United Way of the Lowcountry needs your help | Letters

Three years ago, the United Way of the Lowcountry shifted from “business as usual” funding model to the “Community Impact” model, which has enhanced the agency requests for funding and how the the United Way selects where the funds go.

Volunteers like you and me review, visit, analyze and then select the agencies to receive these hard-earned donations. Why is this important? Because each donor knows where the funds go, what programs they go to, and are provided metrics on the success of those efforts in order to maximize long-term impact. As a donor, when I invest in a charitable organization, these are the things I like to know.

This allows us to spread our donation dollars to a broad base of agencies addressing our four “community impact” areas: basic needs, income and family stability, education, and health.

Also, the funding cycle is for two year as opposed to one year so agencies can count on support and not have to apply each year.

In addition to funding local agencies, the United Way’s in-house programs are also funded through our donations. The United Way Helpline serves as a safety net for those in need when they need it most. This is a local phone service (not somebody in Iowa) responding on the spot, referring and aiding those in need.

And the incredibly successful early-grade reading initiative, Read Indeed, helps children in grades K-3 in 13 elementary schools in Beaufort and Jasper counties whereby 275-plus volunteers take the time to effect change.

Other programs like Operation Backpack supplies children in need with a backpack full of school supplies and uniform shirts at the beginning of each school year. This school year, the program served more than 1,200 local children.

We need your help! Donate, volunteer, and get involved in your local United Way, where 99% of your generosity stays local, and 86.9% of the donated dollars go directly to the programs outlined above. Make your donation to the United Way of the Lowcountry, PO Box 202, Beaufort, SC, 29901 or online at United Way of the Lowcountry.

Why they ring the kettle bell

“When women weep as they do now. I’ll fight.

While men go to prison, in and out, in and out,

as they do now. I’ll fight.

Where there is a drunkard left. Where there is

a poor lost girl upon the street.

While there remains one dark soul without the

light of God.

I’ll fight – I’ll fight to the very end!”

So spoke William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, over 100 years ago.

The Army remains one of the most effective social service, faith-based institutions.

Locally, the Salvation Army of the Lowcountry, under the leadership of Captains Robert and Wanda Long, has led the fight for family emergency assistance (keeping the lights on, helping pay rent, providing supplies to fire victims and food). This is in addition to the ongoing children’s Christmas toy program for over 100 local families with hundreds of children.

These programs are costly and rely on your generosity through mail appeals and the Christmas kettles.

Because of this year’s calendar, the number of days available for kettle ringing are less than other years.

Please remember this when you pass by a kettle.

Christmas: Real or artificial?

In the past, I recall seeing live Christmas trees roped to tops of cars. Now they rest folded inside a box: plastic trees bringing more fakery at Christmastime. The loss of reality is sad and substantial.

Living trees are a renewable resource and tree farms constantly replant. The trees do important work while growing, bring nature inside when cut, and return to nurture the earth as compost when life is over.

An artificial, plastic tree is a strange (reusable) substitution. Made primarily of toxic PVCS, often with lead and other synthetic chemicals, it is neither healthy, humane, nor heartwarming. Some come with ready-made attached lights. Not earth-friendly, not even family-friendly ... not attractive in any meaningful way.

Perhaps the best choice is a potted live tree that one can plant in the yard after Christmas. Break tradition with a cedar, holly or wax myrtle, anything native, purchased from a local nursery. Cedar and wax myrtle leaves have a pungent, piney fragrance and female hollies come festooned with red berries already attached.

Drape your own popcorn and cranberry strings, construction paper loops or other handmade ornaments on the tree. When taken outside after Christmas, you can decorate for the birds with orange/grapefruit halves filled with suet and pine cones smeared with peanut butter.

Let’s not forget our own old-fashioned family traditions, perhaps baking Christmas cookies to share with neighbors. Merry green holidays.

Better answers on gun control

Recently, four men – two liberal and two conservative – wrote on this page that after much discussion they found common ground on the subject of gun control. They concluded that a right established in the Constitution’s Second Amendment can be restricted by laws just as laws regulate doctors, beauticians or liquor and cigarette sales.

Felons, repeat offenders, and the mentally ill don’t abide by current law and won’t suddenly become law-abiding citizens when more restrictions are applied. After confusing a constitutional right with privileges, they conclude that government-issued licenses, magazine-capacity caps, better background checks, and “red flag” laws are reasonable and respectful of our rights.

Until local, state and federal agencies properly enter all information into the database, background checks will have flaws. Why should anyone have to get a license (permission) from the government to exercise a right? Magazines with more than 10 rounds are used in competitions and in self-defense.

Will they next ban lever-and-pump-action rifles and shotguns that hold more than 10 rounds? “Red flag” laws are clear on how to strip one’s rights, but are vague on how to restore them.

Here is what is reasonable and respectful to me: When a man points a gun in someone’s face, let him serve 20 years instead of one, as reported in this paper when stating the record of a man recently arrested as a suspect in an armed robbery. Enforce existing laws. Stop letting criminals plead to lesser charges. Judges should stop reducing sentences on those convicted of a gun crime.

If one right can be given away so easily, what rights will be next?

Quetions for Michael Bloomberg

I’m writing to comment on Michael Bloomberg’s announcement of his presidential candidacy as it appeared in the Nov. 25 edition of The Beaufort Gazette. His senior advisor noted that Bloomberg will not accept political donations nor take a salary if he becomes president.

I found that comment both amusing and astonishing in that it did not also include a pledge by Bloomberg to release his tax returns. He and his senior advisors must be tone deaf not to proactively address an action voters have come to expect and other Democratic presidential contenders will surely demand of him. None want him in the race and will do everything they can to discredit him.

The reporter who wrote the article says Bloomberg “became a Democrat only last year.” That is a very misleading statement. Bloomberg was in fact a lifelong progressive, liberal Democrat prior to running for elective office.

He entered the Republican primary for mayor of New York City in 2001 because it had only one other candidate, whereas there were several running in the Democratic primary. All were established politicians with liberal bona fides greater than his. During a second term as mayor, Bloomberg left the Republican Party and subsequently ran as an Independent in his successful bid for a third term.

Describing Bloomberg as a centrist is reasonable if speaking about the economy and defense issues; not so if speaking about social issues. Nevertheless, he certainly is moderate when compared to Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

This story was originally published December 8, 2019 at 8:05 AM with the headline "United Way of the Lowcountry needs your help | Letters."