Speak United

On a Search for Local Heroes

Meghan Keaney — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:00:17 -0600

When I was younger and hooked on the idea of writing a great American novel, my father used to advise me to take a look at the lives of ordinary people. People who go through their days, happily and purposefully, but without much attention or celebration. Look at these people, he said, and the extraordinary will start to reveal itself. And, of course, it did. I started noticing people who had made great sacrifices for the future of their children, their communities, even for strangers. In essence, my father taught me to seekout the unsung heroes in our society.

For the next four weeks, SpeakUnited will be taking on a search of its own. We will be looking for local heroes, individuals who have made a significant difference in the lives of the people and communities around them. Help us, by nominating a local hero via the comment form. read more »

LIVE UNITED flash mob in DC

Meghan Keaney — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:36:13 -0600

Looks like about a hundred people "froze" in the middle of Union Station in DC to make a statement about Live United.
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Link Round-Up

Meghan Keaney — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:23:49 -0600

When the Cupboard Is Bare: A New York Times article documents increases in food insecurity, "In the four months since June, demand for food aid has risen 20 percent in areas of the country with the healthiest economies and more than 40 percent in areas with the weakest, leaders of nonprofit food-distribution organizations say." Definitely take a look at the photoessay that accompanies the article and listen to the reporter podcast.

Boston Odds of getting part-time job at a department store this holiday season are slimmer than getting into Harvard: One out of every 45. (Thanks to Canatabrigia for the head's up)

CNN to name Nation's "Heroes" on Thanksgiving night. United Way of America has partnered with CNN for the program. Ten citizens who have made a difference through extraordinary deeds will be honored.

Martha Coakley sparks a conversation

Meghan Keaney — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:10:49 -0600

This fall, the Attorney General’s Office hosted a series of Winter Heating & Energy Roundtables to address issues of heat and utilities particularly in anticipation for the coming winter and growing cost of living. As it turns out, the resulting conversation overflowed the 4 part series and the Attorney General's Office having no more curvilinear furniture, decided to do the next best thing: They launched a blog. read more »

Unprecedented Need: Unprecedented United Response

Meghan Keaney — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:08:29 -0500

Tipping Point - the threshold at which a movement becomes irreversible. Today, this afternoon actually, 18 United Ways from across the Commonwealth announced that they are responding to the growing number of families in financial crisis by uniting for a new statewide drive to provide emergency assistance for basic needs this winter. The emergency appeal, called the Community Support Fund, will leverage the support of residents from all corners of the Commonwealth to create a safety net for individuals and families in crisis. Here's United Way of Massachusetts Bay & Merrimack Valley president, Michael Durkin, on the effort:

Hunger: Another reason to get out the vote

Meghan Keaney — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 08:43:56 -0500

Next Tuesday after you submit your vote for president, please help us garner support for another important campaign, one that we can all agree on. On Tuesday, November 4th, United Way of Massachusetts Bay & Merrimack Valley and the City of Boston are looking for volunteers to help collect canned goods and distribute information about the Community Support Fund at polling places throughout the city. Whether you vote in Boston or not, you can help us bring food and basic needs to families who have been hit particularly hard by this year's uncertain economy. read more »

Food Stamp Challenge Day One

Meghan Keaney — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:00:32 -0500

Ok, here is my attempt to spend only $21 on groceries for the week -- the average benefit amount for individuals on Food Stamps in Massachusetts. Given the rising costs of food and basic needs, a number of us (18 participants right now) decided to try to participate in a Food Stamp Challenge. For more information on the challenge and why we're doing this now, see Paola's previous post. For coverage of my first day on the challenge, read on... read more »

Economic Anxiety into Action

Meghan Keaney — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:36:04 -0500

A few weeks ago as the stock market went through yet another round of dives, a friend of mine got an email from his financial advisor that read, in jest, “I hope you’re not standing near any windows.” He told me about it with a shrug and I agreed, it’s getting pretty scary out there. The issue has continued to inhabit the uneasy consciousness of people of every age group from any social and economic background throughout the nation. It has replaced "weather" as the primary discussion topic among strangers. It has dominated nearly every section of every paper or media outlet, so much so that the recent presidential debate which was intended to focus on national security, returned again and again to one looming question: What do we do about the economy? read more »

Investing in children -- better than Wall Street?

Meghan Keaney — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:25:29 -0500

As government purse-strings are tightening in the midst of economic uncertainty, the Partnership for America's Economic Success recently gathered to propose focusing our national and local investments in children.

As Weekend America Public Radio reports: "Hedge fund managers, CEOs and chamber of commerce presidents may not seem like obvious advocates for the expansion of social programs, but they've become perhaps the most enthusiastic and effective supporters of preschool. read more »

Update on Hurricane Gustav

Meghan Keaney — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 12:12:01 -0500

Gustav officially made landfall today in Louisiana. A group of volunteers has already created a wiki to centralize information about the storm, available resources and ways to help. MSNBC has posted a really good map of the storm's path and United Way's 211 hotlines have already received 500-1500 calls a day per center. By Wednesday morning, residents are expecing 6-12 inches of rain over portions of Louisiana, Southern Mississippi and Arkansas, with up to 20 inches in some locations. I thought I'd pass along an update that I recieved today about United Way's expectations and response to Gustav. If new information comes in as the storm progresses, I'll let you know. The following is an update we've received from Erin Sammons, United Way of America Director of Crisis Preparedness, Response and Recovery:

"The Coordinated National Response Core Crisis Team at United Way of America has been mobilized to help local United Ways and people throughout the region: read more »