United Way of Greene County Success Story

Everyday United Way helps numerous people in the community. Have your kids ever belonged to the Boy Scouts or the Girl Scouts? Has your grandmother ever needed help with transportation to a doctor's appointment and received it through Golden Age Senior Citizens Center? Do you know someone whose house burned down and they received shelter and clothing from the American Red Cross? These are only a few examples of the many ways United Way makes a difference in the community.

Following is a true story of how United Way helped a local mother named Betty remain self-sufficient. Her last name is not used for her privacy and that of her children, but here is her story in her own words.

"I am so thankful for the scholarship at the Xenia YMCA for daycare for my children. I was getting some help with daycare from the Department of Human Services and when that stopped, I knew that I could not afford to pay for my daycare and I was scared to death that I would end up losing my job because I would not have someone to care for my children while I was at work.

I went to the Greene County Career Center to get my GED and after I accomplished that I decided to go back to the Greene County Career Center to get an education in the medical field, so I worked very hard to get the job that I have and I was scared to death that with all the hard work and effort that I would end up losing my job anyway.

When I first got my job, the Department of Human Services said that they would help with daycare for the first year, but after six months they took me off the program. I was frantic and I went to (a staff member at the YMCA of Greene County) and asked her how can they set up a payment arrangement at the YMCA so that I could continue to let my kids go there, and she got the scholarship through the United way.

I think the YMCA is a wonderful program for children and I am so thankful that my kids are a part of the program. If United Way would not have helped me, I would have lost my job. Thank you very much."

Real stories like Betty's happen every day throughout Greene County thanks to generous support of the United Way.