Give. Advocate. Volunteer.

By: Darren Groce, Former GLUW President

Our Greater Longview United Way makes a huge difference in our community, affecting the lives of tens of thousands of our neighbors. With this in mind, I had a fair amount of trepidation when I assumed the responsibilities of President of the GLUW Board last year. A prime concern of mine was to make sure that all of the good work of GLUW continued without skipping a beat.
We all know of the annual fundraising campaign facilitated by GLUW. Last year, GLUW received pledges of some $1.3 million dollars during the campaign, which is a phenomenal sum. But, GLUW is more than just a fundraising campaign. We are out to actively address and solve community issues. For example, two of our initiatives last year sought to successfully launch a home repairs program and a legal assistance program. When GLUW last conducted a Community Needs Assessment, two critical needs were identified that up to that point were not being met – low cost home repairs and affordable legal assistance. We are proud to say that a minor home repairs program is now up and running, and we partnered with Lone Star Legal Aid to provide funding to hire another paralegal. The home repairs program has now completed 16 projects, and Lone Star Legal Aid (“LSLA”) has been able to just about double their case load (for 1st five months of GLUW funding, LSLA was able to resolve 175 cases, compared to 89 cases resolved during the same period for the previous year).
We also modified the format last year of our annual campaign kick-off luncheon. It’s a little tweak, but we like it. Historically, we have brought in speakers from outside Longview to impart some words of wisdom to the 600 or so in attendance. We decided, though, to instead use the words of a number of individuals who benefit from the programs GLUW helps fund. In particular, one speaker gave a personal account of his life with drug addiction and how his life has been completely turned around through a GLUW-funded program. A dry eye could hardly be found on the faces of those in attendance.
GLUW does change lives. It changes the lives not only of those who are in need and participate in one of the many programs GLUW helps fund, but also of those who volunteer behind the scenes. I have been affected because I have seen the positive difference our volunteer efforts make. I have seen the incredible programs administered by incredible local agencies. And I have seen how hundreds of volunteers can get pledges from thousands of individuals and companies of about $1.3 million dollars to help fund those incredible programs. I am honored to be able to give back through volunteering with GLUW.