United Way of Mat-Su: a phenomenal prospectus, sound investment and priceless payoff

Spectrum, by Elizabeth Ripley

Albert Einstein once stated, "Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted." The brilliant scientist reminds us that we can't always measure what matters in numerical terms.

To be sure, we're a society that actively counts. We crunch numbers to get the best deal, determine value, assess impact. We want to know where we stand. We want to gauge our investments and we want to quantify our success.

The numbers are fun in Mat-Su these days. In Alaska, Mat-Su stands out in the numbers of new jobs, new houses and new residents. The Valley has exploded in population, growing 142 percent since 1980. This growth has both positive and negative effects on our society and economy.

The United Way idea was conceived in 1887 as a result of logarithmic growth without development. The population of Denver, United Way's parent city, increased twentyfold in two decades, leaving a severely inadequate social support structure.

In that year, a priest, a rabbi and two ministers formed the Charity Organization Society, which coordinated a single fund-raising effort for 22 agencies. That organization eventually became United Way.

United Way of Mat-Su formed 100 years later, but it continues to transform itself in order to have a greater impact on our community's important issues.

United Way of Mat-Su has become so much more than a funder of agencies. The Mat-Su public counts on United Way to be the safety net for those in need.

We count on United Way to increase the organized capacity of people in the Valley to care for one another.

We count on United Way to bring people together to solve community problems.

We count on United Way of Mat-Su to improve lives by mobilizing our community to create sustained changes in community conditions.

We count on United Way to focus on what matters -- whether it can be counted or not.

Of course, we expect United Way of Mat-Su to clearly account for its resources and prudently and responsibly use them to improve lives locally.

We expect United Way of Mat-Su to stretch every dollar and continually look for ways to reduce its overhead so that more results are realized from our investments.

We expect the dedicated local volunteers who oversee all operations of United Way of Mat-Su to desire real community changes, not just treatment of symptoms.

Yes, we count on United Way to be here and mobilize community resources to improve lives and make a positive difference in our community. To do that, United Way has to count on me -- and you.

The economy is so different today than it was when we created most of our systems, and it is creating a different and more complex set of social problems. With our booming population, the needs are growing. Meanwhile, federal and state governments are reducing support for direct service providers.

We could surely measure the growth in demand against the decline in financial support. But let's look at it a different way.

Let's look at our potential. We're a million-dollar community.

Let's look at the potential payoff for our investment. Mat-Su offers a phenomenal prospectus. It's growing. It's becoming the new economic and business center of the state.

Our United Way is ahead of the curve in terms of measuring community needs and perceptions.

Our United Way is committed to being a leader of community development. We know that positive change in the community makes it a better place for us to live and work and raise our families.

And beyond the number crunching, we can see lives, families and our community transformed.

We have the vision. The vision is to make an impact on our community.

Impact is what matters.

You can count on me to do my part to realize this vision, to invest in our million-dollar community. Whether you crunch the numbers or not, my investment and your investment in what matters will make the difference.

Elizabeth Ripley is United Way of Mat-Su's 2004 campaign co-chair.