LOCAL GIRL DONATES TO UNITED WAY

Ten year old Sarah Creasey of Queenstown doesn’t get too many letters in the mail so when her father handed her the letter addressed to her from the United Way she scurried off to her bedroom to open it.

 

While the United Way mailing is supposed to be addressed to the head of the household, the United Way board was glad that this particular piece of mail found its way to Sarah because the letter she sent back touched their hearts.

 

Her note read, “I am 10 years old, so I only have a quarter. Sorry for such a small donation. This is the only money that I own.”

 

“I must admit,” stated United Way Executive Director Sandra Early, “when I read her note, I got teared up. Times are so tough right now for everyone and for a child to give what little she has to help someone else gives me hope.”

 

Sandra shared the note with the Board of Directors who wanted to celebrate Sarah’s spirit of giving. “If everyone gives a little, together we can do a lot,” explained United Way President, Carllene Hurd.

 

“When we had our Post Office Box broken into at the end of October, it really dampened our morale,” explained Hurd. “We had just sent out the county wide mailing and to date only three of those stolen checks have been replaced.” The board is hopeful that county residents will reconcile their checkbooks this month and realize that their check has not been cashed.

 

According to the new Postmaster in Chester, Joe Sullivan, a request has been submitted to have the glass fronts of the boxes replaced with solid metal. Other steps may include security cameras and locking up the lobby in the evening, but those are only under consideration at this point.

 

When Early met Sarah, they discussed the fact that she could designate her quarter to any of the twenty four agencies that belong to the United Way of Queen Anne’s County. “When I asked her if she had read the brochure and if any of the agencies stood out to her she immediately remembered Chesapeake Cats and Dogs who are new to the United Way this year” stated Early.

 

The good news is that the United Way of Queen Anne’s County does not deduct administrative costs from designated donations, so that quarter, along with other designations for Chesapeake Cats and Dogs, will go directly to help that agency provide a life of love and dignity to local cats and dogs.

 

“We hope that Sarah’s generous heart will inspire others to give what they can,” reiterated Hurd. “We are all about neighbors helping neighbors and the need is greater than ever.”

 

The United Way of Queen Anne’s County allocates funds to 24 local agencies that serve community needs from children to seniors covering areas from health and human services, to the arts and the environment.  For a list of the agencies or for more information about the United Way, please visit their website www.unitedwayqac.org or call Executive Director, Sandra Early at 410-643-6288.

 

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 United Way of Queen Anne's County is part of the LIVE UNITED movement!

Advancing the Common Good: Creating Opportunities for a Better Life for All

Everyone deserves opportunities to have a good life: a quality education that leads to a stable job, enough income to support a family through retirement, and good health.

That’s why United Way’s work is focused on the building blocks for a good life:

• Education – Helping Children and Youth Achieve Their Potential
  
• Income – Promoting Financial Stability and Independence
  
• Health – Improving People’s Health
  

Advancing the common good is less about helping one person at a time and more about changing systems to help all of us. We are all connected and interdependent. We all win when a child succeeds in school, when families are financially stable, when people are healthy.

United Way’s goal is to create long-lasting changes by addressing the underlying causes of these problems. Living united means being a part of the change. It takes everyone in the community working together to create a brighter future. Give. Advocate. Volunteer. LIVE UNITED.

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