Meet United Way of Southern Cameron County’s Board Chair

Jerri Hernandez

St. Joseph Academy

Dear Friends,

It is my privilege to serve as the Chair of the Board of Directors for United Way of Southern Cameron County this year. United Way has had a special place in my heart since I first became a United Way volunteer fifteen years ago.

Today’s United Way of Southern Cameron County bears little resemblance to the organization at which I volunteered in 1994. Back in those days, United Way’s role in the community revolved around raising money and distributing it to local charities. It was an efficient way to support many charities with one gift by “giving at the office.” While we still run a huge community campaign and most people still support United Way of Southern Cameron County through workplace giving, our role in the community has changed dramatically.

United Way realized that no matter how much money we raised and distributed to support charitable programs there would never be enough money to actually solve the problems causing people to need those programs in the first place. We needed to dig deeper and uncover the underlying causes of community conditions and mobilize our community to work on root causes in addition to their effects.

Now, in the second decade of this millennium, United Way focuses on advancing the common good by creating opportunities for a better life for all. Our focus is on education, income and health—the building blocks for a good quality of life.

United Way recruits people and organizations who bring the passion, expertise and resources we need to get things done. Sometimes it takes money to solve a problem. Sometimes it takes relationships and getting the right people in the room at the same time. Sometimes it takes policy change at the local, state or national level. But every solution has one thing in common—people working together.

We invite you to be part of the change. You can give, you can advocate and you can volunteer. That’s what it means to LIVE UNITED.