The Greenwich United Way Board of Directors annual meeting took place in January.
Members of the organization’s staff and Board welcomed seven new Board members: Hagar Chemali, Tim Drinkall, Caitlin Kraus-Long, Kirsten Riemer, Angela Swift, Laurie Tropiano and Jonathan “JP” Muir.
Eileen Kim was named Board Chair. Retiring members of the Board are: Frank Carpenteri, Nisha Hurst, Nancy Kail, Anne Sherrerd and Brook Urban.
“Since joining the board in 2012, it has been a transformational eight years for the organization and I’m proud of how far we have come,” said Sherrerd. “While our Annual Campaign has always funded grants for partner agencies providing critical services, we now research, design and lead collaborative Direct Impact initiatives to address long-term community needs. We have significantly improved our fundraising and expanded our donor base. I am confident the organization will continue digging deeper to implement further changes and be even more effective.”
In 2019, the Greenwich United Way conducted two rounds of community investment grants totaling nearly $1 million for 20 agencies. A sampling of the organization’s funding included: crisis intervention for 1,000 teenagers, after-school care for 350 children, preschool scholarships to hundreds of youth, daytime care for frail and elderly residents, emergency shelter for more than 150 individuals per day, aid to help more than 100 Greenwich residents fighting addiction, and 8,000 rides – transportation for the elderly and disabled in Greenwich.
Following Sherrerd’s remarks, Greenwich United Way CEO David Rabin provided an overview of the organization’s future plans and highlighted the upcoming Needs Assessment, conducted every five years to serve as the blueprint to determine the areas the organization will focus on.
David Rabin with new and retiring Board Chairs, and some of the new board members. Contributed photo
“This year’s Needs Assessment will be unlike any other. It will serve as a living document and a continuously updated tool for us all to use – from our partner agencies to write grants, to Town Hall, to the residents who want to be informed of the services available to them,” said Rabin.
In reviewing the organization’s Direct Impact this year, running strong in all 11 Greenwich public elementary schools and three after-school sites, improving the reading fluency of 450 kids every year.
The newest champions program, Finance Champions, is going well at Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich with approximately 12 middle schoolers learning how to earn, save, spend and give smart.
“Finance Champions is yet another example of the Greenwich United Way identifying a need in our community and developing a solution to address it – exactly what we have been doing for the past 86 years,” said Rabin. “How fortunate are we all to live, work, and raise are families in a community like Greenwich.”