United Way Day of Action brings community together

STEUBENVILLE -- The United Way of Jefferson County’s Day of Action has served for many years as a way to open the organization’s annual campaign and recognize a special volunteer.

It remains an important date on the nonprofit’s calendar.

“It’s a time when we can bring workplaces together, and it’s a big help for a lot of groups that have big needs, from painting to cleaning. It helps show that we are making an attempt to pay it forward,” Anthony Mougianis, vice president of the United Way board, said Thursday morning, shortly before this year’s event began in Hellenic Hall at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.

The day helps call attention to the work done by the nonprofits supported by the United Way through the efforts of volunteers, who spread out across the area to perform projects that those organizations might not have the staffing or money to have done on their own.

Recognized during the presentation, which followed a breakfast prepared and served by members of the church, was Linda Slowikowski. A Toronto resident, she has been involved with the United Way for more than 30 years, dating back to when she was employed at the former Eastern Gateway Community College and worked with Jim Morgan and Ed Florak, the school’s president, both longtime supporters of the organization.

She said she was humbled, grateful and thankful when United Way Executive Director Marci Crawford called and told her she had been selected for the honor.

“Our family has been blessed,” she said before the presentation. “I’m just so blessed to have been able to carry this on for so many years.”

That included the period when her daughter, the late Suzanne Kresser, served as executive director of the United Way.

“I’ve always just had a passion for the United Way, and I believe in its mission,” Slowikowski added. “My family believes in it. We support it, and I will be here -- I’m 79, but I’ll be here until I’m not able to do it anymore. I had some rough times in my life, and it makes you see and makes you appreciate what you do have in your life and how you can help people, if we all live united, and if we all work together. I just want people to know that you can have a hard time, but your life can change.”

Crawford, who recently completed her first year as director, said one of the moments during the past year that really shows what can happen when people come together was the Meals of Hope event that was held at the Franciscan University of Steubenville.

“In just two hours, volunteers came together and packed 38,000 meals for families right here in Jefferson County,” she said. “Think about that -- 38,000 meals in two hours. That did not happen because of one person or one organization. It happened because people came together with a shared purpose. This is what the United Way does -- we bring people, businesses, organizations and resources together to accomplish something none of us can do on our own.”

In the coming year, the United Way will be expanding to include 17 agencies, a move, Crawford said, that will create more partnerships, more services and more people receiving the help they need.

Agencies that received help through the Day of Action were grateful for the assistance.

“We have so many skilled laborers coming in throughout the community who want to give back into ministries like the Sycamore Youth Center and to benefit kids,” said Bobbyjon Bauman, executive director of the center. “It’s really a critical day for us -- once a year there are some tasks that we just aren’t able to get done and would prefer not to hire out, and different groups have been doing a tremendous job, knocking out work that would take us weeks to do in just six hours.”

Among those helping at the center was Randy Shah, a Wheeling resident who is employed at the Walmart Distribution Center in Wintersville.

“It’s an opportunity to give back to communities,” Shah said while taking a break from repairing drywall. “If people are in need in a community, we’re here to support, help and give, and to try and make it a better place for all of us.”

For Rebekah Cohen Morris, executive director of the Aim Women’s Center, the day shows how much area residents care about the agencies.

“Just to see so many local businesses and institutions coming out and helping small nonprofits like ours is really encouraging,” she said. “Then, on the Day of Action, you get to see them all come in and connect. That’s really cool.

“It means a lot to us, because we are working with women in crisis,” she added. “So, having a day to paint the walls is kind of hard to come by, and we don’t have a lot of expertise with a medical staff that we can say, ‘Hey, can you come in and paint today?’ So, to have them coming in from AEP to paint and refresh the building is just so encouraging and necessary and we are so appreciative.”

Helping do that work were Kevin Reed, Aaron Conrad and Tyler Kelly of AEP. They agreed that giving back to the community is important.

That feeling is shared by Alisa DelGuzzo, the executive director of the Ohio Valley Health Center.

“The Day of Action is everyone giving back. It’s everyone coming together as a community,” she said. “It’s great to see how many people this morning were in one room, volunteering their time or taking time away from work, or their employer allowing them to take that time and helping all of these nonprofits in Jefferson County.

“Look at these people helping here -- look at the projects we’re had them do,” she added. “It’s things that we haven’t been able to do, and they have just come together and are able to help us so that we are able to provide that high-quality health care to the residents in Jefferson County and the Ohio Valley.”