United Way contributes to Salvation Army, Scouts, Center for Family Resources

Salvation Army holds their annual bell ringing which is one of its highest fund raising programs. Volunteering for the organization is Becky Sessums, along with Sessums there are various volunteers for the project.(Staff photo by Joshua Payne) [Click to enlarge]

Boy Scouts of American, Salvation Army, and Center for Family Resources all heavily rely on funds donated by the United Way.

The Kennett division of Boy Scouts of America are divided into different age groups Cub Scouts for children ages six through 10, Boy Scouts for kids ages 11 through 18, and Venturing for youth ages 14 through 20, according to the local Cub Scout Pack Master Charlie Brown. Each level of the Scouts have different activities and goals based on the ages. The overall goal of the organization is to make the Scouts better people with a set of moral guidelines and principles to live by, according to Brown. These guidelines are taught through outdoor activities making the learning more exciting for the boys.

"Our biggest annual coordinated project is scouting for food," said Brown. The idea of the project is for the Scouts to place bags on doorsteps around the community. The individuals who live in these houses are to fill the bags with different types of food. The bags are recollected by the Scouts and taken to Helping Hand, according to Brown.

The United Way funds that are donated are used to support the bigger events that require lots of funding. These events include the Scout Olympic Contest and the Adventure Camp held during the summer months.

"United Way funds are a huge part overall for Scouts funding and extremely important. We wouldn't be able to have a lot of the special events that the boys look forward to without the donations," said Brown.

The Salvation Army located locally assists with individuals who need support, according to Salvation Army board member Becky Sawyer. These individuals can be supported with clothing, household items, funds for medical expenses, and funds for gas money to get to the doctor's office.

The organization gives food to Helping Hand to support the individuals in need of regular meals, according to Sawyer. Another donation is the funds raised for the Heaters Program. This program was designed to place electric heaters in needy homes for the winter. Sister Louise Benecke distributed a total of 20 heaters along with fire safety pamphlets at the beginning of the fall season.

The organization has an annual bell ringing to build funds for the year, according to Sawyer.

"United Way donations make up around 25 percent of our annual raised funds," said Sawyer.

The Center for Family Resources is located in Malden, Mo., and is a private non-profit organization. The program serves women and children that are victims of abuse, domestic violence, and homelessness, according to Amy Reed, executive director.

The program holds parenting classes, promotes victim advocacy, uses support groups, and offers a domestic abuse hotline. Dunklin, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Stoddard, Scott, and Mississippi counties are all covered under this facility, Reed said.

"The program averages 650 families per year in the shelter and outreach programs," Reed said. The majority of families that are seen in the shelter stay one time and then are placed into housing. The individuals remain in the housing for a year and receive frequent check-ups.

"Typically 95 percent of the individuals in the housing are safe for the duration of the year," Reed said.

State and Federal funding is received by the organization along with donations of clothing and other items from the surrounding community.

The funds received from United Way are used directly on costs of vehicles and gasoline. The organization drives an average of 38,000 miles per year, according to Reed.

"Without United Way donations we would be in trouble," said Reed.