United Way offers ‘right opportunities, right support’ to help people in Middle Georgia

Deborah Ferguson needed to buy food for her children, but the government agency that provides assistance, wasn’t able to help her quickly enough. She didn’t know what to do.

She called Marla Howard, a parent educator in the Parents as Teachers program.

“She found a way to get me some groceries. So just having a relationship with her and her knowing what’s going on in my life, she’s able to help me in different, tremendous ways,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson’s family of six was one of 112 families in Bibb County enrolled in the Parents as Teachers program in 2018, according to a fact sheet from United Way’s website.

The program, funded through the United Way of Central Georgia, helps give parents the education and resources they need to make sure their children have a good start in life, according to United Way’s website.

As the agency recently kicked off its 2019 annual campaign, George McCanless, president and CEO, said the United Way uses the funds raised to disrupt generational poverty in Middle Georgia.

Last year, the agency raised $5.1 million, according to a news release. The goal this year is $5.2 million.

“My experience has been that no one really wants to live in poverty. They just haven’t had the right opportunities and the right support to help them get out of poverty,” McCanless said.

The poverty rate in Bibb County was 26.7 percent in 2017 compared to the national average of 12.7 percent in 2017, according to the United States Census Bureau and DataUSA.

“I think you will see the United Way continue to step up its efforts to have even more of a laser focus on trying to bring the community together to improve these poverty statistics,” McCanless said.

Programs supported by the non profit group focus on education, health, income and basic needs through its 29 partner agencies in the community.

In Bibb County, according to a fact sheet from their website, United Way of Central Georgia:

• Provided books to more than 2,600 students through Read United
• Supported more than 700 parents through its First Steps program
• Connected 66 veterans and their families to services they needed through Mission United in 2018

Ferguson recalled seeing the Parents as Teachers booth at orientation for the Macon-Bibb County Head Start program. She said help came when she really needed it, as her fifth child was on the way.

“I was real depressed at the time and needed somebody to talk to, anybody. I was really glad to have them come into my life,”she said.

Ferguson said through the program she has received resources such as books and educational materials from Howard. She said she’s been able to provide better for her children and also get a previous felony conviction expunged from her record so she could get a job.

“I wish I would’ve found it with my 11-year-old, and I could think of how much different, better my life could be now,” Ferguson said. “It’s important for a mother, whether she’s single or not, to know that there’s resources out there that can help her.”

McCanless said the agency adopted a multi-year strategic plan a few years ago to disrupt the cycle of poverty in Middle Georgia, and the next step is to get community partners to work more collectively.

“We need to take a leadership position and kind of help bring the nonprofit community and the community in general together to focus our collaborative efforts on improving these situations, and I have no doubt that we’re up to the challenge.”

Volunteers needed

As the United Way works on issues related to poverty, it is asking people to contribute either by donating money, by volunteering or spending time with a person in need of support.

JoLee Henson, United Way’s volunteer engagement specialist, said they are always looking for people and organizations to volunteer with one of their initiatives or partner agencies or other organizations in the community.

“It’s just important to volunteer because if we’re trying to disrupt the cycle of family poverty then we need, kind of, like all hands on deck. It’s a community coming together to make a difference and help their neighbors,” she said.

To volunteer for United Way or one of their partner agencies, visit its website at unitedwaycg.org. Click on the volunteer button in the top right button, and create an account in its volunteer portal to see the different volunteer opportunities in the community.

For groups that are looking for volunteer opportunities, contact Henson at jhenson@UnitedWayCG.com.