United Way makes big moves

United Way of Hancock County made a big move in 2021, relocating its headquarters to the Kan Du Group building in downtown Findlay. For the first time in the event's 27-year history, the agency also hosted two Days of Caring service events last year. "It was a big year for us," said CEO Angela DeBoskey. "You know, we saw some changes coming economically for our community and we wanted to get out in front of it. So a lot of the steps we took in 2021 were to kind of lead the charge for the community." DeBoskey said the move into the Kan Du building, 318 W. Main Cross St., "was a smart move on our part. It's great to be in partnership with the Blanchard Valley Center on this." The move helped lower some of the agency's operating costs by as much as 60%. "That just allows us to be more efficient and put more money back into the community," she said. United Way also instituted two successful Days of Caring events, DeBoskey said. The additional service day came as a result of the pandemic in 2020 when Days of Caring — traditionally held in May — was moved to September. The fall event was well received, so an additional service event was held last year. United Way also partnered with Findlay High School and the Blanchard River Watershed Partnership for an Earth Day 2021 cleanup, with volunteers picking up litter along the Blanchard River. About 80 students from the Blue and Gold chapter of the National Honor Society at FHS kicked off the first day of the three-day cleanup, while employees from Ball Corp. picked up more trash throughout Hancock County the other two days. Close to 2 tons of litter was collected. Volunteers United — the United Way of Hancock County's volunteer center — also continued to help community members find ways to give back during the pandemic. "We've really made an effort to find a way for groups of all sizes to be able to do team-building exercises, to kind of dabble in the water and find things that they're passionate about," said DeBoskey. "And it's really worked out great for everyone, from students to corporations." Several church groups are also coming to United Way to find an outlet for serving the community, she added. Two new programs were developed in response to the pandemic in 2020. Senior Cheer provides one-way communication where an individual, school class, church or service organization can write letters, create pieces of art or provide small gifts for seniors. The Senior Pen Pal program was designed as an ongoing letter exchange. "We had everything from classrooms with students in it to adults that just made up little gift bags, so it was a wide variety of options," she said. The local United Way was one of the only communities in the region to offer both remote and in-person volunteer options throughout the pandemic, said DeBoskey. After taking a break this summer, the Senior Cheer program has started up again. The pen pal program has not been reinstated. 419 Sings!, a new fundraiser for the agency in 2021, raised more than $27,000. The five-week virtual event also introduced the agency's nonprofit partners to the community. The band Klashing Black, comprised of twin brothers Kyle and Kane Benner, won the contest. "We raised a lot of friends in that competition, as well as some funds to be able to use in the community," DeBoskey said. She noted that a major focus for 2022 will be the needs of vulnerable children with information gathered through a community assessment. "We think it's important to say, 'How are we as a community taking care of our kids,' especially in a post-pandemic situation like we're in," said DeBoskey. "So this assessment is going to be able to help us say, 'Where are we falling down as a community and where are we doing excellent?'" Programs will then be developed based on the findings, she said. "We have several community members already engaged in this. We have an intern from the University of Findlay who is helping us do some analysis. But then it's also saying, 'Where in next three years are we going to put an effort in to eliminate a need for our kids? How are we as a community going to say we're not going to lose our kids?'"