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Live United by Erin Haag

There’s a lot of pressure to write an article that comes out Christmas weekend. How do I capture the spirit of the season? For me, I want to capture the joy, the anticipation, but also recognize that this season can be one of grief, of anxiety and ALL. THE. THINGS. There’s some stories on my heart today, and while I know I won’t get all the things encompassed into one article, I hope that I can share a bit of the joy.

One of the strengths of the United Way is the ability to be flexible. It doesn’t have to be an official service or official program for us to connect people with resources to improve lives. This year, a service gap was identified with Christmas assistance programs, and we worked strictly on a referral process to connect community members wanting to adopt a family for Christmas. It worked very well, and Heidi, Nikolle and I have some stories written on our heart from this process. 

One grandmother had brought in her boys for winter coats. As we got to know her, we recognized that her grandsons, raised by their father, would be perfect candidates for this “unofficial” program. We had a donor ready to adopt, and we called to see if that would be helpful to this family, and to gather their wish list. There were tears of joy, and the boys wrote out their wish lists. There was also a personal note to the donor that we passed on, sharing their story and expressing deep gratitude for their Christmas adoption. 

We had some questions about the wish lists though. One child wrote that he wanted a blanket with his brother’s names on it. There was a comment about great-grandma, so we called grandma and asked. Apparently great-grandma had made blankets at one time, and he wanted a blanket that was embroidered with his brother’s names on them. His reasoning? He wanted to keep his brothers close to him. Well. How can you not make this happen? The adopter got a warm fleece blanket. Another community member stepped up and took the time to hand embroider the names of the boys on the blanket. When you have a request like this, so personalized, it captures the spirit of the season. 

There are quilters in our community who are keeping us well stocked with handmade quilts. We provide them to families at our Winter Gear Drive, share with other agencies and such. A quilter shared that they used to send them overseas, but with the changes with the pandemic, they have switched to giving locally, and are now seeing a more localized impact, not only through United Way but through their own church. I’m here to attest the power of a handmade quilt. We have quilts of all sizes and colors and even strip bags made out of fabric. We’ve started taking those strip bags, putting in a small toddler sized quilt and adding a children’s book or small toy. These bags are perfect to give to little ones in crisis. 

There’s a community member who is an Usborne book representative. She shared with her clients that she would like to donate books to kids in need, and was using United Way to help connect to the kids. Last week, she dropped off two boxes of books, a beautifully diverse selection that we’ve been able to utilize in those little strip bags with a quilt. Because what’s better than a soft quilt and a new book? 

Along with the generosity of giving, there’s a healthy dose of what I call magic. Faith, magic, the universe bestowing a blessing — whatever your belief system names it, it’s very real. Monday morning we had a few unmet needs for families. We worked hard to make sure each family had a balanced amount of gifts — needs versus wants and equal attention to each child. Our focus was on children who are older, and not served through other community programs. As I looked at Nikolle and talked about how to handle this, a donor called and asked if we knew any families. Magic. Faith. The universe had spoken. Then, I shared on my personal social media page that I had a few unmet needs for work — because I knew it would be difficult to navigate a public call to action on such a short turnaround. My call to action was met and surpassed. Friends and family jumped in and went shopping and dropped off food, gifts, clothing and wrapping supplies in less than 24 hours. Heidi and Nikolle coordinated with the families to pick up gifts, and the tears of gratitude were abundant. 

Whatever your belief system is, time and time again, I’ve seen our community members step up. Time and time again, I’ve seen an answer to a specific call. It’s almost a running joke in our office when we discover a need. “Let’s put it out in the universe and we’ll see what happens.” I’ve had two wonderful years of seeing the needs being met this way, and I’m looking forward to the UWFC team of volunteers, staff and board of directors dreaming up new ways to meet community needs.

Questions? The United Way office is open at 2610 Y.H. Hanson Ave., Albert Lea andour mailing address is PO Box 686, Albert Lea, MN 56007. You can also call us at 507-373-8670. Office hours are at 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 27-30. We will be closed on Dec. 31 to observe the New Year’s Day holiday. 

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season. 

Erin Haag is the executive director of the United Way of Freeborn County.