Advancing the Common Good on the North Shore     

When communities along the North Shore work together we all benefit. On March 15th a group of local volunteers met to determine how the $34,500 raised here would stay here. These funds represent support from corporate and individuals at these local businesses: Canadian National, City of Two Harbors, Co-op Light & Power, Human Development Center, LaBounty, Lake Bank, Lake County Veterinary, Lake Superior School Dist. #381, Lake View Memorial Hospital, Minnesota Power, Northshore Mining, and Northshore Steel.   

The allocation process was a positive one. Ruth Rabold said, “What many people may not realize is that monies collected locally are distributed locally. The money stays right here in Lake County. Having the privilege of participating on the United Way allocation committee has made me realize that we all have friends, neighbors or relatives that have benefited from United Way funded programs.”   

United Way works to address the most pressing needs of people by impacting lives in real and meaningful ways: Meeting Basic Needs, Nurturing Children & Families, and Supporting Health and Independence. The local volunteers used these guidelines and others to allocate funds to these North Shore area agencies including: Community Partners, Girl Scouts, HDC Harbor Center, Northshore Area Partners, Northshore Collaborative, Northshore Horizons, Salvation Army-Lake County, and Socially Active Seniors.   

Kirsten Cruickshank, Director for Community Partners says, “Getting support from the community means a lot to us as an organization. It’s crucial for us and often helps us secure funding from outside the area. United Way funding allows us to continue supporting our local senior citizens. In a community this size, it’s likely your donation directly affects someone you know. Your donation supports daily meal delivery for a homebound senior. It also helps us provide a roundtrip ride to important doctors appointments that can affect a senior's health and ability to live in dependently in their own home.”