to reason, that if all of this is true for me, then I'm sure it is definitely true for many others.

I will continue to work through the how's of all of this and getting everything set up. Bear with me please.