T he United Way of Southeast Arkansas has been at it for 75 years, helping people who have a hard if not impossible time helping themselves. The agency, of course, doesn’t do that on its own, but the dollars raised go directly to the many other agencies that do the work.
That work was on display this past week when the United Way kicked off its annual campaign by way of a joint meeting of the city’s two Rotary clubs. Representatives from several agencies were in the room, both the directors and staff, in their support of the United Way.
Then Zelda Hoaglan took to the podium in the only way that she knows how, which is to engage the audience in a humorous but serious rendition of how much the United Way has meant to Jenkins Memorial Center, which Hoaglan helms.
The Jenkins center is certainly a special entity in town, helping people with a variety of developmental disabilities. One young man, she said, had an affliction that interrupted his speaking to the point that no one could understand him. Jenkins got him to the point where he went on to do great things. Had he not had the therapy that Jenkins provided, those great things would have gone undone.
Those stories abound in Hoaglan’s world. And much of that world has relied on the money that United Way has provided that has trained people who then provided top-notch care for Pine Bluff clients.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
But it takes money to be there, and anywhere it says that the United Way has helped this or that agency, the credit goes to those who donate.
And that brings us to the challenge of all of this. For 33 years, through the heydays and steep population and business declines, the agency has raised a million dollars during its annual campaign. There are other, better-heeled, parts of the state that are in better positions to raise such a staggering sum. But it is Pine Bluff that actually does it.
Last year was extremely difficult for the agency to get there. We can explain that in one word: covid. The way this is supposed to work is that employees in town are met in person and introduced to what the United Way does. Through that person interaction, the employees are more likely to contribute.
But that didn’t happen last year. Getting a bunch of people together to talk about the United Way — or to do anything, really — was just not happening. And consequently, reaching a million dollars was much more of a challenge.
Life has eased a bit regarding covid. People are vaccinated, they wear masks, they are comfortable with social distancing. So this year’s campaign should be a little easier. But it still takes businesses and individuals to say yes when the United Way knocks.
We are all part of this community, and the one agency that keeps a large swath of it running is the United Way. Let’s all get behind this campaign and reach the seven-figure mark for a 34th year with dollars to spare. This is a story of people helping people. You may never know the name of the people you helped with your contribution, but you can know that fellow human beings are better off because of you. Let’s be there for them.