United Way serves those in need through community partners
Joanne DeLong shares about her work as United Way of Hartsville Executive Director.
Photo by Melissa Rollins
By Melissa Rollins, Editor, editor@newsandpress.net
United Way of Hartsville is making a difference in the lives of the residents of Hartsville. That is the message that executive director Joanne DeLong shared with the Darlington County Coordinating Council during their meeting March 3.
DeLong said that Darlington County is unique in that it has two United Ways. The one she runs works specifically with the residents of Hartsville.
“Our goal is to improve the quality of our residents lives by working with local businesses, community leaders and volunteers and by supporting specific programs offered through several local non-profits that serve the Hartsville area. We also advocate for public policy which improve the community conditions in three focus areas: health, education and income.”
DeLong said that the community backing United Way receives is what allows it to help those in need.
“We ask for financial support from individuals, local businesses and employees,” DeLong said. “All the funds we raise, except for the expenses to pay my salary and the rent, are awarded to the non-profits that we choose within the Hartsville area.”
Three years ago, DeLong made the decision to restrict the funds give out to non-profits. She said that people are more likely to give a donation when they know exactly what it is going towards.
“The funds we give out are restricted, which means they can only be used to serve the Hartsville community and only through the programs we choose within that non-profit organization,” DeLong said. “Once we choose an organization they are considered a community partner.”
Some community partners are: Hartsville YMCA, Salvation Army, Darlington County First Steps, Pee Dee Speech and Hearing and the Boys and Girls Club.
DeLong said that is surprising to see the statistics for the small area that United Way of Hartsville assists. Around 36 percent of children living in Hartsville live in poverty.
“Hartsville proper has 7,500 people; that’s it,” DeLong said. “With that number, within the city limits, we have 797 single-parent households. When you donate to United Way of Hartsville, you make it possible to provide for after-school care, to provide for parenting education programs that are teaching the parent how to care for the children and also for daycare so that parents can go to school for night classes…”
DeLong said that through grants, sometimes the United Way is able to help people who aren’t eligible for help through their community partners.
“The children at North Hartsville Elementary School were not receiving the weekend food bags but they are also not a Title One school so they weren’t going to get them,” DeLong said. “They have the wealthiest kids and the poorest kids so together it kicked them out of Title One. I went back to the board and we decided to fund them, so that is how North Hartsville is getting the weekend food bags through Carolina’s Kids.”
The community partners serve Hartsville residents all the way from small children through senior citizens and DeLong said that she is proud to be a part of that.
For more information, visit www.unitedwayhartsville.org.