Celebrating 100 years of commendable service

In the prehistoric year of 1909, 100 Charlotte business and religious leaders each pledged to chip in $25 a year and established Associated Charities to help what was then called "the floating needy."

They delivered food baskets by horse-and-buggy. They took people coal and wood to stay warm and cook by, and made sure they were adequately clothed.

Their work is a reminder of how Charlotteans have long reached out.

Over the next century, Associated Charities evolved its services depending on the needs -- for years it was an adoption agency and once home to Big Brothers Big Sisters -- and underwent four name changes to become United Family Services.

Now United Family Services is one of the city's longest-running nonprofits and it is on the brink of evolving again -- dramatically expanding its primary service.

The agency runs a 24-hour domestic violence hotline and provides counselors to work with people about to lose their homes. But it is chiefly known for its 29-bed shelter for women and children who are victims of domestic violence.

The facility is 30 years old, and in disrepair. The past year, it served 617 women and children, but had to turn away 2,000.

"There simply were't enough beds," said Libby McLaughlin, the nonprofit's development director.

So on Nov. 7, the agency is hosting a centennial celebration and kicking off a capital campaign for $10 million to build a new shelter with 80 beds.

The event at the uptown Westin hotel is called the "Aperture Gala." The campaign is being co-chaired by retired Springs Industries CEO Crandall Bowles, and Mecklenburg County Commission Chair Jennifer Roberts.

United Family Services will share land with the Charlotte Rescue Mission, and collaborate on services such as security and parking.

Eighty beds would allow clients to stay at the shelter longer. At present, 30 days is the limit.

"That's a band-aid that we're able to offer women," McLaughlin said. "We'd like to be able to keep them for three months to a year, to allow them access to safety and to become self-sufficient before they return to the community.

"It's a lot easier to get a new beginning if you have time on your side."

Want to go? The Nov. 7 "Aperture Gala" begins at 7 p.m. at the uptown Westin. There will be a photo exhibit by Charlotte photographer Lisa Holder, and photos and journals by shelter clients. Tickets are $200 a person; sponsorships are also available. To buy tickets or for more information, contact Elizabeth Connor at 704-367-2799. If you can't go, but would like to donate to the new battered women's shelter, click here, or send a check to United Family Services, 601 E. Fifth St., Suite 400, Charlotte NC 28202.

McIntyre back on the campaign trail

Jane McIntyre feels like she's back on the campaign trail.

In many ways the former school board member is.

It's a different kind of campaign, one she believes is critically important if the least among us are to receive the help they need.

In August, McIntyre (pictured above speaking yet another crowd) took over the embattled United Way of Central Carolinas and immediately hit the trail to repair the agency's image -- crippled for more than a year by what many saw as exorbitant pay and benefits paid to former United Way head Gloria Pace King.

In the furor, donations to last year's United Way campaign fell by almost a third and many agencies saw their funding cut by 40 percent.

So McIntyre is running, every day, her focus on the current campaign.

"There's a lot at risk here," she told The Cliff. "People are hurting. Agencies are trying hard to serve many more people than they've ever served with less dollars. United Way has to be an effective conduit to drive more dollars to these community agencies."

That's the message she'll take next Wednesday to a joint lunch meeting of the Charlotte chapters of the International Association of Business Communicators and the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

The topic: Sharing her operational and communication strategies for turning around a very troubled and very public organization.

Since McIntyre took United Way's reins, the only times she's said no to an invite is when she had to be some place else. So far, she's spoken to 70 groups about the efforts to overhaul the agency. She makes herself available to media. Often, she runs to three to five appearances or interviews a day.

"I read a survey that said, 'We need to hear directly from the person now in charge,'" she said. "That was very clear. Well, here she is."

Her message is consistent -- she uses no notes -- but tweaked to "keep it from becoming boring."

"I'm not bored with myself yet," she said. "But I worry that people will get bored with the message -- I don't want them to say 'I've have read that 10 times.' So I seem to always have something new to tell them.

"The demands of this campaign are very similar to a political campaign. You want to answer questions consistently. It's easy if you talk to people straight."

Her focus on the United Way campaign is singular. She's cancelled vacations, or cut out-of-town visits short to stay in the region to get the message out. "There's too much to be done here," she said.

Wednesday, the professional business communicators and funders will hear her message and the importance of transperancy and straight talk.

"The cuts to agencies were substantial, and I strongly believe that many agencies cannot sustain another round of cuts," McIntyre said. "... So it's truly a chance of a lifetime to change the business model of United Way and to have a positive impact on a great many people."

Want to go? The lunchtime program runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at the Academic Center at Johnson & Wales University, 801 W. Trade St. Cost: $20 for IABC and AFP members; $35 for nonmembers. RSVP by Monday at 5 p.m. by clicking here.

Shucking for the blind

Michelle Woodward, Penelope Powell, Bob Scheffel, Nasser Razmyer shucked oysters for teh Oyster Roast at Mez at the EpiCentre. The roast raised $500 for the Metrolina Association for the Blind (MAB) earlier this month. Attendees feasted on steamed and raw oysters on the half-shell, a shrimp boil, gumbo, and sandwiches.