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Live United by Erin Haag

This will be my last regular column for a few months. The Minnesota legislative session is due to start, and we’ll give space for our local representatives to discuss the issues. It’s typically a welcome break for me, because things slow down, and I always figure that no one wants to hear all about the taxes and paperwork that I bury myself in. Looking at my calendar I’ve got several trainings about updates to federal guidelines for various things. It’s compliance season! Things start heating up again both literally and figuratively towards the end of May, and that’s when I come back to update you on all the happenings.

As always, there’s a lot happening behind the scenes that are being babied along. I’m working on a really exciting collaborative grant, with a very high potential of being accepted. I’m pretty confident about this, but even more, I’m flattered. I didn’t find this opportunity; it came to us because of the work we’ve done, the partnerships we’ve built and the results we’ve brought to the table. Even if we don’t receive the grant, we were specifically asked to be a partner and asked to participate in this by invitation only grant. That’s some nice recognition right there! It’s a lot of work in the month of January, and we’ll find out if we get it in March, and then we’ll be full steam ahead in April if we do. You’ll know when I know, because I promise to write a special edition article to fill you in.

I’m also interviewing for open positions. It’s difficult, the catch 22 of needing to raise more money, but not having enough time to raise more money, or build relationships the way we need and want to. With Rosemary working remotely out of state now, focusing on the data entry side of things, we need another person on site to help cover the programs if Krissy or I get sick. Let’s face it, that “if” is a “when.” As much as I’d like to pretend I’m going to be totally immune to all the icky germs that happen in the cold winter months, I don’t think I have that superhero power. Forget Spiderman shooting webs, I’d just take immunity. Positions are listed on our website, with instructions on how to apply there. I’ve already had very promising interviews, and I’m excited to see how they pan out.

New faces, new initiatives. Typically, this is the time when I like to slow down, to curl up in my office with my plants and a scented candle and my pretty curtains. I like to deep clean, organize my files, basically resetting it. Then I dig into that compliance stuff, and I dream up ways to make the new year the best one yet. I’m still dreaming and laying those foundations for turning those dreams into reality, but it’s a little louder and a little more chaotic than Januarys usually are. While it sounds cozy and nice to think about me working in my office in the back corner of our space, it’s also critical that this happens. That quiet time, that creative thinking time is when we can bring innovative solutions and ideas to the table. I think, I process and then I brainstorm with my team.

With all that dreaming and brainstorming, it’s always a good time to remember our “why.” This week, I was given the perfect follow-up to remember our why as we work through the logistical planning of the programs we offer. This year, our Jingle Holiday program received a nomination from one of our long-term care facilities. There was a gentleman who had come from a very tough situation. His life was spent caring for his family and working in manual labor here in Freeborn County. His wish list was simple — haircuts and slippers, snacks and the newspaper. His favorite food was Chinese food. He was a man that wore good solid work boots, never taking them off even after moving to the senior facility.

He was adopted, and the staff at the facility shared that he was overwhelmed with the gifts he received. All of his favorite foods and snacks were provided to him. He had a nice pair of slippers, and the staff person shared that he took off those well worn work boots and then proceeded to put on the slippers and wear them exclusively. He told her that no one had ever done anything like this for him before. He thoroughly enjoyed his Christmas, eating his favorite orange chicken and fried rice. He loved the Vikings, and I’m sure he was thrilled at their win against the Green Bay Packers — something that my husband and son found equally painful, being the Packer fans they are.

This man passed away this week. The staff person that nominated him shared how she went into his room afterwards, and she saw those slippers sitting on the floor beside his bed. She saw how they were already well broken in, the hallmark of favorite comfy slippers everywhere. While this might seem like a heartbreaking thing on the surface, it is being viewed as a beautiful thing by the staff and us here at United Way. Because of the Jingle program, because of the generosity of this community, a man who had worked hard all of his life was able to receive a wonderful few weeks, a celebration of the holidays, a chance to enjoy his favorite things and finish his time here on earth with solid proof that his community cared for him.

I wish that for all of us, both during our lifetimes and at the end of them. I look forward to the next few months as we create and dream about the programs and initiatives that can bring that to everyone. If you’d like to be part of it, give us a call at 507-373-8670 or visit our website at unitedwayfc.org to learn about how to give, to volunteer or just to be an ambassador to help us tell the story of our work, of the individuals we care for, of those well worn slippers by an elderly man’s bed.

Erin Haag is the executive director of the United Way of Freeborn County.