President’s Desk

President’s Blog: The Gender Pay Gap

When I was a little girl, I knew that I was going to have a career. My Barbie dolls had careers, and I really did not play with baby dolls. I was very politically aware and knew that women did not have the same opportunities for careers or career advancement as our male counterparts, but I saw that as a challenge. Little did I know, that 50 years later, women still do not have the same opportunities for advancement or for equal pay.  I somehow thought that we would have evolved further as a society than we have.

President’s Blog “What’s Going On”

The Reverend David L. Frazier, Sr. served as the keynote speaker speaker for this year's Port City Chapter of Black's in Government  33rd Annual Memorial Breakfast honoring Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. His theme revolved around Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On," but his message pointed out what is not going on in the African American...

President’s Blog – Face the New Year With Optimism

The holidays and the end of the year bring about a nostalgia for holidays’ past and force us to face, all too many times, the things we did and did not do during the year. I feel so much joy and sadness during this time. Joy for the new memories created and sadness for the loss of friends and loved ones. Joy for things accomplished and sadness for things left untended. However, I always face the new year with optimism, hope and a strong desire to make my life better – to organize, to simplify, to live a healthier life in general.

President’s Blog – Someone Needs You

“One of the marvelous things about community is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn’t as individuals. When we pool our strength and share the work and responsibility, we can welcome many people, even those in deep distress, and perhaps help them find self-confidence and inner healing.”  Jean Vanier

President’s Blog – World Listening Day

When Leslie Schraeder sent this month’s topic to me, I had no idea what World Listening Day was. According to National Today’s website, “The aim of the day is to cultivate better listening and understanding, and learning from the underrated act.” Basically, talk less; listen more.

President’s Blog – Pride Month

It was the summer of 1978 when my friend, I’ll call her Dinah, called me to tell me that she couldn’t come to my house again because my parents were friends with Bill and David, and they, on occasion, visited my parents in our home. Confusion, anger, frustration and disbelief describe some of the feelings that my 12 year old self felt.  She asked if I would spend the night with her instead, and I did, but it was the last time. I remember resenting her mother that evening and left first thing the next morning.  Her mother lectured me about the evils of homosexuality and about how my parents’ condoning homosexuality was equally as evil.

President’s Blog – Mental Health Matters

The nonprofit organization Mental Health America’s “work is guided by its Before Stage 4 (B4Stage4) philosophy – that mental health conditions should be treated long before they reach the most critical points in the disease process. When we think about diseases like cancer or heart disease, we don’t wait years to treat them. We start before Stage 4—we begin with prevention, identify symptoms, and develop a plan of action to stop and hopefully reverse the progression of the disease. Like other diseases, it is critical to address symptoms early and plan an appropriate course of action on a path towards overall health.”

President’s Blog – “Volunteering Is Empathy In Action”

The Learning Exchange has announced, “The National Volunteer Week theme for 2022 (April 24-30, 2022), Volunteering Is Empathy In Action, affirms the strong connection between volunteerism and empathy. This profoundly human connection is at the heart of healthier individuals and stronger communities.”

President’s Blog – The Power of Women

By Jill Chenoweth

I have spent the majority of my professional life in the company of women. The women have come from all walks of life and come in every color, shape and size. The majority have dedicated themselves to working in the nonprofit sector – suffering a lifetime of low pay, long hours, and little thanks for their work. Many have poured their lives into their careers helping to make Mobile and Southwest Alabama a better place to live.

President’s Blog – New Year. New Possibilities.

Every new year brings hope for me that I will morph into the best me; obviously, this has not occurred, so for 2022, I look forward to new possibilities for the United Way of Southwest Alabama (UWSWA).