These retirees are giving back to Columbia as graduates of the United Way's Give 5 program
About five weeks ago, 16 Columbia area retirees joined Heart of Missouri United Way's Give 5 program. They graduated Thursday as the United Way also kicked off its community campaign season.
Participants took once-per-week classes, each with a featured speaker, and toured a myriad of social service agencies to find one that aligns with their skills. Graduates now will commit at least five hours per month to that organization as a volunteer.
The program is aimed at keeping retirees engaged with the community, said Andrew Grabau, Heart of Missouri United Way president and CEO, at a kickoff event in June.
The next cohort is expected to start Sept. 23. The weekly meetings are held at Missouri Employers Mutual, which opened its doors to provide the space.
Among graduates Thursday were John Rhodes, Paula Snyder and Jill Pankey, all who were matched with the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture.
The first cohort also matched with agencies such as Love Columbia, City of Refuge and Aging Best, among others.
Previously: New Heart of Missouri United Way program seeks to connect retirees to volunteer opportunities
Rhodes has a background in plant science, while Snyder and Pankey said they are both avid gardeners.
"Most of my time probably will be spent in the gardens, but I have some skills I think they might be able to use on the planning side. We have had a discussion about that and we'll see where it goes," Rhodes said.
He is five years into his retirement and said he wanted to find something to do other than chores around his home.
"This will get me out to make new friends, meet new people and give back," Rhodes said.
Snyder said she enjoys working with those in the AmeriCorps program, who also volunteer their time at the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture. She is impressed by how energetic and committed they are to the work.
Snyder is excited that food grown goes to The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri.
"It's a direct route," she said.
"(Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture) has an amazing system," Pankey said. "... I've always been into gardening. I want to be outside digging in the dirt."
Investing in the community
When people retire, they have many options available to them. Eryca Neville, Heart of Missouri United Way board chair, said she is proud of the cohort who chose Give 5.
The volunteers are choosing to invest in the community, she said, noting there are key differences between giving and investing. The latter includes growth, Neville said.
"We have measured investment impact with recent outcomes of agencies," she said. "For United Way-funded agencies, 100% of children that participate in early education programs meet all necessary requirements to successfully start kindergarten."
Giving provides a safe space for children, such as after-school tutoring. Investing makes sure they are ready to make their next academic move, Neville said.
An individual also could get training and job skills through other programs, which in turn becomes an investment through a livable wage as the person advances in a career, she added as another example.
The Give 5 program is supported financially, in part, by United Health Care in six different communities. Kurt Heumann, health plan CEO for Medicare and retirement in Missouri and Kansas for United Health Care, said the amazing part of the program is the volunteer and community agency partnerships.
"All these folks here have a career of experience built up, and now they can learn of other community organizations that have a need," Heumann said, adding Give 5 programs help reduce social isolation. "This is really a win-win-win for everybody.
"The community gets great experience with people, the organizations get the talent and skills they need, and the individuals experience their life in a more fulfilling way."
While Heumann has been at Give 5 kickoffs, this was the first graduation he attended.
"This is just great to see," he said.
United Way campaign kickoff
Adonica and Demarko Coleman, co-chairs of the Heart of Missouri United Way community campaign committee, shared insights Thursday on the past year and what the United Way hopes for in the coming year.
Locally, United Way supports 31 agencies via 45 grants totaling roughly $2 million, which impacted 63,000 people who received assistance through the supported agencies.
The community campaign committee hopes to grow the number of donors to at least 5,000 from last year's total of roughly 4,300 to reach a fundraising goal of $3.1 million.
The pair carry a ceremonial boat paddle with them to represent the year's theme of joining in the boat and paddling together.
"We are here in this room for a common cause and a common mission," Demarko Coleman said. "We fight to improve the lives of those who are most vulnerable. That is why we are here today. Our vision is for us to live united."
Adonica Coleman wants community members to find ways in which they could support the United Way. For the Colemans, it was out of a sense of duty to give back to the Columbia community after they moved here in 2007.
"Columbia has been a great place to our family," Adonica Coleman said. "This is the way that we saw that we would be able to use our time, our talent and our treasure to give back.
"... What is your why for committing to (United Way)?"
Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Please consider subscribing to support vital local journalism.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Heart of Missouri United Way Give 5 volunteers graduate
