‘Superheroes’ unite
NPUW helps facilitate merger of two maternity, family care organizations
They’re still superheroes and they’re still united.
The name, though, has changed a little bit. Instead of calling it the Superheroes United for Kids Gala, North Penn United Way now calls it the Superheroes Unite Gala.
“Our superheroes represent all of our causes and all of the non-profits that we give to,” said Blair Dawson, NPUW’s director of community engagement and volunteerism.
The new name for the annual gala puts the focus on the wider variety of programs the United Way supports, she said.
“It reflects the way we fundraise and the way we give in the community,” Dawson said.
“It’s important to look at all
the facets of building a better community,” said Ella Roush, one of this year’s superheroes and an NPUW board member.
About 250 people were expected to attend this year’s gala, Dawson said as the event was beginning Friday, April 21 at PineCrest Country Club. Last year’s gala netted about $95,000 for the United Way campaign, with this year’s goal at $100,000, she said.
As a reflection of the gala’s wider view, donors were being given a variety of choices for how their contribution should be used, she said.
Donation cards on the dinner tables were headed, “Your Donation, Your Choice” and gave the donors choices, such as having the money go for backpacks to be distributed to students
in need in the North Penn and Souderton Area school districts, for after-school tutoring programs, community gardens, meals for those in need, programs to help at risk families, domestic violence survivor support groups or emergency food gift cards.
Raffles and a silent auction were also held along with the gala.
“Superheroes Unite honors local superheroes that better the lives of our residents — those taking charge in making a difference to improve the lives of our neighbors,” the program book said.
This year’s 10 superheroes are Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners; Dr. Gary Candia, chief administrative officer of AbingtonLansdale Hospital Jefferson Health; Brad Clemens, vice president of technical services & market solutions at Clemens Food Group;
M. Scott Clemens, NPUW Board of Directors and retired from Univest Insurance; JoAnne Fischer, executive director of Maternity Care Coalition; Suzan Neiger Gould, executive director of Manna on Main Street; Lisa Jones, senior executive secretary to RVP, Nationwide; Ella Roush, principal at Roush Associates and Bucks-Mont Collaborative Coordinator; M. Theresa Schwartzer, director of human resources and executive vice president at Univest Corporation of PA; and John Weierman, vice president of commercial lending at Harleysville Savings Bank.
“My proudest moments are when I witness what Manna is able to do: to provide hope where there was none, to welcome without prejudice, to treat with dignity, to help someone move from needing our assistance to sustaining themselves. We get to see the transformative power that compassion,
care, training and education can have on individuals,” Gould was quoted in the program book.
Roush listed Martin Luther King Jr. — “He showed me that people of goodwill and nonviolence could truly change the world” — and her parents — “They took from their meager finances to assure that people in our town undergoing hard times had gifts or food at the holidays. They volunteered as scout leaders, Sunday School teachers, and many other roles” — as inspirations in her life.
Fischer said she would like to have jewelry like Wonder Woman, whose bracelets stopped bullets.
“I would love to have jewelry that would stave off the attacks to the health and wellbeing of women, children and families,” Fisher said.
The North Penn United Way helped bring about the new merging of the Maternity Care Coalition and
Child, Home and Community organizations, she said.
“They were the matchmaker who brought us together to maximize our impact,” Fischer said.
“We are two perfectly matched organizations,” Colleen Miller, CHC’s executive director, said. “We provide services to the same population, but we don’t provide them in the same way, so there’s not a lot of duplication.”
“Since 1980, Maternity Care Coalition has assisted more than 100,000 families throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania, focusing particularly on neighborhoods with high rates of poverty, infant mortality, health disparities, and changing immigration patterns. We know a family’s needs change as they go through the pregnancy and their child’s first years and we offer a range of services and programs for every step along the way,” according to information on
the MCC website.
“CHC has been working for more than 35 years to educate and empower women. Our agency provides prenatal, parenting, life-skills and prevention education to teens and young adults ages 13-26 residing in Bucks and Montgomery counties. The agency offers evening childbirth/newborn care and parenting programs at 7local hospitals and has established school-based programs in 19 school districts and sites to provide education, support and advocacy during the school day,” the CHC website states.
Becoming part of the larger MCC will allow CHC to provide services in a wider geographic area, Miller said.
The announcement of the merger was planned for CHC’s spring brunch fundraiser today (Sunday, April 23) at PineCrest Country Club, Miller and Fischer said.