Nearly 400 Central Floridians, representing all segments of the community, recently turned out to preview new research, provide feedback and learn more about Heart of Florida United Way’s move to a new strategic initiative, known as Community Impact.
State and local political representatives, business leaders, non-profit professionals, educators and concerned citizens were among those attending four Community Leader Forums held throughout Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties in late May and early June.
“The strong turnout demonstrates our community’s interest in coming together to discuss what residents are identifying as our region’s most pressing challenges,” said United Way President and CEO Robert H. (Bob) Brown, who helped lead the forums.
Community Impact – Creating Lasting Change
United Way Board Chairman Michael L. Harding, Orlando Managing Partner of Deloitte & Touche, said Community Impact builds on the organization’s seven-decade history of helping millions of Central Floridians in need.
“It’s about refining our strategic direction so we can better serve people and focus on finding long-term solutions for the most critical issues facing our region,” he told forum attendees.
Also speaking at the forums, Ed Timberlake, Chairman of the Central Florida Board for Seaside National Bank & Trust and Chair of the United Way Community Impact Steering Committee, said the initiative holds great potential for creating lasting change – not just in the near future, but for generations to come.
“United Way is making a long-term commitment through Community Impact to move the needle by getting at the root causes of problems,” Timberlake said. “In addressing critical challenges, there’s a need to deal with conditions that created problems in the first place and are causing them to compound and worsen as our population grows.”
In addition to United Way’s traditional role as a fundraiser and funder of local social service programs, Timberlake said Community Impact adds another approach – one that focuses on creating partnerships that mobilize diverse people, organization and resources.
Jacob Stuart, President of the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce and Central Florida Partnership, was a featured speaker at the June 5 forum, held at Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando.
As a member of the United Way Community Impact Steering Committee, Stuart urged civic leaders to form innovative partnerships to support the efforts of the new initiative. “We cannot go it alone. Every organization has to join in the circle of service for us to address the complex issues and challenges that face us.”
Identifying Top Community Concerns
Affordable healthcare, affordable housing, crime and community safety, violence, and many other issues surfaced again and again in the research previewed at the forums. The study, conducted by a UCF research team led by Dr. Jim Wright, is United Way’s most comprehensive assessment of its kind in more than a decade. Priority issues, as identified by surveyed residents, will help guide Community Impact’s focus over the next several years.
To date, nearly 3,000 Central Floridians – representing a diverse cross-section of the community – have participated in focus groups and telephone, Internet and random intercept surveys to identify these priority issues.
Final study results, which will include public feedback gathered at the forums, will be formally presented to the community in August. Following that, the United Way board will vote on the top three to five issue areas upon which to focus in the coming years.