AdvocacyFrom the DirectorImpactInspiration
United Way has always given voice to the voiceless. We are the hand raisers and the game changers. We are not the flow goers. We foster social justice, which means speaking up against injustice. We advocate.
As the incoming chair of the Missouri Association of United Ways (MOAUW), I received funding to attend the United Way Worldwide Advocacy Conference in Washington D.C. It was a wonderful week of networking, sharing challenges, and celebrating accomplishments.
Pictured left: United Way representatives and advocates gather to listen as United Way Worldwide (UWW) CEO Angela Williams opens the UWW Advocacy Conference.
Advocating means educating. We involve and educate our communities on challenges and barriers those not facing them may know nothing about. Together we brainstorm, research, and launch solutions with input from those most affected. This was our approach to creating United We Work, which benefits Southeast Missouri businesses and their employees by providing transportation and financial literacy to participants. We shared the success of this program and others with Capitol staffers working for Rep. Jason Smith and Sen. Josh Hawley. The conference contained robust sessions on putting aside partisanship to strengthen partnerships with elected officials on causes we mutually support that will benefit our community.
Pictured right: Naomi Lett & Kate Bigsbee (left & right respectively) of UWW pose with UWSEMO Executive Director Elizabeth Shelton (center) outside MO Rep. Jason Smith’s office in D.C.
We also attended a very informative panel presented by the Department of Commerce’s Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships in which many departments shared funding opportunities. We discussed the best practices of government grants, receiving technical assistance, creating contracts, as well as partnering on bill implementation. I look forward to sharing much of what I learned with my Missouri peers and enhancing local initiatives with stronger relationships. Advocating is a powerful tool for change, and it begins with educating. Only through educating can we begin to influence change.
Pictured right: Elizabeth (left) and Kate (right) take a photo together outside the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington D.C.
