IMPACT STORIES

Lam came home from preschool with a toothbrush, dental floss, and other mementos from her visit with the Smile Squad. Best of all, she was no longer scared of having someone examine her teeth.

Nine-year-old Breiner Morales speaks three languages: English, Spanish, and American Sign Language. But until last summer, he couldn’t read in any of them.

Two years ago, when she was homeless in Redhead Park on the East Side, living out of a suitcase, sleeping on a bench, and quitting crystal meth cold turkey—Michelle Jackson would have been shocked to know where she'd be in a few months.

When Gema Garcia started volunteering with Book Buddy, she wasn’t sure it was going to work out. Her fears were redoubled early on when the children couldn’t understand her saying the word “worm.” Frustrated, she pointed to the picture and said “gusano” in Spanish. The children immediately understood.

Elisabeth Buck took the helm as United Way of Central Iowa's President this May. As we welcome her to this role, we've taken a moment to ask her a few questions about her leadership style, what she hopes to accomplish, and what she loves most about Des Moines. 

At age 30, Mikeesha came to a crossroads. A single mother of two, she was unemployed and struggling financially—with no clear plan for where to go next.

On the first day of Power Read last fall, 5-year-old Honor was in tears, grabbing books out of his mentor’s hands as he tried to read.

Aaron had received all of his test scores except one. He waited through the weekend. He worried when he would know. Then, the news came: “You passed!”

Walking across the stage to receive her diploma was the ultimate proof of Minerva’s strength. The 17-year-old was not only graduating from East High School, she was celebrating her survival of a high-risk pregnancy, her daughter’s critical illness, and her own emergency surgery—all within a few months.

That moment was the start of a new journey, a different one from what Minerva imagined a year ago.

When she found out she was pregnant nine months before graduating, Minerva felt sad. She had plans to marry her boyfriend, go to college and become a nurse. Not only would she become a mom as a teenager, but she also had a medical condition called Lupus, which made her pregnancy high risk.

When Mike and Lynn Sucik arrive at South Union Elementary on Mondays, they have learned to expect a bit of a mess over lunch. The kids forget their napkins. They spill milk or sauce on the table—sometimes even a little on the books. But the mess is worth it. Mike and Lynn—and the kids—couldn’t be happier to be there.

Renee Hardman is so passionate about volunteering that she tears up talking about it.

“I have always thought there was a purpose for our lives here on this earth,” she said. “That purpose is to live beyond ourselves and to always reach back and pull someone else along.”

For 30 minutes every Thursday morning, Renee reads with four-year-olds at Oakridge Academy as part of Book Buddy, a United Way-led initiative to reach children in the critical year before kindergarten. The volunteer program engaged 135 mentors to read at local preschools last year.

Michael Krantz, CEO of Adventureland Resort, is in the business of selling fun. But he also recognizes the important role he plays as a business partner in the community. When Jolly Holiday Lights closed due to flooding in 2015, Mike accepted his wife's challenge to bring the experience to Adventureland. In 2016, the Make-a-Wish Foundation's fundraiser achieved record attendance. 

On his first day of work at John Deere in 1979, straight out of college, Jim Israel was given a pledge form. So began his 37-year journey with United Way that will continue in perpetuity.

To celebrate 2-1-1 Day on February 11 and to learn more about this centralized information and referral center from United Way of Central Iowa, I sat down with Amanda Arransmith, who has worked as a specialist with 2-1-1 for more than 10 years. Just like calling 9-1-1 in an emergency, 2-1-1 is the helpline to find local support and resources, nearly anywhere in the U.S.

Gil Gonzalez-Jacob still remembers what he wore to his first real job interview nearly four years ago: a blue dress shirt with a bow tie and black slacks. Sitting beside him, Gil’s mother talked him up to the interviewer in Spanish. “She was pretty much interviewing my mom for me,” he says with a laugh.

Elizabeth Magok went on dozens and dozens of job interviews. But she never got a call back.

Elizabeth, now 30 years old, grew up in South Sudan and came to the U.S. as a refugee five years ago. To support her four children and send money to family back home, she took minimum-wage jobs in food service, hospitality, and retail. But the language barrier prevented her from finding a higher-paying job.

“When I came here, it was really hard for me to understand,” she says. Elizabeth speaks softly, and though her English has improved tremendously, you have to lean forward to catch her quiet, melodious voice. 

"Mommy, Book Buddy came today!"

That's the excited refrain Danielle Marion's son Maxwell repeated nearly every week of his preschool year:

"Before Book Buddy, he didn't read too many words," Danielle says. "His vocabulary for what words he could read definitely expanded beyond the handful of sight words he knew."

Danielle adds that Maxwell also learned more about physical books: the cover, the author, when to flip the pages. He especially liked getting his new book each Friday—making sure to place the book safely in his locker to take home at the end of the day.

All this Book Buddy talk from Maxwell piqued Danielle's interest in the program.

When Connie Hall first saw fresh produce at her local food pantry, she had an idea: What if she used her talents to recycle those fruits and vegetables into long-lasting products for the community?

Someday, Donna Mitchell might make a film about her life: the homeschooled Des Moines student who went on to publish novels and produce independent films. It will be a long road, but Donna is up for it. She has already cleared the first hurdle: earning her high school equivalency diploma (HSED) through the Bridges to Success program.