Testimonials

United Way of St. Charles works throughout the year to provide support to local agencies and programs providing direct services in St. Charles Parish. Below is some feedback received regarding United Way of St. Charles and its work in the community.

Agenda for Children Region IV has been involved with United Way of St. Charles for the past five years. The Success by 6® program has been instrumental in helping the Child Care Centers and Family Child Care Homes of St. Charles Parish achieve quality and improve the lives of children and their families through training and the provision of toys and materials. In addition, with the help of the Success By 6® program, the parish centers have been able to participate in the Louisiana Department of Social Service's Quality Start Program. The impact of the Success By 6® program on the community of child care in St. Charles Parish has been profound. I feel excited and privileged to partner with the United Way of St. Charles in this work.

Dianna Constant
Agenda for Children
Child Care Resources
Region IV Coordinator

I support the United Way of St. Charles for many reasons. As a parish government employee, I know the important role the United Way of St. Charles plays in our community. United Way of St. Charles provides a great deal of leadership to the many social services offered in St. Charles Parish. This helps the parish focus our resources to other areas. Personally, I feel it’s important because supporting United Way allows me the opportunity to contribute to building a stronger community as well as a stronger St. Charles Parish. I donate to United Way because I understand that donating allows me to have a positive impact on someone else’s life and that is very important to me. I see donating as not only as an opportunity, but as a privilege. When you take the time to do something selfless for someone else, it’s a very gratifying feeling. Giving back to my community has always remained important to me and honestly, I feel that it is necessary for my own well-being.

Anedra Coleman
St. Charles Parish
Executive Secretary

Many of the residents of St. Charles Parish have been or are going to experience the effects of the tough economic times, but the United Way of St. Charles has been and will be here to help. Because of generous donations from people throughout the community, United Way has helped us to provide psychiatric evaluation and counseling services to uninsured children, adults and families who are in need of help coping with depression, anxiety, stress and chronic mental illness. United Way of St. Charles also supports of Norco Adult Day Care, which allows us to provide clients with a safe, caring, stimulating environment where they can come while loved ones work to help delay or eliminated nursing home placement. Lastly, because of support from United Way of St Charles children, adolescents and adults with psychiatric conditions or declining in their ability to care for themselves are every day experiencing care, healing and hope.

James Comeaux
St. Charles Community Health Center
Chief Operating Officer

I have always loved books. It is probably the reason I became a teacher. Several years ago I gave out books for Halloween. One mom came back and knocked on my door to show me her son sitting in my driveway reading his new book. Isn’t that awesome? It happened again at the Battle for the Paddle this year. I gave a little guy a book and when I turned around he was sitting on the ground reading the book. A child enjoying a book makes me smile.

So, the love of early learning brought me to Success by 6®. I like reading to children and talking about books. I like seeing the eyes of a child light up when they are given a book. United Way of St. Charles is funding Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The Imagination Library gives a free book a month to a child until their fifth birthday. I keep several forms in my car just in case I meet someone that wants to sign up their child in the program. As a volunteer for Success by 6®, I hope I am making a difference in the lives of children.

Jane Petit
Title I Family Center
Luling Elementary School

About three years ago, my wife and I moved from Springfield, IL down to St. Charles Parish. At work, a coworker approached me and asked if I wanted to donate to the United Way. My wife and I were hesitant about donating because we didn’t understand the value of it. Then, at work, I was invited to go on a United Way Partner Agency tour. On the tour, one of the agencies we visited was the ARC of St. Charles. This place fascinated me. I fell in love with the passion people showed for the disabled and the elderly; and at that moment, I knew we would donate to the United Way of St. Charles.

Andy Holm
Monsanto
Supervisor

It’s important to support the United Way because without their support we wouldn’t be here doing the good things we are doing in the community.

Lou Johnson
River Parishes YMCA
Director

Living in St. Charles Parish, I have seen a real need to get involved in my community. United Way is truly the best way to invest in St. Charles Parish. Volunteerism is a big part of my life. Through volunteering in this community, I see first-hand where my United Way funding goes. My favorite event of the year is the St. Charles Toy & Gift Fund. United Way of St. Charles provides a large portion of the funding for this event that provides gifts for 250 Home Bound Seniors and 1700 underprivileged children who would otherwise get nothing for Christmas. Just the look on the children’s faces when they get the gift or see Santa is where my heart gets touched.

Ricky Cheramie
Valero
Operations Superintendent

Emergency Assistance is one of the Department of Community Services most frequently provided services and food is regularly approved for eligible residents. United Way funds have aided us in our delivery of emergency food services. In 2008, after Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, support from United Way of St. Charles was combined with donations from local industries and businesses and over 850 residents were distributed bread, peanut butter, ice, water, pasta, and canned goods. We proudly displayed the United Way decal as we transported food to homebound residents during a time of great tragedy.

Maurya Glaude
Department of Community Services
Director

United Way of St. Charles supports new and growing non-profits in helping them move to the next level of service to the community while insuring accountability from their partner agencies. They also support initiatives, such as Success by Six and Imagination Library, which target early interventions in children under the age of 5, thereby strengthening our community and ensuring the future success of the children of our parish.

Gail Roussel
Creative Family Solutions (formerly, The Center for Family and Youth Services)

One of the reasons I give my support to the United Way of St. Charles is because I am impressed with the process they go through to protect my investment in the community. The United Way of St. Charles takes requests for funding from any nonprofit organization providing direct services in St. Charles Parish. Then a group of volunteers review these requests and visits with the organizations. They really make sure these agencies are providing comprehensive programs addressing the needs of our communities. In addition, the partner agencies provide a volunteer committee with ongoing reports to maintain accountability. This allocation process is among the many reasons I support the United Way of St. Charles.

Travis Chiasson
Motiva/Shell
Laboratory Manager