UpDate - Vol. 13, No. 7, Page 6
October 14, 1993
For some, United Way involvement is all year long
Several members of the University community are involved in volunteer
activities in their communities, schools and places of worship. Some of
these employees offer their skills to agencies associated with the United
Way of Delaware. During the University's annual United Way Campaign, which
runs through Oct. 27, the volunteer contributions of a few of these
University employees are spotlighted.
John Stapleford
Agency headquarters
For United Way of Delaware, it is never business as usual. The
organization works hard to meet the changing needs of the community,
according to John Stapleford, director of the University's Bureau of
Economic and Business Research.
A needs/ service-driven organization, the United Way does not give the
same percentage of income to the same organizations year after year. Its
mission is to identify where needs exist in the state and to establish
priorities in trying to meet them, Stapleford explained.
A firm advocate for and booster of the United Way, Stapleford has
first-hand knowledge of the organization, having worked with the United Way
for several years as a consultant, as chairperson of the United Way Mission
Review Committee last winter, and as a member of the University's United
Way Planning Committee.
"The organization is more than just a conduit of funds; it oversees
its member agencies and affiliates to make sure the funding they receive is
used productively. Donors also have options as to where their gift is
used," Stapleford pointed out.
Stapleford and Mary Joan McDuffie, programmer/analyst in the bureau,
with some University support, carried out an in-depth study in the
mid-1980s for United Way. "Delaware Economic Trends: Equity Implications,"
was used as the basis for needs assessment.
More recently, Stapleford made a presentation through United Way's
Leadership Delaware program, on economic and equity issues. Leadership
Delaware provides training to business executives and others who intend to
be involved in non-profit efforts. He hopes to update the data every few
years to keep current with existing trends.
The study helped identify needs in the state and was valuable in
making funding decisions to organizations that met those needs through such
services as medical care, latchkey, drug rehabilitation, family and
community programs.
"We have studied poverty in the state in terms of age, race, sex, the
economic position of different types of households and other
classifications. For example, we discovered that the elderly who are poor
have been poor for most of their lives," Stapleford said.
"Although the poverty level of blacks exceeded whites, the poverty
level of black and white families headed by married parents is about the
same.
"Single parent households fare worse. With married couples, there are
frequently two incomes and a sharing of responsibilities in the home. With
single parents, there is less time to pursue meaningful careers and at the
same time have sole responsibility for children. In Delaware,
out-of-wedlock births have risen from 30 percent to 70 percent," Stapleford
said.
Data such as this is important in determining socio-economic trends
and how funds should be allocated.
Raising the money to meet community needs also is a challenge in these
economic times, according to Stapleford.
The Boys and Girls Clubs, Family and Children Services of Delaware
Inc., the Salvation Army and community centers are among over 60
organizations statewide receiving support from the United Way.
"United Way did an outstanding job of fundraising last year, seeking
one-time grants from foundations and other sources to meet its goal. As the
economy has changed so has charitable giving. There are more tax-exempt
organizations competing for fewer charitable dollars. At the same time,
needs have grown. For example, in the past year, the use of food closets is
up 128 percent and requests for emergency housing have risen 45 percent,"
Stapleford said.
"The United Way is not 'warm and fuzzy.' Instead, more than 250
volunteers work hard to make it a viable and accountable organization that
uses its funds wisely. From a practical and spiritual point of view, I
support United Way because I know the money will be well spent to help
those who are in need," Stapleford said.
-Sue Swyers Moncure
Mark Manno
Meals on Wheels
When Mark Manno's mother, Gloria, was diagnosed as being in the early
stages of Alzheimer's disease, he began reading up on the illness and
contacting local agencies to find out what help was available.
"I wanted to provide the best possible care for her," said Manno, an
extension agent in Cooperative Extension located in Townsend Hall.
In addition to providing the best care, Manno wanted to make it
possible for his mother to remain in her own home for as long as possible.
Helping to make this a reality were volunteers from Meals on Wheels,
part of the Geriatric Services of Delaware Inc., a statewide, non-profit
agency supported by the United Way that provides hot lunches on weekdays
and a bag supper, if needed.
Manno said these lunches were very important, because as his mother's
illness progressed she was less able to cook for herself.
Both Manno and his mother established a good rapport with the
volunteers.
"I was able to communicate with the volunteers and get a daily report
on how my mother was doing," he said. "It was like having a neighbor look
in on her."
Another United Way-related agency that helped Gloria Manno to remain
in her own home was the Visiting Nurses Association.
The nurses came to Manno's mother's home two days a week, seeing that
she was receiving proper medical care and that her hygienic and nutritional
needs were being met.
The combination of resources provided by the nurses and the volunteers
from Meals on Wheels provided critical assistance that Manno came to rely
on.
"If the visiting nurse was scheduled to be at my mother's home between
10 a.m. and noon, I knew I could go there and talk to the nurse and get the
latest report on my mother's condition," Manno said.
According to Manno, many people need help in caring for elderly
relatives, but they are not aware of the services that are available.
"The Delaware Division of Aging was very helpful in my case," he said.
"They steered me in the right direction."
Manno also said the Adult Day Care Center at the University can
provide information about the area services available to the care givers of
elderly persons.
Most people who care for victims of Alzheimer's disease usually spend
about five years with the person at their residence before a nursing home
becomes necessary, Manno added.
Studies report that Alzheimer's disease affects about 3-5 percent of
persons over age 65. Individuals with this disease gradually lose their
ability to remember anything. Eventually, they lose the ability to
recognize family members and can't even find their way home.
Gloria Manno, who was 60 when the first signs of the disease appeared,
advanced rapidly through the first two stages of the disease, her son
recalled.
Three years later she entered a nursing home, where she still resides.
"She did not adjust very well during her first year in the nursing
home," Manno said. "That's why her being able to spend that time in her own
home was so important."
-Jerry Rhodes
Persons interested in the Meals on Wheels program can call Geriatric
Services of Delaware, Inc. at the following numbers: In New Castle County,
658-6731; in Kent County, 734-7005; and in Sussex County, 856-7774. The
Visiting Nurses Association of Delaware of Delaware can be reached at
322-8300.
S.B. Woo
Read Aloud Delaware
During his tenure as Delaware's lieutenant governor from 1985 to 1989,
one of S.B. Woo's favorite experiences was reading to school children in
the Read Aloud Delaware program.
Woo, a professor of physics and astronomy, still continues the
interaction reading to children in the primary grades several times a year.
"The sessions are usually very lively and lots of fun. I ask them
questions related to the story, and I enjoy their responses. I'll usually
say something like, 'Be smart now. Who knows this word? I bet no one can
tell me the answer.' That always gets a lot of hands up in the air."
Since his own children are grown, Woo said he doesn't feel in touch
enough with children's literature to choose the books he reads so he lets
the Read Aloud Delaware person who arranges his reading suggest a book. Woo
often then buys his own copy and leaves it at the school as a gift.
"It is a lot of fun. It is satisfying to see how the children take to
you. As a teacher, I enjoy that. Afterward, I sometimes get letters, very
carefully written, and colored drawings from the children that I appreciate
and have fun sharing with my family.
"I also endorse Read Aloud Delaware because, when I was a child, very
few people ever read to me. I would have liked having someone do that. I
think it would have been good for me."
Woo said he doubts that the children he reads to are impressed by the
fact that he is a former lieutenant governor and has been a candidate for
both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
"No, I don't think I make that big of an impression. I think the
stories do," he said.
-Beth Thomas
Read Aloud Delaware is a United Way affiliated agency. For information
on the program, call 573-2433.