News

By John Bailey jbailey@ccunitedwway.com Last March in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, facemasks, virtual meetings, social distancing, sheltering in place, temporary shutdowns, all became part of a new reality. Like so many other organizations at that point, the Catawba County United Way (CCUW) braced itself for the operational changes it would be making. The CCUW also reached out to its funded partners to gauge the challenges they were facing…
By John Bailey jbailey@ccunitedway.com Thank You…Thank You – the community in Catawba County got a chance to honor Jennie Connor with a surprise retirement luncheon Wednesday. It was an opportunity to share stories about Jennie’s impact through the last 20 years as the Catawba County United Way’s Executive Director. She spent the two decades helping to connect needs with resources and bringing hope to thousands and thousands of local lives. To…
By John Bailey jbailey@ccunitedway.com The Catawba County United Way’s Board of Directors recently announced Mark Bumgarner as the agency’s new Executive Director (ED).  Mark Bumgarner Bumgarner, who will be stepping down as the ED at Adult Life Programs, is following Jennie Connor as the CCUW’s leader. Connor is retiring at the end of March, after 20 years as the Catawba County United Way’s Executive Director. “I understand many great…
By John Bailey jbailey@ccunitedway.com   The Catawba County Youth Council is accepting Requests for Funding Proposals (RFPs) that are targeted to address the identified Impact Areas of Health, Education and Income as they relate to the needs and wellbeing of children and youth in our community.   2019 Youth Council grant funding process The Youth Council partners with the Catawba County United way in this annual community investment process.…
By John Bailey jbailey@ccunitedway.com Collaboration is a big part of the non-profit world. A family goes to one agency in need of food assistance and they also get a referral to a second agency for help with transportation. Someone is looking for help caring for an elderly relative from one program and then gets a referral for additional help with preparing their taxes. The first thing you learn when you dedicate your time to helping others is…
By John Bailey jbailey@ccunitedway.com    Preparing to take on the challenges of a new year, the Catawba County United Way welcomed five new faces on its Board of Directors in December. They included Bradley Fowler from Catawba County Government, Honey Estrada from Catawba County Health, Kenneth Temple from Corning, Andrea Thompson from Catawba County Schools and Kimberly Whitley from Patrick Harper & Dixon, LLP.  “It’s an outstanding group…
The Catawba County United Way (CCUW) is currently accepting Notices of Intent to apply for funding for 2022.  This Notice of Intent is due on Feb. 26 by 6 p.m. and can be found on the CCUW website at - https://www.ccunitedway.com/form/notice-of-intent. Those submitting a Notice of Intent will be asked to attend training to prepare them to fill out a pre-Request for Funding Proposal (pre-RFP) on March 2, held as a Zoom meeting. Pre-Requests for…
By John Bailey jbailey@ccunitedway.com  HICKORY – Last year, more than 9,600 calls were placed to the United Way’s 2-1-1 community help line asking for information about low-cost housing while more than 14,000 calls were made about shelters, according to nc.211counts.org.  Housing Visions Continuum of Care volunteers help organize donations and pack backpacks to hand out during 2020’s Point in Time homeless count.  In Catawba County, 603…
By John Bailey jbailey@ccunitedway.com   After 20 years of serving those in need, the Catawba County United Way Executive Director Jennie Connor announced her retirement during the CCUW’s December board meeting. Her last day with the United Way will be March 31 of this year. “My heart is full. I retire to spend time loving on my family and laughing with friends, having complete conviction that there are caring people who will carry on…creating…
By John Bailey jbailey@ccunitedway.com  Considering the challenges our community faced last year, the Catawba County United Way reached out to its 2020 funded partners to get their thoughts on the year that was and the year ahead. Together, these agencies and their programs served thousands of individuals and families in need. Below are thoughts from eight of the CCUW’s 14 funded partners. Mark Bumgarner – Adult Life Programs We’ve charted a…