I've been the director of the United Way of Crookston for nine months and it has been life changing. I knew about the United Way, had donated over the years and even walked in the Ox Cart parade with them a couple of times but until I took this job, I did not know the huge reach and enormous amount of good they do in their communities. I saw the United Way as this huge charity that exists all over the world, and while true, it's so much more than a giant organization that I would have bet couldn't find my little town on a map. But the local United Ways have complete control over what they fund, the money stays right here where it is raised. We don't send your money off to some head office and hope we get enough back to fund our programs; it never leaves town and funds the programs that make life better here at home. That was what attracted me to the job, the idea of doing good and making a difference in my community. I came from a corporate job that really felt like I didn't matter because I was just one of a couple of thousand just like me. While there are lots of United Ways around the world, this is MY United Way and THAT makes all the difference in my corner of the world. When I was asked why I wanted this job, it was an easy answer: I wanted to help, I wanted to get people excited about the programs and agencies I am passionate about, I wanted to make a difference in my community and this looked like a wonderful new chance to do something important. I have learned so much in the past nine months, not only about the United Way, but about the programs you fund.
I hope to use this platform to let YOU know about these programs that are changing the world, our world, our town, our community and our lives. I hope you will find these posts interesting, informative and helpful because there is so much I want to tell you. My mother used to say, "That's what we do." when she would jump in to help where help was needed and I have lived by that my entire life. We step up, we reach out, we give, we love...that's what we do.
Libby Boucher - Executive Director, United Way of Crookston, Inc
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