United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of all residents in Coastal Georgia and we want to share the actions we're taking to help protect our community from the rapid spread of COVID-19 — and what you can do to help.
What is United Way of Coastal Georgia doing in response to COVID-19?
We are following the advice of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), United Way Worldwide, the Georgia Governor’s Office and are practicing social distancing and postponing any meetings of 50 people or more until a time when conditions permit.
We are working with our local Partner Agencies to gather and share updates to services available to our residents during this unprecedented time. Calls to our Resource Line – ext. 1 – will be answered as quickly as possible and with the most updated information available.
What can you do?
Don’t panic. While the spread of COVID-19 is concerning, the spread can be slowed and reduced by taking simple steps like hand washing and limiting gatherings.
Wash your hands.
Check on your neighbors and help where and when you can.
Follow instructions of local officials.
Coastal Georgia is more than a vacation destination. We are a strong, vibrant, resilient community of strong, vibrant, resilient people and we can get through this public health crisis by working together.
United Way is proud to be your partner in protecting our public health.
Ellen Murphy, Executive Director writes this when ask to give our readers insight on STAR Foundation’s Employment Readiness Program: I decided to send excerpts from an assignment that we asked our recent class of graduates to complete: “What STAR has meant to me”.) To me, these examples of their reflections of the past 8 weeks are as important as telling an experience of someone who is working or going to college.
Those will follow
Star has meant a lot to me. It has changed my life and has given me the opportunity to meet new people and has opened me up to so new ideas and new aspects of life. It’s has brought me into a new way thinking and be involved with the community and even how to react to different situations that I on the other hand would have reacted differently in. Becoming a star student has motivated me to take control in my life and the life of my child. Star has shown me that there’s new opportunity within you just got to take charge and go for it. Star has made me a new person thanks to all the love and affection from the teachers and the people they have in their lives that were willingly to come help with us [volunteers]. I appreciate everything greatly.
In April our volunteers responded to a house fire in which we helped an elderly woman with her emergency needs. We were able to put her up in a local hotel and give her financial support for food and clothing as well as helped her get in touch with her doctors to replace her medications that were lost in the fire. Our volunteers followed up with her after the fire and realized that she had no family in town to help her find a new place to live or give her emotional support. Our volunteers worked closely with her and found her a new apartment to rent and helped her with all the paperwork that she needed to receive other assistance. The Red Cross was there in her time of need and if we did not provide the services that we do she would have ended up homeless and without any support. In February our volunteers responded to an Apartment fire in Brunswick and helped all six families with their immediate needs. One of the family members had to be sent to the Augusta Burn Hospital and we arranged for the family to stay in a hotel for an extended period of time so they could be with their family member. We worked closely with the volunteers from the Augusta Chapter of the American Red Cross and made sure that the family had all their emergency needs met. The family was very happy that they were able to stay with their loved one during such a critical time.
