Volunteers, partnerships and services are among the terms frequently used to describe the efforts of the United Way of Central Missouri.
We'd like to call attention to another - "blessings."
The area United Way's debut supplement in Monday's News Tribune provided an indepth look at the organization, highlighted some of its supporters and, perhaps, answered some questions.
For example, when the media reports the annual fundraising campaign has exceeded its goal, how is the extra money distributed?
The additional money provides an opportunity for area agencies to apply for one-time grants. Both United Way partners and non-partner agencies have been grant recipients, selected through a three-tier process by panels of United Way volunteers. Since 2007, one-time and emergency grants have totaled $538,395.
A "blessing" was the word used by Karen Cade, vice president of Pathways Central Region, to describe United Way's decision to award a grant designating a mental health professional to provide services to Jefferson City Public School students.
Pathways, which provides mental health services, sought the grant in response to a dramatic increase in student crisis requests from the schools. Funding provided a crisis liaison, Heather Ally, who worked with 60 students during the 2014-15 school year.
Twice in this forum during February, we visited with counselors at Jefferson City and Helias Catholic high schools about student stress and anxiety, as well as suicide prevention.
School counselors face an enormous workload. In addition to addressing the individual concerns of hundreds of students, they also are called on to provide academic guidance.
Lauren Winemiller, a counselor at Simonsen 9th Grade Center, said one of the benefits of the grant was "having a mobile response. Our students often are faced with transportation issues and Heather's ability to come see the students at school has greatly improved the level of care we can provide."
Mental health professionals and educators agree that when when students have unmet mental health needs, education suffers. And that may be only one of many concerns about a student's welfare.
The area United Way's volunteers, partner agencies and their services have been well documented. But when supporters propel the campaign beyond its goal, they make possible the one-time grants - in this case, a mental health professional going to a school to listen and help a troubled student.
Among the examples of a blessing, alleviating a crisis for a young person certainly is one.