TALK 94.5 Liz And Nick
TALK 94.5 Liz And Nick
NEW DIRECTIONS WITH KATHY JENKINS 8/25/26
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Kathy Jenkins is here. Did you go out and vote? Not yet. All right. Today's the day. Today's the day.
SPEAKER_00Are you voting today? I am voting today. Yep, us too.
SPEAKER_01She's voting today. All right. So, Kathy Jenkins, what's been going on? I haven't seen you.
SPEAKER_00Oh boy. You know, it is it has been an incredibly busy summer. We have had so many people and so many people in need. And um we just keep plugging along. We keep trying to deal with um everyone, try to help everyone that we can, and um make sure that they have a safe place to go. We reminding everybody out there, we do have a walk-in center. Our walk-in center is for people who do not choose to come into our program or are not able to come into our program, and uh they can get out of the heat. It is on our men's shelter property, men, women, either way. We um also offer showers. That is five days a week. We have made a proposal to um uh the city to be open seven days a week, and we are waiting to get a a response. Uh when do you expect that? I'm not really sure. Okay. But um you know, we know the the need is there, we just don't have the funding to do it. Okay. How much funding do you need? To increase the hours there, right at forty-five thousand dollars. So we would be open eight a.m. to eight p.m. seven days a week. We would be able to um provide uh uh all the meals and they would never have to leave the property. Uh now we do have a limited space, but we also have uh they can't stay there and camp out overnight.
SPEAKER_01No. They have to leave at uh eight.
SPEAKER_00Well, and at eight is when we open our our emergency overnight with the twenty-two beds. Okay. So potentially at least twenty-two people could is that filled every night right now?
SPEAKER_01It it is not.
SPEAKER_00A lot of nights it is, and if we if there are a few people over, we do have some mats we can put on the the floor in the overnight dormitory. And so um we want to try to accommodate anybody who is out there who is requesting that shelter overnight. Um, you know, the funny thing is in the summer, the really hot part of the day or the time that people really need the the AC and the and the water is during the day. Versus the wintertime, okay, people need the the shelter in the heat more so at night. Okay so it's a little different depending on the season.
SPEAKER_01All right. Well, you brought a guest today to uh talk about something else.
SPEAKER_00I did, you know, some of our favorite folks out there, uh Ory County United Way. Um this guest today is Whitney Isley, she is their director of philanthropy. And Whitney is gonna talk about the United United Way Day of Caring that comes up in October. Well, welcome to the show, Whitney.
SPEAKER_01Thank you, Liz. Appreciate it. So are you like marketing director? Oh gosh, no.
SPEAKER_02Okay, I I gave you a title. That uh Alison Golidge is our our marketing director. She's amazing. I wouldn't take any credit for what she does, but um, I'm my director of philanthropy. Director of philanthropy. Okay, so tell us about what the day of caring is. So we are on our 25th anniversary day of caring this year, and um what day of caring tries to encompass is we uh part of our mission is to uplift and support the local nonprofits in the community, of course, through funding, but also through collaboration. Um and every single year we try to lift up a couple of our um nonprofit partners through our Day of Caring project, which is our biggest volunteering event of the year. So we'll depending on the needs of the year, we'll have anywhere from one to during COVID, we had 17 sites where we'll get 300 to 350 volunteers every year. Um, and we'll go and do some um some projects at those those nonprofit sites. So we'll do everything from Yeah, I was just gonna say some examples. Painting, cleaning, putting together um, you know, equipment. Um we've laid down flooring, um, we've done all kinds of things that that can be easily trained in, you know, 10 to 15 minutes from some unskilled hands. Um but we get some great volunteers from um our local businesses, of course, individuals that have been doing it year after year.
SPEAKER_01Um and why is that important to actually put the sweat equity in and not just the money? Like, why can't we just hire a company to do these projects?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so you know, uh we have some great partnerships with our local businesses and we're able to help support the nonprofit community through those partnerships. Um and you know, we do giving campaigns every year with a lot of these businesses, but they don't get to see hands-on what some of those donations that they give can do. And so um this is a great way for us to say, hey, this is this is what your partnership with the United Way can do. And here's something you can um you can do hands-on by yourself. Um, you know, thankfully most of the businesses let them come out. It's always on a Friday. Um, and they get to see hands-on, they get to learn about the nonprofits that we're supporting, they get to network while they're there, because again, we get a lot of um volunteers from local businesses, um, and they get to learn about United Way and and our programs um and the process as well as learning about this.
SPEAKER_01So I remember when I had a job, um, like a real job in uh New York long ago. Uh we would donate like a certain amount in our paycheck. Um, and is that what you're talking about?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, those are employee giving campaigns. So historically, that's how United Way's raised all their money. Um, and we still do that. We have some fantastic partners that have been doing campaigns with us for 40, 50 years. Um, we've been in Norway County for 53 years now. And we still have a lot of that, but as you know, giving has changed a lot over the years. Um, and so we've had to definitely diversify our income, you know, with grants and and local support. But um, but it's very important that we keep those employee giving campaigns, not just for the income, but because of that partnerships, you know, that's how we're able to talk to our local um businesses throughout the year and and give volunteer opportunities to their employees.
SPEAKER_01Well, it's also employee bonding. It is, yeah. That's what's it's it's a great way that it's a project that's been vetted. Yeah. So as an employer, it just makes it easier for you to give back to the community and make sure it's a vetted organization, that it's organized and well run, the event. Yes. Um, and that you're you're going to be partnering with like businesses, with like values. Yes. So there's a lot of benefits to partnering in this type of thing uh that is going to benefit people in need in the community. So name some of the benefactors. I mean, was New Directions ever a benefactor? I think we've been in New Directions several times. Many, many years.
SPEAKER_00In fact, when she talked about laying flooring, um, it used to be the group from Santi Cooper always wanted to do the project at at the um one of the shelters, and they put that incredible flooring in at uh in our multi-purpose room years ago, and it's the luxury vinyl plank and I guess you also pick up some skills too.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So definitely. So how does that end up working? Because if you have a bunch of people who don't know how to install luxury vinyl plank, how does that end up? Right? So you must have some kind of expert on site.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, we usually have team leads. Um we also honestly we get volunteers from companies sometimes that do that kind of work. So, you know, we get um there's a painting company that donates paint to us every year, but they also send volunteers to help. Okay. So if we're doing not that painting, you know, a plane wall is hard, but if you have somebody that's never done it before and feels a little unsh, you know, uncertain, you have somebody to kind of show them how to do it and and what not to do. So we we do get some of those expert volunteers, we call them. Um and we have some really great team leads who have been um we you know the smaller teams will say, Hey, you group of five, you're gonna go do this project over here. And sometimes we have team leads that have been doing this for 20 years. So in 20 years, you played for him once or twice.
SPEAKER_01Exactly. So day of caring, does it all happen on one particular day? Yes, for us it does.
SPEAKER_02Um it's on October 16th this year. Okay.
SPEAKER_01And is there still room for people to come on board or there is, yeah.
SPEAKER_02We actually haven't opened up the signups just yet. We'll be doing that in the next probably week or so. Um, and uh this year we'll be at Sea Haven for Youth in Little River. We'll be at Wacama Um Youth Center in Conway and Habitat for Humanity in Myrtle Beach. Okay.
SPEAKER_01Are they building a new house?
SPEAKER_02They are always building new houses, but we're actually going to be at their restore.
SPEAKER_01Oh, okay. Okay. Very cool. So as the director of philanthropy of United Way of Ory County, what is it that you need or what keeps you up at night and what are you working on? And what have you been tested with?
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So I I do run all of our employee campaigns, our employee-giving campaigns. So um we're always looking to add new businesses for that, especially if there's a a local business that's wanting to um to improve or increase their community involvement. That is a very, very easy way for them to do that. Um what are the benefits for them to do that? Well, we mentioned a couple already. So your your employees get to bond because you do get first dips for volunteer opportunities. Um, and then you also get to you have the option to bring us in to say, hey, this is the impact to this is making, and it just that that feel good. Um when people do stuff together, whether it's something hard or something uplifting, it's it bonds them together, right? So hopefully when they're doing stuff with us, it's uplifting. Um and then, you know, you get your name out there a lot. So um we are really we try to be really good. Shout out again to our marketing director, really good at um recognizing a light to those who who support us and the community. Um What does it cost the business to get involved? Zero. Okay. For an employee giving campaign. Um, just maybe some extra hours on the HR department to put in the, you know, whatever the pledges are for um how people want to make their donations.
SPEAKER_01Are people forced to participate that are an employee?
SPEAKER_02No, no, no, no. How's it work?
SPEAKER_01I've heard back in the day that some businesses used to do that.
SPEAKER_02Um, but but no, of course not. Um so we have like dry campaigns where we just give you the materials and then um so you just kind of give them to your employees and they can they can do their pledges that way, or we can come in, we can do a presentation. Um and honestly, a lot of our internal programs, we have had employees at these businesses that we partner with take advantage of them or have somebody that they they know or love that needed those services. So not just is it a great way to for your community involvement um and for us to to increase initiations, but it's educational to say, hey, here's some resources that are out in the community that United Way has or some of their partners might have that um that you might need one day.
SPEAKER_01So there might be an employer that kind of has an idea of what you guys do, but you know, I know they do good stuff, they support good groups. What is the process to bring in the employer or the manager, HR director to say, let me give you a tour, let me show you like what how do you do that? What what is what part happens for an employer to make a decision, okay, this is the organization I want to partner with?
SPEAKER_02Um It's just usually it's just a meeting. I mean, um we do have our you know our offices in in Conway, but we don't we don't do a lot of services out of our office directly. Um but we'd be happy to invite anybody in or come to them and go over our programs, the um all the nonprofits that we fund, all the ones that we partner with in other ways, um, kind of get that value for your dollar and um Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Because I'm sure you know they'd want to vet United Way. I know you guys are in the business of vetting other charities and making sure they're you know they're worthy of all the grant money that and the work that you put into it. But you know, an employer looking for a partner in this, this could be a really good way to fill that need.
SPEAKER_02That's the employee giving campaign. I mean, it hasn't it hasn't been a lot of businesses first choice for this long for nothing. Um it we do make it extremely easy for businesses to do, and they can make it as big of a thing as they want. They can have a big kickoff event or have a Christmas party and have raffles and do it and make it a big thing, or it can just be hey, at our next safety meeting, United Way is gonna come and and tell you about their programs, and if you want to support them with uh donations directly through your paycheck, um so you don't even think about it. Yeah. Um, you know, two dollar donation of the company of 300 people every paycheck is that adds up and it can make a really big impact. Um, and of course, people can also kind of um if they want to, they can designate where they want that money to go or what calls they want it to go to. Okay. Um so there's that option too. Um, but we can make it as as as involved or as easy uh as you know as a company would want.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. All right, that sounds good. Well, look at you, Miss Kathy Jenkins.
SPEAKER_00I know. Aren't you gonna miss you gooder?
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_00When are you leaving? Um officially uh December 31st is my last day.
SPEAKER_01You're giving up your segment too? You're retiring from me as well.
SPEAKER_00Well, I I don't know that new directions will want me to be the one to come back, but um I know William would love to continue on with Tuesdays for Hope.
SPEAKER_01Excellent.
SPEAKER_00So um yeah, I hope we're gonna keep it up. Okay, well maybe This has been such a big deal for us over the years and to be able to share not only what we're doing, but what all of our partners are doing in the community. There is so much good work that goes on right here in Ory County. Um people need to get involved. There's so many ways to get involved. There's so many great organizations to get involved with. And I, you know, I would certainly put new directions at the top of the list. So put us at the top of the list and um come out for our first annual clay chute. Yes, you have a big uh event coming up for sure. This is our new fundraising event.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, we um we publicized that last time, put it on our Facebook page, but you can also go onto your Facebook page for new directions. The clay chute's coming up, and something else was coming up.
SPEAKER_00That is the big thing right now. Um we also have Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week that will be the week after the clay chute. The clay chute is on Friday, November 13th. Okay. And um so then the Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. I'm not really sure what Erica has planned for that, but usually we do a big um non-perishable um fill the truck campaign. And um it's a it's a big deal.
SPEAKER_01All right. Well, you'll keep us updated on that as well. Go to helpnewdirections.org or unitedore. Unitedway.org. Unitedwayore.org. Thank you uh both so much, Whitney Isley and of course Kathy Jenkins. We'll see you next week, Kathy.
SPEAKER_02All right, have a great day.
SPEAKER_01Go ahead and vote.