United Way of Lake County

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. There is a staff lead for the group, but it is the collection of 15-20 volunteers that meet weekly for several months to evaluate programs, listen to agency representatives, then decide which programs will receive funding. Uwlc utilized the same online platform for applications and evaluations, so our dedicated volunteers were able to meet efficiently using zoom when needed, but we were able to meet in-person which really helped to spark good conversations and questions amongst the group. To raise the dollars that our volunteers are able to help allocate, dozens of companies run workplace campaigns, involving corporate gifts and special events, along with hundreds of Lake County residents that give individually through mailings and other events, that help keep Lake County engaged in making it a better place to live and work, and ultimately improve the building blocks to a stronger community; education, financial stability, and health.

Community planning includes coordination of agency staff, volunteers, and other resources to conduct activities for the betterment of the community. Our annual day of caring was back to more of a pre-covid version where Lake County companies, organizations, and individuals adopted projects submitted by Lake County agencies, and we helped to pair the projects with groups of volunteers. During the grant allocation process in the spring, we still ran our annual feed Lake County drive through a solicitation mailing and several companies ran food and monetary drives. Because of the support of so many companies and individuals, we were able to host several food distributions all throughout the year, totaling nearly 50,000 in direct food purchases from local grocers, on top of distributing tens of thousands of pounds donated by area companies and individuals. We also have two affinity groups that were able to thrive throughout the year. Below are some highlights from them: emerging leaders (el) - 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 evaluate the grant applications received during the regular grant cycle. Because of their efforts, they were able to allocate 30,000 to programs related to their youth-driven mission, including the youth United Way program for high school students. Women United (wu) - made up of a group of Lake County women whose mission is to improve the lives of women and children in Lake County. They were able to host some of their regular events throughout the year, including a speaker series, and their signature event held in december, women's winterfest, was done as a virtual raffle that raised more money than the past in-person events were able to. Dollars raised from wu fundraising efforts are allocated to programs that support at-risk women and children in Lake County, and go through the same process as the el group. Because of their efforts, women United was able to allocate 60,000 to their mission-driven programs. Under the first full-year leadership of dione demitro, uwlc has been more visible in the Lake County community and involved in other community projects, initiatives, and partnerships.