A Minute with Matt
Dear Friends,
In addition to back to school preparation, another sure sign of fall is the activity surrounding many workplace charitable giving campaigns. We have seen another challenging economic year across our nation. More and more families will be relying the on the generosity of others to meet their basic needs. Last year UnitedHealth Group and its employees helped make our annual employee giving campaign the most successful in our history. This fall we will again have the opportunity to demonstrate the depth of our commitment to others.
This is especially important to the UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation, as we received more than $1.9 million in employee contributions and matching funds through last year's UnitedHealth Group employee giving campaign. Nearly 7,000 employees gave to UHCCF last year. This is a major source of funding for us as it has enabled us to help hundreds of children and their families get access to health-related services that will enhance the clinical condition or quality of life of a child which might not be covered or completely covered by the child's commercial health plan. You will meet some of the children we have served throughout this newsletter.
We also raise funds in a variety of other ways. In 2009, UHCCF became a member of America's Charities, which is a federation of nearly 200 of some of the nation's most respected and best known charities. This opens new avenues for individuals to support UHCCF by participating in employee giving campaigns in both public and private workplaces across the United States.
In addition, our local offices sponsor fundraising events throughout the year such as runs, golf tournaments, bowling events, dinners and auctions. Countless volunteers nationwide rally to help make these events so successful. So far this year, twelve events have been completed and more are planned.
It is difficult to find the right words to express our appreciation to the many employees, board members and friends of UHCCF who volunteer their hearts and hands to help us help children who need us. So, we will just simply and sincerely say thanks!
Matt Peterson,
UHCCF President
"We make a living by what we get;we make a life by what we give."
-Sir Winston Churchill
UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation is a Giving Partner
We are pleased to announce that UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation (UHCCF) will once again be a giving partner, which means any amount you contribute during the 2009 UnitedHealth Group Giving Campaign will be matched, dollar for dollar! The 2009 campaign runs Sept. 21, 2009 through Oct. 9, 2009.
In 2008, 80 percent of the funds UHCCF received were from the UnitedHealth Group Giving Campaign. Our generous employees enabled UHCCF to provide nearly 600 grants worth an estimated $1.7M.
With the power of a dollar for dollar match opportunity, your generosity reaches farther than ever…and the money you donate helps families in your region pay for medical services such as speech therapy, or medical equipment like hearing aids and wheelchairs.
If you contributed to UHCCF last year, we sincerely thank you for your generosity and hope that you will continue your contribution this year. If you haven't contributed to UHCCF, we invite you to consider contributing.
As our way of saying "thank you" for your support, employees who contribute to UHCCF will receive:
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| A 2010 UHCCF 12-month calendar featuring children UHCCF has helped, if you contribute $20 (that's less than $1 per pay period) to UHCCF. | A UHCCF teddy bear if you contribute $2 per pay period ($52 total) to UHCCF. This is a new honey-colored bear to add to your collection or to start your collection. | |
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| An embroidered UHCCF Cutter and Buck® navy blue polo for a contribution of $8 per pay period ($208 total) to UHCCF. The polos will include men's and women's styles. Size information | A collectible Swarovski crystal butterfly and a display plate for $40 per pay period ($1,040 total) to UHCCF. This year's color is violet. |
Your Dollars in Action
Meet some of the children who UHCCF has been able to help because of you:
A Whole New World
Ireland – Lehi, Utah
Mobility can be very limited for people with spina bifida, as six-year-old Ireland can attest. Like most people affected by this birth defect, Ireland requires braces and crutches to be able to get around on her own. By the time she entered kindergarten last year, Ireland had become very adept at using her forearm crutches, but would tire quickly. Her doctor recommended a wheelchair, but Ireland's family knew it would be quite some time before they could budget for something that expensive.
Last August, when Sandra, Ireland's mother, came across information about UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation from another member in a spina bifida online support group, she and her husband decided to check it out. They went to the Foundation Web site (uhccf.org) and applied for a grant online. When the approval arrived –with a bear – in mid December, Sandra said, "It was almost a miracle. It was an awesome Christmas present."
When they selected her wheelchair in January, Sandra thought Ireland might have to go through physical therapy to be able to use it. "But no, she sat right down and made it go," Sandra chuckled. "She now races around in it and can even do wheelies." For the first time, Ireland can travel down the toy aisle at a store and see things at her eye level. The wheelchair is a big hit with her friends too. "Her wheelchair has opened a whole new world to Ireland," Sandra mused. "Until we got the grant from UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation for the wheelchair, we didn't realize just how limiting her life had been."
A Glimmer of Hope
Rylee – Dandridge, Tennessee
That 5-year-old Rylee is alive is nothing short of a miracle. At 4 weeks old, she was diagnosed with Chiari Malfunction Type 1 (which means that her brain is too large for her skull), and her parents were told that she would probably not live to see her first birthday.
Rylee's condition means that she suffers from a whole host of related symptoms, such as dizziness and fainting, seizure disorder, muscle weakness and GERD. It also means that she requires about 10 different medications, MRIs and EKGs, as well as speech, occupational, and physical therapy—all of which are so expensive that her parents had to file for bankruptcy for a short time. Just as they were giving up hope, Rylee's pediatrician mentioned the grants from UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation. Rylee was awarded a grant, which has given her family some financial relief and enabled them to focus on caring for Rylee.
"That grant was our glimmer of hope," says Rylee's mom, Beth. "My husband, who is a pastor, and I are working people who don't want to take money from the government. We want to work and give back." The grant, she says, has made that possible.
Beth says that Rylee loves cows, particularly black-and-white ones, and has them all over her room. She is also a Disney Channel fan, following in the footsteps of her three older siblings (two sisters and a brother). And while her medical condition limits her mobility, Rylee—and the entire family—have learned to adapt.
Because of her doctor's persistence in finding the right medications and therapies—and because of her family's diligence in caring for her—Rylee will have a normal life span with moderate mobility issues.
"The biggest challenge is to stay calm and not panic," says Beth. With four children, one of whom requires a lot of care, she says, "I've learned how to triage and make quick decisions."
Her main message to the Foundation? "Thank you!"
A Turning Point
Kenneth – Roanoke, Virginia
Kenneth (Kenny) is an eight-year-old boy who loves to play outside and ride his scooter. Born prematurely at 24 weeks and diagnosed with developmental problems, including cerebral palsy, autism and a speech disorder, mobility hasn't always been so easy for this second-grader.
"But last year was our turning point," says Dorenda, Kenny's mom. "Kenny is now much more vocal and interactive – his teacher even called me to talk about his great progress." The grant from UHCCF aided in the change.
With the help of UHCCF, Kenny was able to receive additional speech therapy, orthotic inserts to help with his walking and leg braces for the muscles in his legs. Dorenda says Kenny enjoys gymnastics and to ride his scooter now that he can move more freely and with more energy.
With hope and some relief from financial burden of paying for Kenny's therapies, Dorenda said that the therapy has helped her too – allowing her to learn more about autism and the techniques to help Kenny when he is frustrated.
Setting His Own Limits
Isaac – Maumee, Ohio
Isaac is a three-and-a-half-year-old-boy who lives in Ohio with his father, mother and 19-month-old sister, Penny. Like most children his age, Isaac is very active and likes to run around outside and play on the slide and swings. Unlike most children his age, Isaac has some special challenges. Isaac has Down syndrome. He's a UHCCF grant recipient of $4,560 in January 2009, for physical, occupational and speech therapies. Isaac's mom, Kathi, says he used to get very frustrated when trying to communicate with people. But now, thanks to the speech therapy he's been able to get because of the UHCCF funding, Isaac has gone from babbling and barely making sounds, to starting to say words.
Because his family is in a one-income, teacher's-salary household, the UHCCF grant has meant that Isaac can get the therapy he needs. This means instead of individual speech therapy for once or twice a month (and 20 minutes a week of school-sponsored group therapy), Isaac now gets individual speech therapy one to two times per week.
And this had made all the difference. Isaac's newfound verbal abilities have encouraged him to interact more with people and he and his sister Penny love to talk together all the time.
When asked what she would tell other families about UHCCF, she said she would encourage people to apply and not to assume there isn't help out there. She says, "Money shouldn't get in the way of a child getting the help he or she needs."
A Chance Meeting
Dan Cole, Southeast Region Chief of Staff, recently shared his powerful experience with a UHCCF medical grant recipient.
"A few Fridays ago, I was wearing a polo shirt containing the UHCCF butterfly logo that I received from last year's Georgia golf tournament – a UHCCF fundraiser. After work that day, as I was walking into the local YMCA to work out, I crossed paths with a young mother leaving the gym with her two children in tow. She noticed my shirt and asked me about it. She then explained how incredibly appreciative she was for UHCCF."
It turns out that her son had been diagnosed with autism and her current medical insurance did not cover the cost for her son's treatments. She had applied for and had recently been awarded a UHCCF grant to help defray those costs.
"At the end of our conversation, she asked me to thank others here at UnitedHealthcare for their contributions to this "terrific" organization that had made such a big difference in her life. It certainly made my day."
If you have your own story to share about how UHCCF has helped a child in your community, please send the information to http://www.uhccf.org/livesupport.html.
Online Store Product Additions
Our online store has four new product additions which include a new duffle bag, Cutter & Buck® umbrella, microfiber golf towel and Nike® One Vapor golf balls. The online store also features several apparel items, including an adult sized t-shirt for only $8. Buying just a single item? The online store now offers special savings on shipping for some items. Check out the online store today.
Have You Heard?
You may have heard or read a public service announcement about UHCCF recently. To date our announcement is running in all 50 states, on 770 radio stations, creating more than 66,000 airings. Information about UHCCF also continues to be published in newspapers and blogs.