The Butler County United Way refocused its efforts toward local youth during its yearly Impact Summit Aug. 19.
About 50 local professionals, non-profit leaders, students, for-profit individuals and educators convened in Liberty Township for the first of three summits to discuss issues concerning youth in the community.
The conference allowed local agencies, organizations and leaders in the area to become more in tune with young people, specifically with respect to poor living conditions and barriers to education, said Sherrie Bluester, executive director of the YWCA.
"We focused on the developmental assets, as many as possible," Bluester said.
According to Bluester, issues concerning the youth's safety at home, school and the community sparked the new directional change.
"We want to focus on education starting as early as day care … preparing for kindergarten," Bluester said. "If they start behind in kindergarten, then they will be behind in first grade and so on."
From data points taken from the communities at the greatest risk, the problem lies in the relationship between the parents and the child as well as the education system, Maureen Noe, CEO and president of Butler County United Way, said.
"We need to support the parents (and) the school districts (and) see how we can all be a part of their future," Noe said.
Bluester said while some communities fare better than others, the main priority is to bring the other ones up to par. The local communities of West Chester, Hamilton, Middletown and Ross each have some areas of extreme poverty.
While the United Way has played a large part in local communities, some students are unfamiliar with the organization.
Miami University sophomore Brianne Davidson said she had never heard of the United Way.
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"I personally didn't know what (United Way) was, but it would definitely help with networking," Davidson said. "It's another great way to get the name out further (and it) helps them and us."
Noe also sees much potential in extending the United Way's volunteering opportunities to the students at Miami through student connection programs.
"I call it an evolution," Noe said. "We're entering the next phase."
Kate Canepa, marketing and media specialist for Butler County United Way, joins her colleagues in the presentation of research and statistics to the community to assess the demands of the local people.
After each of the youth summits, the group will reconvene to discuss the best allocation of the funds raised during the campaign season, Canepa said.
The model the United Way developed last year with the summits on adult self-sufficiency has been reintroduced this year.
Noe said committees travel around the county for 30 days in October presenting the data found on area children to the community before eventually gathering for a final discussion.
"This process allows the community to respond to these data points and then we look at how the United Way can have an impact," Noe said.
United Way of Butler County will kick off its upcoming campaign season at 8 a.m. Sept. 11 at Fairwood Elementary School. With the addition of a family breakfast, roundtable discussion and a day of caring in reflection of 9/11, the United Way intends to surpass last year's attendance of 2,000.
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