Hundreds of Licking County residents to benefit from $1 million in grants from the United Way

NEWARK, OHIO – For Ashley Washburn, the impact of a grant from the United Way of Licking County is a big number. It’s 281 – the number of women who will receive health care they otherwise couldn’t afford.Washburn is the director of Family Health Services of Eastern Ohio, which received a $45,000 grant as part of $1 million the United Way of Licking County is distributing to 45 programs in the county for 2023.

Hundreds of Licking County residents who desperately need health-care services, emergency shelter and food, child care, and a host of other social services will benefit in the new year from the United Way grants.

The grants include a first-time award of $10,000 to the Newton Township Fire Department, which serves an area between the north side of Newark and St. Louisville, to purchase life-saving supplies for CPR and fire-prevention training and education.

Deb Dingus, executive director of United Way of Licking County, said these dollars are going to the programs that address the most important issues in the community right now. “Every year there is a need, but this year, with inflation, our nonprofits are struggling.”

“These dollars,” she said, “help maintain the health of the programs doing the most good in our community.”

United Way funding supports people in recovery in sober living homes. It supports people who can’t afford health care. And it supports people who might lose their jobs if not for after school programming.

Dingus spoke of a single mom in the hospitality industry who works evenings, “and if her child couldn’t go to the YES Club for a meal after school, she wouldn’t be able to keep her job. That little bit – for him to be able to get a meal and be in a safe place – allows her to keep her job in the hospitality industry. He’s a little older, about 12, and he’s in a place where he gets help with homework and a meal until she gets home from work.”

She said that United Way donors are “not only funding programs directly, but you’re also funding our work to support the nonprofit sector in this community – for example, participating in the warming shelter task force, the transit task force,” and other community programming boards.

Washburn said it’s “a beautiful thing” to see individuals in the community support community services, and while it’s challenging at times to raise the money, she said that potential donors always open up when she starts explaining who benefits from the grants.

“We all either have benefited from the services or we know someone who has,” she said. “As a single mom, I benefited from a number of the programs supported by the United Way. Think about Camp O’Bannon, the YMCA camp – we all know people who have benefited from them.

“Some people expect a direct service from United Way, but that’s not how it works,” Washburn said. “The United Way relies on community partners to provide the services,” and she said those partners submit grant proposals, which the local United Way board reviews when deciding how to distribute the funds.

The pandemic helped donors see the need, she said. “If COVID did nothing else, it made us realize we need to be here for each other,” Washburn said.

Washburn’s Family Health Services of Eastern Ohio provides reproductive health and wellness services, including STI and HIV testing, breast exams, rape-crisis support, and victim advocacy. The organization uses a sliding fee scale so anyone can use services.

Funding from United Way helps the organization provide stigma-free health care, she said, and connect with clients holistically.

“If someone walks in our door in crisis, it may not be related to the UTI that needs to be treated. We can’t ignore the other things in their life.” For example, she said, they might not have food on the table tonight.

Funding from United Way is awarded through a competitive grant process, which includes an online application and a site visit. All funding is tied to outcomes that address goals for Licking County identified in the United Way of Licking County Community Blueprint which focus on supporting children, youth, and families, and addressing behavioral health and poverty.

Here are umbrella organizations and specific programs funded by The United Way of Licking County for 2023:

● Action for Children – $35,400 – Family Child Care Pre-Licensing Services● American Red Cross of East Central Ohio Chapter – $48,100 – Blood Services, Disaster Cycle Services, Services to the Armed Forces● Behavioral Healthcare Partners of Central Ohio – $98,475 – Adolescent Substance Use Disorder, Courage House, Neighborhood Homeless Outreach, School Intervention Program, Spencer House● Buckeye Valley Family YMCA – $45,000 – Healthy Kids Network, Licking County Family YMCA Preschool, Licking County Family YMCA Safety Around Water● Camp O’Bannon of Licking County – $58,000 – Camp O’Bannon● Canal Market District and Enterprise Hub – $7,000 – Food Access for All● Catholic Social Services – $29,000 – Supportive Services, Transportation Services● Family Health Services of East Central Ohio – $45,000 – Reproductive Health and Wellness● Friends of the Licking County Library – $25,000 – Imagination Library of Licking County● Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland – $14,000 – Girl Scouts Leadership Experience● LAPP – $53,000 – Licking County Alcoholism Prevention Program, Licking County Re-entry Program● Licking County Aging Program – $20,000 – Center for Visual Improvement● Licking County Children and Families First Council – $39,761 – Community Support Teaming● Licking County HOPE – $36,000 – CDF Freedom Schools of Licking County● Mental Health America of Licking County – $88,000 – Bridges Out of Poverty, Compeer, Grit Integrity Presence, Parent Support, Suicide Prevention, YES Club● Newton Township Fire Department – $10,000 – CPR and Fire Prevention Trailer● Pathways of Central Ohio – $79,764 – 211 Crisis Hotline, Center for Prevention Services, Parent Education Center● PBJ Connections – $20,000 – CONNECT● Simon Kenton Council, Boy Scouts of America – $5,500 – Traditional Scouting● St. Vincent de Paul Society, St. Teresa of Calcutta – $5,000 – St. Vincent de Paul, St. Teresa of Calcutta● The Salvation Army – $95,000 – Emergency Services● The Woodlands Serving Central Ohio – $95,000 – Expect Respect, Outpatient Department, The Center for New Beginnings● Together We Grow – $23,000 – Community Gardens/Free U-Pick Markets, Here We Grow Gardens, Power of Plants Educational Program● Whole Living Recovery – $25,000 – Whole Living Recovery Homes

Jack Shuler and Alan Miller write for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of the Denison University Journalism Program, which is funded in part by the Mellon Foundation.

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Hundreds to benefit from United Way's $1 million Licking County grants