United Way Northwest Indiana hosted a Friendraiser event at the Hard Rock Casino in Gary on Wednesday, August 21. The event provided a comprehensive overview of United Way Northwest’s Level Up program, which focuses on elevating and empowering families and individuals in the area.
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The event featured prominent public figures including Gary Chief of Staff Ellis Dumas III, Adam O’Doherty, President and CEO of United Way Northwest Indiana, and Courtney Wedryk, Deputy Director of Level Up, and a video message from Congressman Frank J. Mrvan.
United Way Northwest Indiana, Chief Marketing and Development Officer Rich Shields and Director of Marketing Joe Justak led an innovative marketing event experience that culminated in a very special event presentation by the Level Up team and its program participants.
“We do friendship drives every year and this one was really about honoring the people in our Level Up program while also raising awareness about the work the program does,” Shields said. “The program is designed to help people on the edge of poverty by supporting their career advancement through educational opportunities, overcoming financial hurdles, providing child care and more.”
Wedryk believes this is a great initiative as it creates a strong sense of empowerment within the community.
“Level Up is a transformative initiative in Northwest Indiana where we help individuals and families achieve greater success through education and financial well-being,” said Wedryk. “We want to empower them socially and economically so they can truly thrive in our community. With the support of our navigators and financial advisors, we work closely with each client to provide a highly personalized program tailored to their needs.”
Level Up works carefully with the asset and income-constrained worker (ALICE) group, that is, people who earn above the federal poverty line but still struggle to meet their basic needs.
“We are the only organization in Northwest Indiana that serves the largest portion of what we call the ALICE population – the underemployed or the working poor,” O’Doherty said. “We are the only ones in the region doing this and one of the very few in the country taking action. This work is critical because these people are doing everything society asks of them while keeping their jobs and striving for a better future.”
Level Up’s success was crucial because United Way Northwest Indiana works hard to meet the needs of its clients.
“Anything a client needs when they walk through our door, we make it possible for them,” Wedryk said. “As Adam mentioned, we work with the ALICE population. Other agencies often turn them down because they are not qualified, but we have the privilege of saying yes. We believe in them and know they can do great things. Through our program, we have successfully helped nearly 200 families in Northwest Indiana.”
O’Doherty encouraged everyone to succeed now and drive change in the state of Indiana and across the country.
“What we need more than ever in this country is more winners,” O’Doherty said. “How do we create more winners? By creating more opportunities. We do that by working with nonprofits like ours and our partners who help us do that. That’s how we create more opportunities and ultimately more winners in our country.”
This initiative is important to O’Doherty because it is close to his heart. He also thanked everyone for the impactful work they do at United Way Northwest Indiana.
“This is important to me because I grew up in poverty and I wouldn’t be here today without the support of my track and field coach and other great mentors in my life,” O’Doherty said. “It’s about giving back and I feel privileged to be a part of it. They say I’m the CEO, but I don’t want to take the credit for it – the real heroes are the navigators, the staff and the board members. I’m grateful for their leadership and for taking the bold steps to transform our United Way Northwest Indiana into something truly unique.”
One of the highlights of the evening was Nakia Dumas’s portrayal of the positive impact Level Up has had on her life.
“I got in touch with Michelle and she told me about this program. At first I thought it wasn’t for me,” said Dumas. “Usually you have to be unemployed to get into these programs, but I found out I could still have a job and attend Level Up. I decided to give it a try and met some great people like Lindsey, Courtney and Heather. They were like advisors and counselors to me.”
Dumas is deeply grateful to Level Up for helping her achieve her career goals and improve her life.
“I want to thank this program for investing in me because it has changed my life,” Dumas said. “People don’t realize how hard it is to be part of the working poor, to go to work every day, never stop working and just keep going. I sincerely thank you for choosing to help me.”
Overall, it was a great event and they hope to organize similar events in the future.
“We would like to extend our sincerest thanks to all of our sponsors for today’s event – they were wonderful,” said Shields. “We also thank the Hard Rock Casino for their hospitality.”
For more information about United Way Northwest Indiana and the Level Up program, visit unitedwaynwi.org/level-up.
