Results You Can See:

 
"Have your ever helped a family with rent payment to keep them from being evicted so their children could have a home?"  If you've given to United Way, you have.

Have you ever handed a family groceries when all their money was used to pay for a medical emergency? If you've given to United Way you have.

“Building a Better Community with United Way” is not just a campaign theme; it’s the philosophy of New Emergency Resource Agency (NERA) as they help residents meet the most basic needs of daily life.  They are helping people rebuild their lives one can of food at a time and one life-saving prescription at a time.

Ponca City residents wouldn’t sit and watch as a neighbor’s house fell down around them and then wait to see if those inside could rebuild it themselves.  Ponca Citians rally to the need, gather the needed resources and help in rebuilding.  Individuals and families come into the New Emergency Resource Agency and share that their world is falling in and they need help.  NERA gathers resources including those of United Way partner agencies to help rebuild.

Sometimes the building is falling in from rent needs, utility payment needs, grocery needs, or life threatening emergency prescriptions. Sometimes one board or even one nail in the right place can make all the difference in saving a building that is in trouble.  That’s what NERA hopes to do is be that one board or one nail that can help until the individual or family can gather enough resources to strengthen the building, called life, and rebuild. 

Some lives crumble because of illness, disaster, divorce, death, loss of employment and other reasons.  In a building project, when something being assembling is falling, all that may be needed is that one nail or board and it’s just out of reach.  If someone else can hand that very item you need, the building can continue.  But when people are alone, the entire project crumbles and often damages part or all.  Life is that fragile.  When something unexpected happens that one bit of help can often make all the difference.

“When you give to the United Way you are making the difference in many buildings in our community.  But the buildings I refer to are lives,” says Tom Short, NERA executive director.   “What better investment there is than investing in others?  There is a satisfaction in helping someone and then over the years seeing them improve their means and knowing that you handed them that board or that nail that was needed at a critical time.  That’s what helping the United Way means for many people.  Our goal is to create lasting changes in people's lives, right where you live. With the help of United Way and New Emergency Resource Agency we are able to do just that.”

NERA board of directors include: Homer Nicholson, president, Tom Muchmore vice president, Robert Howard, treasurer and Jake McNiece, secretary. Christy Bucher, JB Parsons, Ron Hay, Ann Kinsinger, Howard Sissel, Danny Thompson, and Mike Trewitt.