Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

The longest day of the year will be an impactful one as well, with the United Way of the Bradford Area’s 4th Annual Live United Day of Action scheduled for Saturday, June 21st. The event, sponsored by American Refining Group and the Philo and Sarah Blaisdell Foundation, will focus on providing an interactive learning experience for young children by installing a Born Learning trail at Callahan Park. The trail will consist of 10 (12” by 24”) aluminum signs, placed throughout the park, and printed with engaging, early learning activities. Shapes, letters, and a 12’ hopscotch court will adorn the park’s sidewalks, which correspond with the signs’ activities. Although geared toward children up to age five, the trail also serves as a tool to help parents and caregivers find simple, yet clever ways, to incorporate education into a child’s daily life, beginning at the earliest possible stages. “I am excited for our organization to be able to offer this to our local community,” said Execut...

The United Way of the Bradford Area, Inc. announced today the final results for its 2011 Campaign: Live United and Lend a Helping Hand. With a campaign goal of $325,000, organization officials announced the final amount raised at $328,730. “We are so proud and appreciative of the Bradford community for stepping in to achieve this goal,” says Executive Director Megan Minich. “We are ecstatic with the total raised during this campaign season. More importantly, we’re grateful for the amount of good these dollars can do and the lives we can change through our partner agencies with the money entrusted to us.” Board President Vonda Reese added that “We could not achieve this kind of success without the hard work and dedication of numerous volunteers. On behalf of the Board of Directors, we would like to thank campaign co-chairs Christine Minich, Karen Costello-Pecht, and Steve Cottillion for their enthusiasm and commitment to United Way and this year’s appeal process. In addition to this yea...

Megan R. Minich has been named Executive Director for the United Way of the Bradford Area, according to John Peterson, president of the United Way board of directors. The announcement was made on Wednesday June 8, 2011. “The Personnel Committee, as well the members of the Executive Board, have spent the past several weeks in performing a search, conducting interviews, and ultimately arriving at this decision regarding the new Executive Director. Megan’s job performance in her previous role as Community Relations and Marketing Specialist has been outstanding, and she has fully lived up to the Board of Director’s expectations in her performance of duties and responsibilities that accompanied that position,” states Peterson. “The Board has full confidence in Megan’s ability to lead the United Way of the Bradford Area, hopefully for many years to come.” The United Way of the Bradford Area is a non-profit organization with the mission of raising and distributing funds for the purpose of co...

The United Way of the Bradford Area has been selected by Sears of Bradford as the recipient of their charitable donation event scheduled in June. Beginning June 8th, 2011, and each following Wednesday through the month of June, Sears will donate a percentage of their sales on each Wednesday to the United Way of the Bradford Area’s upcoming campaign. “We are truly honored that Sears of Bradford selected the United Way as the charitable organization for this event,” states Megan Minich, Community Relations and Marketing Specialist. “This is the first joint venture between United Way and Sears and we hope to continue to grow the relationship in the coming years.” Please help support your home town Sears and the United Way! To learn more about the United Way, visit the website at www.uwbanews.org .

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Richard Dorn was presented with the United Way’s Red Feather Award during a dinner Thursday night. "I know that in this area there a lot of people who have done a heck of lot more than I have done or will do,” Dorn said, “so I’m here, maybe, as their representative more than for myself.” Dorn then went on to tell the community members what they have done in the past 14 years, as documented by the Sunshine Report which was his brainchild. “You have offered nearly 47,000 nights of safe, free shelter to the homeless. … You have offered over 15,000 days and nights of protection to those who have been abused within or outside their homes. You have counseled over 7,000 people in crisis who needed help to change their situation and resume their lives,” he said. The community has also provided more than half a million hot meals – free – to people who needed them, and has delivered more than five tons of groceries, Dorn added. He also mentioned the ...