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New Years and Money

Many popular New Year’s resolutions relate to one thing: money. Whether it’s to save more or to get more, wealth is certainly at the forefront of many people’s minds in the new year. United Way of Southeast Delaware County would like to emphasize that although wanting financial stability is a good goal to have for the New Year, keep in mind the people in Delaware County who are struggling to make ends meet. 8% of the population in Delaware County lives below the poverty line. The poverty line is the minimum level of income necessary to achieve an adequate standard of living. Thus 8% of Delaware County’s population does not have the means to have an adequate standard of living. Not having adequate means could translate to many things: not being able to afford utility bills, not being able to afford enough food, and not being able to afford a home. 10% of children (those under 18) in Delaware County are living below the poverty, as well as 7% of senior citizens (those over 65), which means many of those living in poverty are unable to take care of themselves. Also, in some parts of the County, including Chester City, the amount of people living below the poverty level is almost at 30% which is extremely high. With the New Year, keep in mind that many of your neighbors and members of your community not only do not have financial stability but can barely afford the basic means to live.

There are many ways in which you can help. United Way and its partner agencies work with those living in poverty to help better their lives and the lives of their families. One way that you can help is donating to United Way and its Community Impact Fund. United Way unites with its 27 partner agencies together in the common goal of alleviating poverty in Delaware County. Join the cause and Live United!

For more information visit our website for a list of our partner agencies. Also feel free to email United Way directly at info@uwdelco.org

Have a HEALTHY New Year!

One of the most recognizable New Year’s Resolutions directly relates to one’s health: lose weight! A startling amount of Americans are overweight, including children, with the numbers constantly increasing. Obesity in the United States is at an all-time high and with this comes a plethora of health concerns that include: heart disease (which is also the top cause of death for Americans), type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer, breathing difficulties during sleep, and osteoarthritis. Unfortunately, obesity can also lead to death and is one of the leading causes of death in the world, however, it is completely preventable. As a part of the New Year, whether you need to lose weight or not, a huge focus should be on eating a healthy diet, exercising, and getting enough sleep. Changing your lifestyle into a healthier one can not only improve your health but can also improve your mood and productivity level. The sooner you change unhealthy habits such as binge eating, the better. You may feel overwhelmed with all of the diet plans out there but stick to just eating healthy and eating well- balanced meals. Make an exercise plan; it is ok to take it easy at first, what’s important is that you steadily increase the amount you do and you get out there and move! Finally, make sure that you are getting at a MINIMUM eight hours of sleep. Sleep is when our body rests and heals itself, and real weight loss and a healthy lifestyle is impossible without it.

Here are some sites to reference in your efforts to get healthy:

http://www.nutrition.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=11&tax_level=1

This is the US Department of Agriculture’s Website on Health and Nutrition. It contains a ton of health information as well as weight loss plans and even recipes.

http://helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_diet.htm

Helpguide.org is a nonprofit aimed at helping everyday people deal with life’s challenges. Their “Healthy Living” section includes information on healthy eating, exercising, and sleeping for all age groups.

http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/13-healthy-habits-to-improve-your-life

Here are some healthy habit tips from WebMD to get you started!

Ideas for Helping your Community!

As the holiday season comes to an end, the spirit of giving should not as well. With the new year, make the resolution to become involved and help your community! United Way of Southeast Delaware County and other social agencies throughout the county work year round to better the lives of people in the community and are always looking for help in doing so. Community service does not have to be a chore; see it as a small increment of time or effort that will yield a large result in the life of another. Take the initiative to volunteer; start out donating an hour of your time once every month and possibly increase this amount. Take the initiative to donate to a local organization; make the promise to give at least one thing a month to an organization in your community. Take the initiative to encourage others to donate; host a party and require that each guest bring an item to donate or invite friends to come volunteer with you. United Way can help you in your philanthropic efforts and guide you to these organizations that need your help. Sign up for our newsletter; each month we send out a newsletter that includes community events and service opportunities. Visit our twitter, we retweet any community service opportunities we see occurring in Delaware county. Finally, look through our blog post history, we have posted numerous resources for residents of Delaware County to volunteer including the Food Resource Guide which lists all of the food cupboards in the area.

United Way encourages everyone to give in the New Year! s an added incentive to giving this year, we want to feature YOUR stories and plans to give this new year! Please submit to us volunteer projects you took part in or stories of giving and we will feature them on our Blog!

Get Started On Those Resolutions!!!

A tradition at the start of every New Year is to make a resolution: a personal goal that you aim to achieve during the New Year. People associate the start of the new year with the idea of a new beginning; forget the past year’s mistakes and enter into this New Year with some concrete goals that this year you will achieve.

According to usa.gov, the most common recurring New Year’s resolutions are:

1. Drink less alcohol
2. Get a better education
3. Get a better job
4. Get fit, Lose weight
5. Manage debt
6. Manage stress
7. Quit smoking
8. Save money
9. Take a trip
10. Volunteer to help others

All of these resolutions carry the theme of improving one’s self and life situation in some manner or another. Unfortunately, the majority of these goals fall by the way side throughout the year because of outside factors or unexpected events.

Instead of starting the New Year with these large encompassing goals, make smaller concrete resolutions along with a plan. Resolutions should be attainable, so make a plan that you can and will actually achieve. Prioritize your resolutions. It may help to utilize United Way’s three initiatives as a guide: Education, Health, and Income.

Resolutions don’t only have to be about improving your own life. In fact some of the most fulfilling resolutions can be about improving lives of others. Consider saving money for your child’s education before saving up for a brand new luxury car. After prioritizing your resolutions, make a plan by setting small, concrete goals. For example, instead of simply promising to volunteer to help others, make the goal to volunteer once every six weeks and then as time goes on, increase the frequency of your volunteering. Finally, figure out a method of keeping track of these resolutions. Keep a diary and take some time to reflect on your progress or moments when you were successful in keeping resolutions. That way, by the end of the year you can actually have an account of your successes and struggles, and see where you can progress from those resolutions.

United Way of Southeast Delaware County wishes everyone a happy New Year! As always, our resolution is to advance the common good for the community and create opportunities for a better life for all in Delaware County. In other words we resolve to Live United! Join us as we reach out a hand to you and your neighbors this year. Good luck to you all with your new year’s resolutions and look to our blog this week for more resolution suggestions!