Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin	Montgomery County Commissioner Charles Curran	Deputy Chief of Police Major John DiPietro Miami Township Police Department	United Way President Marc Levy

HelpLink Call Center Activates 2-1-1

Information and Referral Hotline

Wednesday, July 7, 2004 (Dayton, Ohio) � Today, more than 750,000 people living in Montgomery, Greene and Preble Counties will be able to link to 2-1-1, the new phone number for free access to information and referral service to health and human service agencies in Montgomery, Greene and Preble Counties. United Way of the Greater Dayton Area�s HelpLink will be hosting a press conference at 2:00 p.m. at the United Way Building (184 Salem Avenue) to announce the local roll-out of 2-1-1, the universal number approved by the Federal Communications Commission for information and referral to social services and volunteer opportunities.

Mayor Rhine McLin and Montgomery County Commissioner Charles Curran attended the press conference and presented HelpLink 211 with proclamations. �Last year HelpLink responded to 89,000 requests for help from residents in our three-county area,� said Marc Levy, President, United Way of the Greater Dayton Area. �The 2-1-1 enhancement to this valuable asset and service will enable us to respond to the growing needs in our community and strengthen our local nonprofit network.�

More than 5.8 million Ohio residents currently have access to 2-1-1 services. The Ohio Council for Information and Referral Programs and the 2-1-1 Ohio Collaborative anticipate that 17 organizations servicing 7.4 million Ohio residents in 30 counties will be operational by the end of 2004. People in need of police, fire, and medical should continue to call 911. The 2-1-1 number does not work with cell phones or businesses with blocks on N11 numbers. Callers from these locations should continue to call (937) 225-3000 for information and referral services.