North and South result is true United Way | News, Sports, Jobs

United Ways of Chautauqua County Executive Director Amy Rohler says “the partnership is absolutely the right thing to do.”

One of the key employees behind the merger of the two Chautauqua County United Ways organizations wasn’t even present at this week’s historic meeting. Almost quietly, the north and south county agencies announced in January 2022 that they would begin using Lisa Sunday to oversee the finances of both organizations.

“I am excited to take advantage of this opportunity to work with the Southern Chautauqua County team, apply the lessons learned from our shared services and capacity building experiences, and bring both United Way organizations together in a new and unique way.” Sunday said in a press release at the time.

Sunday, who was taking a well-deserved break, started working for United Way of Northern Chautauqua County in 2008. She was also a key driving force behind the nonprofit’s successful Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, which became a huge success when it launched in 2015.

Her move into the larger role was a collaboration between Amy Rohler, United Way’s executive director, and Adam Dolce, who previously oversaw United Way in Dunkirk, a strategic decision that helped pave the way for an even larger transformation.

“It was part of the process” Rohler said Tuesday during the annual meeting of the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County at Moonbrook Country Club in Jamestown. “Was it always easy? No. Did it require trust? Yes. Did it require a lot of conversation? Yes.”

Look where we are more than two years later. The joint position has allowed for greater synergy between separate boards and leadership teams that were divided by an unnecessary but historic county division rather than a mission of care.

That sparked other discussions. When Dolce left the North County operation — where he had done a great job building partnerships — for the state job, talks between boards intensified over the past seven months about moving in an obvious but sometimes controversial direction: becoming one United Way.

In June, the North County Board unanimously approved the partnership. Tuesday’s meeting in Moonbrook produced the same result, with great applause from the more than 100 people who attended.

Not surprisingly, one of the main factors contributing to the consolidation was Vince Horrigan, who oversaw the American Red Cross in southwestern New York, covering Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties. In that role, he understood the positive aspects of reaching more people.

During his tenure as county executive, he consistently touted regional efforts while spearheading the early days of the North County Water District. Although he went through growing pains, no one can underestimate the savings he generated for the municipalities that are tied to the shared water system.

In a rousing speech reminiscent of an election campaign, Horrigan endorsed the groundbreaking change that needed to happen before Tuesday’s vote. “We are undertaking something that has been my goal all my time living in this county” he said. “It’s about bringing communities, organizations and citizens together to work together because we really are stronger together.”

It was a perfect message — and so true.

In 1999, area leaders had a similar vision when they took the then-controversial step of combining the North and South Chambers of Commerce into one county powerhouse. At that time, the organization immediately gained a much larger voice.

Twenty-five years later, it is still the third largest chamber in Western New York. It has made a difference in advocating for the business community while also increasing its influence at the state level.

Small towns and schools could also learn from these nonprofits. With seven of the 18 struggling districts in our county suffering from fewer than 500 students, the United Way merger is a lesson for them.

Smaller schools are already offering reduced education due to the lack of courses and extracurricular activities. They already know this because they share athletes with neighbors to field competitive teams.

On the first page of its 2023-2024 annual report, United Way announces in capital letters that: “better together.” This slogan also became the impetus for setting the campaign’s largest goal, $1.8 million, led by co-chairs Kelly Borrello and Bill Soffel.

“I believe we have an opportunity to increase our impact in a significant way” said Christine Tarbrake, United Way board member. “The best part of this is that we will reach more families than ever before.”

For the dynamic Rohler who helped lead “process,” This speaks volumes about her abilities and beliefs in improving the situation in this country through partnership rather than discord.

“This partnership is absolutely the right fit for our United Way.” she said. “It’s the right thing for our community and the right thing for our residents … who need the most support and who are ultimately who we are. … United, we do more.”

John D’Agostino is an editor at The Post-Journal, OBSERVER and Times Observer in Warren, Pa. Send comments to [email protected] or call 716-487-1111, ext. 253.

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