By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
A new logo, a new home, and a new fundraising campaign.
It's been a busy summer for the United Way of Ellis County which kicked off its 2022 campaign Friday during a Hays Chamber lunch at the Rose Garden Banquet Hall in Hays.
On Tuesday, the United Way offices moved from the Hadley Center to the Chestnut Street Building, 1200 Main. United Way will be housed in Suite 102, near the offices for other local non-profit organizations including Heartland Community Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Downtown Hays Development Corporation.
In early July, the new local logo designed by Brandon Karlin was unveiled and is included in the campaign marketing information.
During the kickoff lunch, several Ellis County residents whose lives have been changed with support from Big Brothers Big Sisters, First Call for Help, and Cancer Council of Ellis County, told their uplifting stories.
Justine is a client of First Call for Help and a resident of First Step Housing.
The housing for temporary residents is in the back of the FCFH office building, 607 E. 13th.
There are four bedrooms with private bathrooms, and a shared living area, kitchen and laundry.
With FCFH director Linda Mills by her side, Justine talked about her journey from jail and the loss of all her possessions to now being employed, paying fines, and saving money to buy a vehicle.
"First Step was my first break," Justine told the audience," and I couldn't have been more thankful. It's the perfect place for me to start over in my own hometown.
"A few months ago I had nothing but the clothes on my back and the shoes on my feet. I'm now currently making more than $20 dollars an hour working full-time at Enersys."
Justine said she's had a lifetime goal of owning her own home and it "now seems tangible with the money-saving principals and goals" she's learning at First Step Housing.
"Neighbors Helping Neighbors" is the theme for this year's fundraising campaign.
"It's something our community and the United Way have been doing since 1953," Erica Berges, United Way executive director said.
"Some of these neighbors are our partner agencies, the ones that are there for those who need help. They've provided services to thousands of neighbors, year after year."
Some of the agencies have seen "substantial increases" in aid requests "in just the past couple months," Berges noted. "So the need is still out there, more than ever."
There are 15 United Way of Ellis County 2022 Partner Agencies:
*Western Kansas Association on the Concerns of the Disabled (WKACD)
*Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas (DSNWK)
*Western Kansas Child Advocacy Center (WKCAC)
*Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation
*Cancer Council of Ellis County
*Parents and Children Together (PACT)
*Center for Life Experience
*Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS)
*CASA of the High Plains
*American Red Cross
*Hays Senior Center
*Catholic Charities
*First Call for Help (FCFH)
*Salvation Army
*Options
There are several ways to donate money to the United Way. Details are available on the agency's website.
Editor's note: Becky Kiser is a board member of the United Way of Ellis County.