United Way impacting Palmyra this year

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The United Way of the Mark Twain Area will impact over 1,000 people in Palmyra this year.

Each year, dollars raised through the organization’s annual campaign provide financial assistance to human service organizations in the community. 

These organizations are providing opportunities for upward mobility and supporting critical services.

Many of the organizations benefiting from the 2021-22 ‘Community’ United Way Campaign will help people in Palmyra. Dollars to the United Way campaign all come from local individuals, businesses and organizations.

“With United Way, I chose to start partnering with them a couple of years ago,” said Adrienne Lynn, a dentist in Palmyra. 

“I figured out that as an individual I can do a lot of good. I can donate here, I can volunteer my time here, but then I realized, if we can all band together in one good community group, we can do so much more.”

Here are some examples of how Palmyra residents were assisted by United Way member agencies:

• AVENUES is the local domestic and sexual violence advocacy service. It responds when individuals are the victim of domestic or sexual violence. In addition, they have a shelter for individuals needing safety from an abuser. Last year, AVENUES served 14 people from Palmyra.

• CHART Teen Task Force provides educational programs to schools with the goal to prevent unintended births to teens. The task force provides real care baby infant simulators and in class programs that teach kids the facts about sex.

Since its inception in the mid-1990s, the birth rate to teens has dropped nearly 75 percent in the area served by United Way of the Mark Twain Area. Last year ,nearly 200 students in Palmyra learned the facts through programs with CHART Teen Task Force.

• The Hannibal Free Clinic provides free non-emergency healthcare services to uninsured individuals throughout Northeast Missouri. There are 18 clients from Palmyra who received healthcare services from the Hannibal Free Clinic last year.

• Legal Services of Eastern Missouri provides free legal services to low-income individuals. Last year, nine Palmyra resident received services, including helping individuals file ex parte orders, write wills and other legal services.

• Learning Opportunities/Quality Works supports individuals with disabilities to have opportunities to be employed, experience all that the community has to offer, and more. There are nine clients in Palmyra who have a better quality life because of LOQW.

• Through the Palmyra Senior Center, seniors and disabled individuals can receive Meals on Wheels delivered to their door or dine in at the center when they were open. 

Through a partnership with the Monroe City Senior Nutrition Center, seniors and disabled individuals in Palmyra can also receive support with housekeeping and other household chores. 

This keeps individuals in their homes. 

The program served over 430 people in Palmyra last year.

• The Child Center works to prevent and respond to child abuse and neglect reducing trauma for children. 

The Child Center provides programs to students who teach body safety, how to keep personal information safe online from predators, and much more. 

Through the Palmyra R-1 School District, nearly 300 children were connected with knowledge they need to keep themselves safe.

Additionally, NECAC, Salvation Army and the Tri-County Alliance assisted individuals in Palmyra to stay in their homes when situations arose that resulted in it being hard to pay utility and rent bills. Those organizations provided individuals with supplies they needed to begin jobs and more.

There are several special initiatives of United Way of the Mark Twain Area that are helping families in Palmyra:

• This school year four dual-credit scholarships were awarded to students at Palmyra High School who showed financial need. While in high school, students can enroll in a dual-credit course and receive both high school credit and college credit. The cost for the dual-credit classes is around $250. 

For a student from a low-income home, this cost can prohibit a student from receiving college credit in the course. Due to a designated gift from Mercantile Bank, dollars were able to be utilized to pay the tuition bill for students exhibiting financial need.

• A financial gift from the Kiwanis Club of Palmyra resulted in a partnership with Palmyra Parents as Teachers to provide transportation vouchers to families needing to get their children to and from medical related appointments. Families can access the voucher system through Parents as Teachers by calling 573-769-3736.

All of these programs and special initiatives are only made possible because of individuals, organizations and businesses donating financially to United Way.

United Way of the Mark Twain Area kicked off the 2021-22 Community annual campaign in late August. United Way is working to raise $400,000 in the local community so these programs can continue to exist and thrive.

“The United Way digs deeper into the community than I ever could finding those who are really in need of programs. They need support; they need this community group to come together for them and make a difference,” said Lynn. “I think as an individual we can do good. But as a group we can work miracles. That is why I support the United Way.”

Leadership with United Way encourage community members to donate to the community through the 2021-22 United Way Campaign. Donations can be made online at http://unitedwaymta.org, by mailing gifts to PO Box 81 Hannibal, MO 63401, or by texting ‘UWMTA’ to 26989.

Selected to benefit from the campaign this year was AVENUES, CHART Teen Task Force, Douglass Community Services, FACT, Hannibal Free Clinic, Hannibal Parents as Teachers, Harvest Outreach: Loaves & Fishes, Hannibal Alliance for Youth Success, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, Learning Opportunities/Quality Works, Monroe City Food Pantry, Monroe City Senior Nutrition Center & Palmyra Senior Nutrition Center, Monroe City Student Success Center, NECAC, Salvation Army of Hannibal, Senior Citizens Community Center in Paris, Shelby County Senior Citizens, The Child Center, and the YMCA of Hannibal.

The United Way of the Mark Twain Area works towards the mission, “to increase the capacity of people to care for one another.” This is done by creating opportunities for individuals to give of their time, talents, and treasures to local organizations that work to empower all individuals to achieve their potential through education, financial stability, and healthy lives.