United Way Of The Florida Keys Celebrates Successes At 2015 Annual Meeting

United Way Of The Florida Keys Celebrates Successes At 2015 Annual Meeting

By Susan Kent

The 2015 United Way of the Florida Keys’ Annual Meeting occurred Thursday, October 8th, from 4:30-6:30pm at Hawks Cay Resort. The Meeting served to review UWFK’s most recent grant cycle, highlight accomplishments, and thank community partners and volunteers. Many UWFK supporters and community members attended, including young people who participated in UWFK-funded programs!

Jeremy Wilkerson, Director of Community Relations with Wesley House Family Services spoke about how UWFK helps them realize their mission of serving children, while Stephanie Kaple, Chief Operating Officer of the Florida Keys Outreach Coalition discussed how UWFK is an advocate and resource for non-profits and working families throughout the Florida Keys. John Dick, Chair of the Monroe County School Board, addressed the crowd about his experiences volunteering with UWFK and the assistance and support UWFK provides to the school district.

UWFK has been hard at work this year. At Inez Martin Preschool, UWFK funded 3,900 backpacks of nutritious food for children in need, providing sustenance for them and their siblings every weekend throughout the year. UWFK funding at Star of the Sea Mission Outreach provided 500,000 additional pounds of food for homeless and hungry families. At the Florida Keys Children’s Shelter, UWFK dollars provided displaced children and teens with over 16,000 meals and snacks.

One of the biggest success stories mentioned at the Annual Meeting was the “Stuff the Bus” campaign. This year, donations from the community provided nearly 20 pallets full of school supplies for students throughout the Keys!

After various speakers shared stories of work done throughout the year, Board Chair Maria Jones shared staffing changes within the organization. She thanked President and CEO Kate Bauer-Jones, the organization’s only full-time staffer, for her enthusiasm and dedication in taking over the position earlier this year. She also welcomed new part-time staff members Ann Sandlin (Upper Keys Director of Resource Development) and Susan Kent (Administrative Manager), and gave special thanks to Chelsea Wait, who is serving this year as an AmeriCorps VISTA (“Volunteer In Service To America”) full-time volunteer, and welcomed our seven new members of the Board of Directors.

United Way of the Florida Keys wishes to thank all who attended and helped make this celebration a success. To those in the community who would like an opportunity to support the work of UWFK, we invite you to dine with us Wednesday, October 14th from 5:30-9:00pm at Mangia Mangia restaurant in Key West. 25% of all proceeds, including beverages and take-out, will be donated to help further our mission of being the leader in community caring.

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