Family Promise of Bristol is having a Dessert Fundraiseron Monday, April 23, 2012 from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at Central Presbyterian Church with special guest speaker, Steve Hawkins. 

Family Promise of Bristol is a new nonprofit partnership of faith congregations helping families who are homeless.

Pre-sale now until April 17th. Public Sale May 11th at McIver Memorial Presbyterian Church.

The plants are hand picked at a local greenhouse to ensure you receive the best quality!

Hanging Baskets $20, Bedding Plants $16 per flat, Potted Plants 4-1/2″ $6 and more.

For more information contact Debbie Hellton at 423-968-4912.

John Tickle presents Jim McGlothlin with the 2012 Jeff Byrd Spirit of Giving Award

In accepting the United Way of Bristol’s top award Monday, James McGlothlin heaped praise on the agencies and individuals who serve the Twin City.

McGlothlin, chairman and CEO of The United Company, received the second annual Jeff Byrd Spirit of Giving Award during the agency’s annual meeting and awards luncheon at the Bristol train station. The award is named for Byrd, the late Bristol Motor Speedway president who was an ardent supporter of the local United Way and its partner agencies. In his remarks, McGlothlin talked about meeting the community’s growing needs.

“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you do for our community,” McGlothlin said to agency representatives and volunteers. “I know it’s pretty easy to give money, but it’s much harder to give time. You’re here because you know the needs and you serve them. A lot of people know of the needs but not many always give. So many of us recognize the need and don’t give. It’s a real honor to be among those who recognize the need and do give.”

Through his company’s charitable foundation, McGlothlin and his family have donated millions to local health and human service agencies, public safety and educational entities. The foundation has also raised millions to support Mountain Mission School in Grundy, Va.

While he appreciates the recognition, McGlothlin said much work remains.

“I urge everybody to think hard about where we are right now,” McGlothlin said after the event. “There are a lot of unfortunate people out there that we need to feed and clothe. [We need] to help take care of some people who can’t take care of themselves. It’s not a time to congratulate ourselves; it’s a time to work harder.”

About 200 attended the celebration of the 2011-12 fundraising campaign, which exceeded its $1.3 million goal by raising more than $1.4 million. Funds are distributed to 28 local agencies to help operate more than 50 programs.

“I want to confess there were plenty of times during this campaign I was not at all sure we were going to meet our $1.3 million goal,” campaign Chairwoman Nell Bieger said. “But I am proud to say once we made it the goal in December we kept going because the need is so great.”

Bieger credited the United Way staff, campaign cabinet and volunteers, partner agencies and donors, who all contributed to the campaign’s success.

Other award winners included:

Community Service Award: Ronan King, Virginia Intermont College.

Volunteer of the Year Award: Jim Maxwell, publisher of the Bristol Herald Courier.

Top Giver Award: Strongwell Corp.

Campaign Chairman’s Award: City of Bristol, Va.

President’s Campaign Award: Electro-Mechanical Corp.

David Ring of Strongwell Corp. succeeds Dawn Figueres as president of the United Way board of directors and Maxwell will serve as chairman of the 2012-13 fundraising campaign.

Both predicted the upcoming campaign will face challenges but the community will “rise up” to meet them, Ring said.

“This year’s [upcoming] campaign will face many challenges,” Maxwell said. “But with the passion and commitment of the extraordinary team of dedicated campaign volunteers, we will succeed one day at a time, one dollar at a time, one family at a time and one life at a time. This is why we do what we do.”

Printed with permission from:  The Bristol Herald Courier, David McGee

Bill Bledsoe long-time regional artist is at the United Way of Bristol office today signing the Extra Mile prints for the 2011/2012 campaign.  This year’s print, “Family Race Night” is the 8th print that he has created exclusively for the United Way of Bristol.  He will be at the office until 2:00 p.m. today.

“We’re so close, but failure really isn’t an option for us,” Cofer said of the Bristol chapter, which provides funding to 29 area non-profit agencies and assists thousands of Tri-Cities residents each year.

Added Cofer: “When you consider all of the individuals and families that depend on our agencies, and how their numbers keep growing, it’s just not an option for us to fall short of the goal.”

Currently, the United Way has raised $1.035 million — or 79.6 percent – of the goal set for the annual campaign, which began in August.

And although some previously pledged contributions still must be collected, the outstanding money would still “leave us a little short” of the target, she added.

“We just have to continue to go out in the community and meet with folks,” Cofer said. “We’ve just got to get people to understand that if we don’t meet our goal, our agencies won’t have the resources to provide the levels of help they provide in our community.”

During last year’s campaign, the Bristol chapter raised $1.329 million – easily surpassing its $1.25 million goal.

Cofer said United Way agencies throughout Bristol are now addressing the growing problem of homeless children in both communities. She said many non-profit groups are also scrambling to meet rising requests for food vouchers, which have increased 60 percent since last year.

 “It’s the little crises that people face in their lives, every day, that our agencies really help our residents deal with,” Cofer said. “Unfortunately, the needs are simply rising faster than the [donations] right now.”

Bristol lawyer Nell King Bieger, chairwoman for the current campaign, said the recent downturn in the local economy – including eliminated or reduced jobs at several major area companies – has had an effect on donations.

“But [the downturn] has also generated an even greater need throughout the community for the services our agencies provide,” Bieger said. “We’re at a point where those of us who do have jobs really have a perfect opportunity to help our neighbors by donating to the United Way, and we need to use it. We’re all in this community boat together.”

Other area chapters are finding mixed success in reaching fundraising goals this year.

Danelle Glasscock, executive director of the United Way of Kingsport, said that chapter reached its $3.625 million goal in mid-November.

“We’ve been extremely fortunate to have a great number of businesses and individuals come forward, and allow us to reach our goal,” Glasscock said.

Travis Staton, chief executive officer for the United Way of Russell and Washington Counties, said that chapter has raised $1.08 million – or 90 percent – of its $1.2 million goal.

“It’s been a tough year right now,” Staton said. “But we’ve been working hard on reaching our goal. And we’ll keep working hard on it.”

Reprinted with permission by:  Bristol Herald Courier

 rbrown@bristolnews.com

(276) 645-2512

BRISTOL, Va. – Nema Shaffer says that living with a severe respiratory ailment –that requires her to use an oxygen apparatus – is challenging on its own.

But when one of the effects of her illness – a constantly dry mouth – caused many of her teeth to rapidly decay and begin falling out, Shaffer says she felt a level of concern that’s hard, even today, to accurately describe.

“It’s hard to really put into words how alarming it was,” Shaffer says, sitting in her Bristol home with husband, Richard. “It was hard to eat and I was scared to do anything that might make more teeth come out. I just felt really helpless, seeing my teeth just gradually fall out.”

But Shaffer has made the journey from feeling helpless to relieved – due to the help of Healing Hands, a Bristol, Tenn., non-profit organization that helps many residents get desperately needed dental care at little or no cost.

After consulting with Shaffer and her husband, Healing Hands arranged for the senior citizen to undergo extensive dental surgery – in two stages – to remove all of her remaining teeth and replace them with a full set of dentures.

The work was done by Dr. Sam Molind, a Bristol medical missionary who has been nationally acclaimed for his work in oral and maxillofacial surgery and now serves as Healing Hands’ staff dental surgeon.

But, post-surgery, what Shaffer still remains grateful for – in addition to her new dentures – is the generous spirit shown by both Healing Hands and Dr. Molind throughout her ordeal.

“Healing Hands were so supportive, so caring, and before the surgery began, Dr. Molind prayed with me,” Shaffer said. “Then, after the surgery, he called me up to ask how I was doing – and that just about floored me. But it really shows how much Healing Hands just cares about people, and about trying to help them. What they did for me was really a life-saving thing.”

It’s life-saving, life-changing work that Healing Hands has the power to do through support from the United Way of Bristol. Healing Hands is among 29 area nonprofit agencies that receive financial and other support from the United Way, which annually helps thousands across the Tri-Cities. The chapter has been conducting its annual regional fundraising campaign, with a goal of raising at least $1.3 million.

And the campaign theme for the United Way’s fundraising effort has made clear what’s at stake: “A Good Place to Give Makes a Better Place to Live.”

Healing Hands – which has a small staff and some 200 volunteers across the community – has assisted more than 6,000 uninsured and other financially challenged residents over the past decade or so.

The agency has helped residents receive major and other necessary dental work – including multiple tooth-removal and bridge work. And it does so at an extremely low cost: instead of high payment requirements, Healing Hands simply asks a patient to make an affordable contribution to the organization.

“We’ve been able to help many people enjoy a much better quality of life, just by allowing them to live without severe dental pain,” says Helen Scott, Healing Hands’ executive director.

“It’s very gratifying to see how many people we can help, people who otherwise might not receive the dental help they badly need.”

Scott says the United Way of Bristol not only provides valuable money that allows Healing Hands to meet its annual budgets, it helps connect Healing Hands with other social-services organizations that can share invaluable support, insight and information.

“Just from working hand in hand with the United Way, we get a lot of name recognition and credibility that would be extremely hard for us to build on our own,” Scott says. “It’s given us a tremendous opportunity to network with [other groups] and work together on the medical issues that continue to face our communities.”

Adds Scott: “We’re very grateful for the support we get from the United Way. It helps us on so many levels. [Without it] we couldn’t do much of what we do.”

Like allowing Nema Shaffer to rediscover the joy of eating normally again – and living life without dread and pain.

“They are truly God-sent,” Shaffer says of Healing Hands. “They have really let me have my life back. I absolutely love them and what they do.”

 Reprinted with permission:  Bristol Herald Courier

Roger Brown

rbrown@bristolnews.com

(276) 645-2512

VI students from left are Justin Lytle, Natascha Carlucci, Kelli Porter and Amanda Few at the successful conclusion of their drive for a United Way agency.

Students of the Virginia Intermont College Social Work Club raised a large donation of soap and toiletry items from across campus for Abuse Alternatives, an agency supported by the United Way of Bristol. Several boxes filled with donations were provided to Abuse Alternatives for use at its emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence.

“We wanted to do something for an agency that really had a need and club members voted that this would be really useful,” said member Kelli Porter. Fellow student Amanda Few, who is a social work major working on a field internship with Abuse Alternatives, represented the agency to receive the donations. She said the emergency shelter is currently full and donations are very much needed and appreciated.

The Social Work Club’s drive involved the collection of contributions of soap, shampoo, laundry detergent and similar supplies. Club members set up bins across campus for donations. Students, faculty and staff participated as donors. Pizza raffles also raised contributions.

“We were excited to take the challenge and show that that it’s important to give to the community and also that we are a leading organization on campus,” said Social Work Club President Natascha Carlucci.

The student-led drive coincided with Viriginia Intermont’s successful employee campaign for the United Way of Bristol.