United Way of the Cape Fear Area knows that too many children in our local communities go home hungry each and every day. We also see and hear of families with little to no access to affordable health care, and many others who don’t have a place to call home. To us, that’s unacceptable.

Meet Bonnie, a mother of a healthy baby and a certified nursing assistant at the Davis Community in Wilmington. Bonnie didn’t always feel that her life was pointed in the right direction. A single mom trying to make ends meet, Bonnie had no job, no education and no diapers or formula. She didn’t know where her next meal would come from and she had no idea how to change her life to give her baby a better start in the world.

Bonnie was approached to join a group through a United Way Community Impact-funded program that worked with young women to help get them started on a path to success. She received mentoring and direction, ideas about how to care for her baby, and finally, encouragement to go back to school.

Today Bonnie is reaching her goals. She has an education, a job she loves, a healthy, thriving child and a Community Impact program to thank for her bright future. And because of her experience, Bonnie is empowered to give back by volunteering at the very same program that gave her a positive start in life. “I now work with young women who are in the exact place that I was a few years ago. I am able to help mentor and guide them toward making the right decisions. It feels great to give back to others in need,”  Bonnie said.

Bonnie is just one of the many stories we hear of people who have been helped through your donations to the Community Impact Fund at United Way of the Cape Fear Area. This is a perfect example of why United Way works year-round to help find long-lasting solutions that change lives, right here in our own backyards.

Our mission is to mobilize resources to empower local people working toward leading self-sufficient healthy lives. This year alone, more than 11,000 children and parents were helped by the United Way and were empowered to learn, stay in school and prepare for higher education. More than 59,000 individuals and families were helped out of crisis and into a more stable environment. Bonnie was one of them.

During this season of giving, the staff and volunteers at United Way are thankful for you! Your gifts to the Community Impact Fund, big or small, are used to support local nonprofit health and human service programs that address the highest priority needs in the areas of education, financial stability and health. We join a thankful community in wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season.

Please visit www.uwcfa.org or call 910-798-3900 and speak with any staff member for more information about YOUR United Way. Get involved. Be an advocate. Make an impact for someone like Bonnie.

Christopher L. Nelson is president of the United Way of the Cape Fear Area, a local nonprofit organization. Since 1941, the United Way of the Cape Fear Area has worked alongside local agencies in Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover and Pender counties to assist them in providing substantial and sustainable change within the Cape Fear area. To learn more about the United Way of the Cape Fear Region, go to https://uwcfa.org/ or call 910-798-3900.