Over the past week, the News Tribune's annual "A Christmas Wish" series has highlighted the stories of some of the many people in our community whose lives have been improved by the work of charitable organizations that are United Way of Central Missouri partner agencies.
We've met Ann Chapman, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who is receiving help from The Salvation Army to find housing after a tumor caused her to lose half her vision, making it hard to pay the bills.
Dylan Bock, who is thriving at Capitol Projects despite health problems and an autism diagnosis.
Samuel Butler, who turned his history with drug use into a mission to help youth avoid his mistakes through the Council for Drug Free Youth.
Bob Hull, who has enjoyed 16 years and counting of food and friendship at the Cole County Senior Nutrition Center.
Curtis and Lisa Dyer, who count on support from the Central Missouri Foster Care and Adoption Association as they nurture their family numbering 14 children and eight grandchildren.
Cory and Endia Lee and their four children, who found an extended family through the Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson City.
And, today, Olivia McCullough, who suffered a debilitating seizure at 9 months old and has been recovering steadily with help from the Special Learning Center.
Their stories are a few of thousands.
The United Way of Central Missouri, through the work of its 28 partner agencies, touched the lives of more than 90,000 people in its seven-county area.
As has been its track record in recent years, the local United Way's annual fundraising campaign exceeded expectations, with Mid-Missouri residents committing more than $2.2 million in 2019.
Just as the United Way works with community members to amass funding, its partner agencies work together to provide the best care for community members in need.
"Our agencies understand that it's so important that we are able to tell our donors that we don't duplicate services and that we work together to stretch the charitable dollar and that we do the best we can to holistically serve our community," said Ann Bax, president and CEO of the United Way of Central Missouri.
For example, The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri provides food to a handful of United Way agencies, like the Rape and Abuse Crisis Service, Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson City, Senior Nutrition Council and The Salvation Army.
RACS added a greenhouse on its property this year for shelter residents to enjoy therapeutic gardening - with help from a United Way grant and Unilever.
"No agency is doing this alone," RACS Awareness Coordinator Sue Engelage said.
The emergency shelter for victims of abuse and domestic violence, which also offers counseling and case management, also networked with Catholic Charities, Three Rivers' Helping Hands Community Foundation and Community Health Center of Central Missouri this year to get dentures for three women.
"I remember specifically one of those ladies, after she got them, she came back in and she gave employees of RACS hugs - just to see her smile was amazing," Engelage said. "Every lady that comes through here and ends up a success story for us is absolutely amazing."
Capital City Court-Appointed Special Advocates, a volunteer-based organization that advocates for children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse and neglect, often partners with organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Boys & Girls Club, and Central Missouri Foster Care and Adoption Association.
"We're all trying to maximize resources for the children or families or adults that we serve on a minimal budget," CASA Executive Director Gina Clement said. "When the children are removed, typically the case workers can go to CMFCAA for a Begin Again Backpack.
"It's a very unique relationship because we are, in a way, serving the same people - we just serve them in different ways."
That approach served more than 150 children this year, including a group of siblings who were finally adopted to safe, permanent homes after more than 1,000 days in foster care - a success story that has stayed with Clement.
RACS used to operate its own clothing closet for women rebuilding their lives after leaving an abusive situation. When CMFCAA became a partner agency in 2016, it was doing the same for children in foster care.
Both agencies have since collaborated with The Salvation Army to offer clients thrift store vouchers.
"I really am proud of our agencies for the way they work together - with the No. 1 goal to best serve individual families and, as a result, the community as a whole," Bax said.
Money from the United Way's annual campaign supports the 28 partner agencies - like the American Red Cross Heart of Missouri Chapter, Compass Health and ABLE Learning Center - so they can offer their core services.
It also funds community support grants to non-partner agencies working to address immediate, critical needs. About $200,000 went toward those grants this year - and their recipients were decided a day before this spring's tornado spurred a whole host of new needs.
The United Way found itself in a position to call on a partner for help - the United Way of Central Missouri Foundation, which is governed by a separate board and was formed in 2003 as a safety net for the organization's long-term financial security and in the event of a catastrophe.
That catastrophe came May 22, when the tornado destroyed homes and upended lives throughout Jefferson City and Cole and Miller counties.
"The board had just approved $200,000 in community support grants to non-disaster-related programs to 25 different agencies," Bax said. "We hadn't mailed the letters. We paused, and we decided those were vetted so rigorously the needs they were going to serve were very much still important."
The foundation made another $200,000 available for disaster relief. So far, the United Way has distributed more than $80,000 in disaster-specific grants, with the foundation money also going toward insurance deductibles, utility arrears and furniture to help disaster survivors rebuild their lives.
In partnership with the Long-Term Recovery Committee and Catholic Charities, which is handling case management for this year's disaster survivors, the United Way is prioritizing long-term needs with its remaining disaster funding.
"It's a journey and it takes a long time to get everyone's case managed, and you need to have dollars for intermediate and long term - and that's what we said from the very beginning our dollars would be used for," Bax said.
After a year during which the United Way had to postpone adding a 29th partner agency as it had planned, the organization now hopes to reflect on the capacity it and many agencies that might apply - which also may still be involved in disaster relief - have in staff and volunteer time to devote to the rigorous vetting process.
"We're just kind of starting from a clean slate for 2020," Bax said.