This is the story of the kids at A. Montoya Elementary School living united. On May 7th this year, I went to A. Montoya's Career Day to explain what we do here at United Way. My daughter, Cecelia, and her classmates played a game to help me explain. Half of the class got to be "families" and the other half were "agencies." The families had problems they had to seek help for, counseling for a troubled teen, food or shelter for a neighbor, daycare for a friend's preschooler. The agencies made signs to advertise the types of service they provided. I asked the families to think about where they could go for help--friends, family, church, etc. The agencies discussed what related services they might offer or families might need. After each side read their about their needs or their services, they matched up with each other. The kids were fantastic and really took the time to understand how they could reach out for help and where they might go in the community to help others.

I went to a local coffee shop today to get my daily coffee, the lady in front of me had made her order and when it was time to pay, she realized that she had forgotten her wallet, I was next in line and I saw/heard what was going on.  I happily paid for the drink, it wasn't much, but I could tell that the lady was genuinely happy and greatful!  That was a good feeling! LIVE UNITED!!!