Roxanne Wells and United Way of St. Lucie County

“I am inspired daily by women all around me. Each day I have the pleasure of meeting women who may not even know they inspire me. I see them at their places of business, working hard to provide for their families. I see them in our community, volunteering and giving their time, talents and treasures to many of the great charities in our community. I am inspired by all of the women in leadership positions because it creates in me the desire to not only accomplish goals, but to create bigger goals to work toward.”

United Way of St. Lucie County is a forward-thinking agency working hard to advance the common good by focusing on the education, income and health of members of our community.

Roxanne Wells is Director of Communications and Work Place Giving for the agency and a fourth-generation St. Lucie County resident. She loves St. Lucie County and feels blessed to live in a community with such history, growth and resilience.

“I attended St. Lucie County public schools and earned a degree from Indian River State College. My interest in volunteering and, subsequently, non-profits, began in 2008 when I joined the Royal Palms of St. Lucie County, a ladies’ civic organization. I joined the Royal Palms in August 2008 and by December I knew I wanted to work in the non-profit sector,” Roxanne explained. “The compelling factor was the amount of need here. I suppose I had always assumed that non-profit organizations were only for the poorest of the poor. However, there is an entire sector of working poor individuals and families who are utilizing the services of non-profits to make ends meet each month.”

She saw firsthand the reality that so many people were living in on a day-to-day basis and it broke her heart. So in 2011 she went to work for the Arc of St. Lucie County as their grant coordinator and marketing director. As grant coordinator, she applied for United Way funds, so when a position became available with that agency, she jumped at the opportunity.

“In a nutshell, my responsibilities include communications as well as coordinating and presenting workplace annual giving campaigns, through which the bulk of our money is raised. United Way has the rare opportunity to go before businesses and their employees to not only raise funds, but also to educate and inform them about the efforts of United Way in our community. On countless occasions, someone has stepped forward and shared the story of how United Way resources helped him, her, a neighbor or a relative through a crisis, and that is why they continue to give and support the United Way,” Roxanne affirmed. “Although I know this is what we do, it is still so powerful to hear the outcomes of our efforts directly from someone who was affected and who benefited from a program or initiative we support.”

United Way of St. Lucie County began in November 1962 in downtown Fort Pierce, when a group of caring community leaders joined together to establish an organization for the purpose of bringing together a united appeal to solicit and distribute funds to local community-accepted health and human service agencies. Since the non-profit’s inception as a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Florida, it has continued to grow in scope and service.

The 2014-2015 campaign kicked off with the introduction of a new initiative called the ALICE Project. ALICE refers to the population in the community that is Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. Nearly one in three Florida households works hard, lives above the federal poverty limit and still cannot consistently afford the basics of housing, food, health care, child care and transportation. United Way has long supported agencies that aid these families.

“However, we are setting into motion a series of efforts that will provide resources to share strategies and solutions with the many hardworking families who are unable to afford the basic necessities to survive and thrive,” Roxanne related. “Anyone can help by contributing to our annual giving campaign with a donation or corporate gift, or by organizing a campaign at their business or place of employment. Also, there is always an overwhelming need for volunteers.”

Roxanne emphasized that the efforts of United Way are not specific to gender, age, race or economic status. Their initiatives focus on issues that largely affect our entire community. However, a significant number of the programs they fund greatly impact women, including child care and education, mentoring, shelter for victims of domestic violence, financial literacy programs, food, shelter and clothing. “Unfortunately, so many of the problems that affect women include children,” she said. “We also focus on the young girls in our community who will become tomorrow’s leaders by supporting programs that provide girls and young women the opportunity to succeed through education, counseling, training and advocacy.

Roxanne witnesses positive results daily through her work. She tells of a 38-year-old woman, seven months into a high-risk pregnancy, who called the 211 Helpline for information on resources available to her. She was experiencing a loss of income due to a reduction in work hours related to her pregnancy. Her husband, a returning veteran, was approved under the GI Bill to receive additional housing assistance; however, they had not yet received the additional funds and were in jeopardy of having their power turned off in just two days. The 211 Helpline staff immediately went into action to advocate for the couple and successfully obtained an extension from the power company. The 211 staff was also able to provide information on several other agencies that could help with resources to help this family get through the crisis. “This is an example of the power of the network of agencies we help fund and a demonstration of the network that is in place to help working families in St. Lucie County,” Roxanne affirmed.

United Way of St. Lucie County supports many local agencies and programs that are making huge strides as a safety net for survivors of domestic abuse. “Domestic violence is such a hot button issue in the media right now. United Way knows the grave need for victims of domestic abuse and therefore invests in Safe Space, a shelter for survivors of domestic abuse. Just this month, Safe Space was able to assist a woman who was forced to relocate to this area for safety reasons with her son; she was without transportation, other than a bicycle. This was not a practical method of transportation, as she needed to maintain employment and she also had a teenage son to care for,” Roxanne explained. “An advocate from Safe Space was able to help her get a gently-used vehicle so she had reliable transportation to work and to meet the needs of her son. Her son was also given a bicycle so that he could get to school and to his part-time job. As for the end of this story, the survivor is safe, living in a home with her son and has transportation to a full-time job so that she may continue supporting herself and her son.”

As a native South Floridian, this busy, giving woman enjoys taking advantage of all the “little luxuries” our town has to offer. Her family regularly visits the beaches and parks and cruises the beautiful Indian River. “Also, being lucky enough to have been raised in the South, we spend many of our fall weekends watching or attending college football games. I have a beautiful and spunky three-year-old daughter who consumes the majority of my free time. We try to spend a lot of time outside riding bikes or cooling down from our warm Florida weather in the pool,” she smiled.

“I am inspired daily by women all around me. Each day I have the pleasure of meeting women who may not even know they inspire me. I see them at their places of business, working hard to provide for their families. I see them in our community, volunteering and giving their time, talents and treasures to many of the great charities in our community. I am inspired by all of the women in leadership positions because it creates in me the desire to not only accomplish goals, but to create bigger goals to work toward,” Roxanne expressed. “There is no shortage of inspiration in the non-profit sector. We are privy to so many success stories and encounter women who have taken an opportunity to utilize the services of the agencies and programs we fund.

“The problems in our community require more than one agency or initiative to solve them. Families are working hard and still falling short. United Way provides a great opportunity to contribute to an organization invested in solving the many and ever-changing needs of our community. Your local United Way’s focus is on educational success, financial stability for individuals and families, and healthy lives,” Roxanne reiterated. “I feel a special connection to our mission statement, as it reminds me so much of one of my favorite quotes by Mrs. Barbara Bush. She said, ‘Some people give time, some money, some their skills and connections, some literally give their life’s blood. But everyone has something to give.’ That, to me, is how we live united!”

United Way of St. Lucie County is located one-quarter mile north of Midway Road in the Del Rio Shopping Plaza, 4800 S. U.S. Highway 1, Fort Pierce, Florida. Phone (772) 464-5300 or find them online at unitedwayslc.org for more information.