May 25, 2021 - 

Dear friends,

In Ohio, Black infants are 2.8 times more likely to die before their first birthday than white infants. As a former child welfare worker, I saw up close the heartbreak of that statistic too many times.

That’s why I was happy to host Gov. Mike DeWine’s Eliminating Disparities in Infant Mortality Task Force on May 13. Our Success By 6^® initiative hosted a listening session for Black parents to share their insights and experiences with 15 task force members who participated remotely.

The task force’s goal is a statewide shared vision and strategy for reducing infant mortality rates and eliminating racial disparities by 2030. This exemplifies United Way’s ongoing efforts to bring the community together to address long-term systemic problems and to seek solutions that eliminate those problems in the future.

Another example begins June 2. We are co-hosting a series of sessions on advocacy and lobbying. Experts from across the region will help organizations learn how to be better advocates and develop an advocacy plan. Our advocacy work sets us apart—not only do we provide immediate services to those in need, but we also advocate for systemic change so they won’t need support in the future.

Session one is on the basics, learning the difference between advocacy and lobbying, safely advocating and lobbying as a 501(c)(3), and fundamental strategies to be a better advocate. There are four more sessions on later dates, each getting deeper into the work.

Sincerely,

Moira Weir
President/CEO