 | Active in community service projects as an undergraduate, Michelle P. Reid says working at United Way has taught her "we truly have a lot more work to do." |
Among those who have been working behind the scenes to make the 2007 Yale-United
Way Campaign a success is Michelle P. Reid, a 2007 Yale College graduate, who
has spent the past six months as a campaign account associate and postgraduate
intern at the United Way of Greater New Haven.
T H I S
Alumna intern discovers firsthand
the positive impact of United Way
Reid, who was involved in several community service projects as an undergraduate,
says working for the United Way has both expanded her understanding of the
important issues facing the Greater New Haven area and increased her respect
of the role United Way is playing in addressing those challenges.
As a Yale graduate, what has your experience been working on the Yale-United
Way Campaign? Has your understanding of community issues changed as a result
of working as a United Way associate?
Since my first year at Yale I’ve always been involved in community service
within Greater New Haven. Now after moving off campus and actually working
and living in New Haven, I see that the needs of the community are even greater
than what I’d previously seen. I have had the opportunity to read some
of the hard, cold facts and see firsthand that our community is really behind
in areas such as education and health, and everyone has to step up in order
to really make a difference.
Yale has always stressed the importance of community service to its students,
staff and faculty. However, working at United Way has shown me that what we’ve
done so far is great, but we truly have a lot more work to do.
What do you think is unique about United Way’s approach to helping the
community?
United Way is really working not only to offer short-term solutions to the
problems in the Greater New Haven area, but also to get to the root of the
issues and try to help people become stable and independent members of the
community.
I’ve always felt that teaching people life skills is a great way to truly
help them, and that’s why I liked to mentor when I was in college. By
mentoring, you’re really giving students the tools they can use later
in life — study techniques, patience and teamwork.
By funding programs that help people find employment, learn job skills or learn
financial literacy skills, United Way gives adults hope that they’ll
be able to provide for their families as well as themselves.
Is there a United Way program that particularly impressed you?
Yes, I had the opportunity to hear the executive director of STRIVE Inc. speak.
STRIVE is a leader in securing jobs for the chronically unemployed by supporting
them in taking the critical first step towards achieving self-reliance. The
executive director really expressed his gratitude to United Way for funding
the employment training programs he has at STRIVE.
I also had the chance to hear a graduate of the STRIVE program speak. She spoke
about how happy she was to get a job at Ikea after she graduated from the program.
She was able to get an apartment and provide for her children. She had made
some bad choices earlier in life, and I think she thought that her life was
doomed from that time on. The number-one thing STRIVE gave her was hope. Although
she hadn’t had a story-book life, her life was changing, and much of
that was because of the program at STRIVE.
That really touched me — it showed me that the work of United Way is
really making a difference in people’s life.
What have you learned from your experience working with the Yale-United Way
Campaign?
I work a lot with the statistics and champions within the campaign. I think
the work Yale has done so far with United Way has been amazing. However, I
really see that Yale has so much potential, just from looking at the numbers.
Most of the campaign contributions come from a little over 1,000 donors, and
there are about 15,000 employees in the University. As an alum of Yale, I know
that we can do more.
The University always stressed the importance of giving back throughout my
undergraduate experience, whether through Dwight Hall or one of the many tutoring
programs. The legacy of excellence at Yale should extend into our contributions
to the community.
I have also witnessed the level of expertise United Way has in analyzing and
identifying the needs of the community. I feel very comfortable donating my
money to United Way because I know that they’ll be doing what’s
best for the Greater New Haven area.
What are your plans for after you leave the intern program?
I’ve always had an interest in public health and medicine so I’m
hoping to go to graduate school in one of those fields. My experience at United
Way has really confirmed for me that there is a need for quality health care
and education not only in the Greater New Haven community but also throughout
the United States.
The program has shown me that working for a non-profit is very challenging,
but also rewarding. Another important thing that I’ve learned and shared
with others is any way a person can help their community is worthwhile. Some
people may say “I can only contribute $5,” but if 2,000 people
contribute $5, United Way will have $10,000 new dollars that can significantly
help support a local program.
I’ve also learned that keeping a positive attitude within a work environment
is important. I’ve had a great experience working here and I hope that
wherever I move on to will be as positive and enriching as working at United
Way. 
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Campus Notes
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