United... Because, do you know what else besides global pandemics and natural disasters don’t respect borders? Domestic violence. Hunger. Poverty. Barriers to education. Lack of healthcare needed. “Domestic violence looks the same in Graves County as it does in McCracken County,” says Dr. Mary Foley, Executive Director of the Merryman House Domestic Crisis Center. Even though the needs look very much the same for survivors of domestic abuse, Dr. Foley sometimes struggles to meet them if they don’t reside in McCracken County. As a United Way partner agency, Dr. Foley and her staff are able to leverage that support to come alongside the families and women they serve as they recover from the trauma of domestic abuse. Dr. Foley calls the relationship a true partnership and it looks very simple to outsiders. “United Way, through their own needs-identification process, have told partner agencies that the areas of need in the community are in education, income, and health,” she says. “What we were able to echo back to them is that we agree and we see those same needs in the lives of the survivors of domestic violence.” For more than a decade, Merryman House has been able to apply for United Way grants that fit into those areas of need. For Dr. Foley and her staff, the grants allow them to direct assistance through very practical areas in the lives of survivors. The help could look like providing transportation for a woman who is escaping a dangerous situation without a car. Or helping a mother fund a work uniform so that she can keep the job that her family needs to thrive. Through United Way support, Dr. Foley is able to provide mental health services to survivors and youth advocates for children in surviving families. Unfortunately, like the United Way of Paducah-McCracken County, grant money doesn’t always give Merryman House the reins they need to meet these needs directly. “When you have a grant-funded agency like Merryman House, you can get wonderful dollars, but they can be really restrictive,” she says. “Which means that there are really Dr. Foley’s expectations are exactly what Betsy, Lesley, and United Way of Western Kentucky leaders are hoping for in the transition. But first, they are taking intentional steps to learn the needs and the organizations responding to them in their new areas. “While we impact education, income, and health in the communities we serve, we’re still learning and listening to answer that question fully for each community,” Betsy says. “We’re currently in Phase One of our expansion efforts, which includes significant disaster relief efforts and time to meet with community leaders and those who need support to ask the important question – how would you like United Way to serve you better?” Lesley sees challenges ahead for the new organization as it adapts to the new approach, but she knows that the right team is in place to meet those head-on. blaring needs that don’t get met unless you have a local funder like the United Way that sees the need and trusts us to meet that need.” These gaps in services are exactly why Dr. Foley says that this new regional United Way of Western Kentucky approach is sure to be a massive benefit for her organization. “We serve eight counties as a regional domestic crisis center and we assist survivors in all of those counties,” she says. “Many times, if the survivor is in McCracken County, I can use our United Way partnership to meet those needs, but if they are not and I don’t have the funding available, that need may go unmet.” “It’s just not efficient.” She knows that the benefits of bringing the entire Purchase Area together for the United Way will benefit her organization and the survivors they help greatly. “The benefit is going to be immeasurable,” she says. “The thought of having a top-notch United Way oversee more than McCracken means we are going to be able to strengthen that partnership to help more people.” “We’re not just helping more people in quantity, we are able to help more people in quality.” 8 DECEMBER 2022 | PROMOTING EVENTS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE | INTHEVUE.COM
