Dublin United Way prepares for new leader, embraces new cancer initiative

Changes are happening at the Heart of Georgia United Way with a new executive director and a new initiative with an Atlanta college to help those with prostate cancer.

Elaina Powell will be the next executive director for the program with Denise Creel retiring on July 31 after serving in that position for two years.

Powell previously worked at Easterseals Middle Georgia as its marketing coordinator and development officer. She gained extensive experience in fundraising and social media marketing.

“I put together new events for them, and will be doing much of the same stuff here,” Powell said. “This will be taking that creativity and helping The United Way grow with their fundraising here. I want to be able to help more non-profits in the community.”

The partnering agencies for the Heart of Georgia United Way are American Red Cross, Dublin-Laurens Teen Court, Healthy Start, The Salvation Army, Stepping Stone, The Lighthouse Adult Day Care, TLC CASA and WINGS.

“These groups work with those from birth up to seniors,” Powell said. “I love the fact that The United Way helps out the community in more ways than just one. They are very versatile. The money raised gets put into multiple places and for multiple causes.” 

  Not too long ago, Clark University in Atlanta reached out to The Heart of Georgia United Way to partner with Healthy Start to begin an initiative to benefit prostate cancer patients.

“They wanted a rural community,” Powell said. “That will be important. We’ll be able to team up and get a lot done with that. There is a lot of help out there, especially out of the Atlanta area. It’s just connecting with the rural community. I’m excited about bringing knowledge from out of town.” 

The Heart of Georgia United Way has come a long way since Creel took the helm two years ago. At that time, the organization was re-establishing all of their contacts with local businesses and industries. COVID put a damper on the counties it serves – Laurens, Johnson, Bleckley, Treutlen, Telfair and Dodge. 

“I think we have come a long way,” Creel said. “We got things back on track so it is being run like it is supposed to be run. Our partnering agencies are getting money like they are supposed to be getting money. We are in the community like we are supposed to be in the community. I have enjoyed my time here at The United Way. I appreciate the board investing in me as they did. I was brought on to The United Way to get it running back right, and now I am handing it off to Elaina and she can take it further.” 

The United Way has re-established workforce campaigns and has scheduled upcoming fundraising events. The workforce campaigns are the backbone of how they raise money at The United Way. It allows officials to enter a business to talk and describe what they are all about and who their partnering agencies serve.

“This gives the employees time to listen to what they have to say and see how they want to help in the community,” Creel said. “Most people want to help. A lot of people think you have to have a whole lot of money to help.”

That is not the case. As little as $1 can be taken out of a person’s paycheck a week. 

“We can take that dollar from the paycheck and turn it into $52,” Creel said. “We give that to our agencies and they can do all sorts of things with it. They can provide child care, a crib and can be used as an activity for a dementia patient. If you give $5 a month, you can provide one week of food for a family in need or two hour supervised family visits for a child in foster care. People can provide all kinds of things.” 

The United Way is holding a Georgia Bulldog raffle for $20. Included in this basket are two tickets to a Bulldog game on Sept. 12 along with other UGA items. The raffle will be held on Aug. 21.

For more information about the raffle, people can call (478) 353-1811.

“Everything in the basket is donated,” Powell said. “It’s a big fundraiser and will help out with community events.”