World 080421

fall guide
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page 2 The WORLD August 4, 2021
2021
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Elaine Toohey to Lead Working Communities
Challenge – Greater Barre Area as Project Director
Green Mountain
United Way, in collaboration
with the
W o r k i n g
Communities
Challenge – Greater
Barre Area leadership
team, is pleased
to announce that
Elaine (Eli) Toohey
has joined the organization’s
work as
Project Director for
the Working
Communities Challenge – Greater Barre
Area. She will lead the collaborative work of
partners in Central Vermont as they “work to
increase the economic mobility and overall
well-being for Greater Barre Area head-ofhousehold
women experiencing financial
instability, through aligned coordination of
employment support. The project has the ultimate
goal of 15% fewer single moms living
below the federal poverty level in 2030 as
opposed to their 2020 counterparts”. The
Working Communities Challenge – Greater
Barre Area is a grant-funded project that
came out of a collaborative process led by the
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and local
philanthropic partners including the Vermont
Community Foundation, National Life Group
Foundation, and others. Organizational partners
leading the Working Communities
Challenge – Greater Barre Area include:
Green Mountain United Way (lead agency)
City of Barre
Capstone Community Action
Family Center of Washington County
Central VT Home Health and Hospice
Central VT Medical Center
Central Vermont Adult Basic Education
Central VT Regional Planning
Vermont Agency of Transportation
Community College of Vermont
Eli has held several roles in Central
Vermont including her work as Executive
Director of Another Way, a peer-led mental
health center serving individuals in Central
Vermont, and comes to this role directly
from work with Capstone Community
Action doing financial coaching and economic
stability work with women receiving
Reach Up benefits in Central Vermont. Eli is
currently seeking a certificate in Community
Resilience and Planning at UVM and intends
to use that knowledge to further the work
with this project.
Eli was born in Barre and grew up in
Central Vermont. She sees her experience
growing up in this community as integral to
her success in this role. “Growing up in the
area, I experienced Barre when it was thriving,
and have watched the community go
through a lot of change over the years. This
change in the physical, economic and social
infrastructures has given way to struggles for
many of our community members, particularly
single women. I have shared experiences
with many of the core participants we serve
through the WCC project. Whether it is those
day-to-day struggles with childcare or the
larger struggles as a woman in the workforce,
I have lived experience of what these women
are experiencing and welcome the opportunity
to make changes that will benefit them
and our community. Regardless of their struggles,
employment and economic stability
offer the potential to create opportunities for
these participants,” offered Toohey, who lives
in Montpelier with her family.
“What also drives me is the opportunity to
work with this unique group of community
partners, workers, and employers to change
the systems and systematic barriers that make
it difficult for women, and mothers in particular,
to get and keep good, steady jobs with
opportunities for advancement. This project
makes so much lasting change possible
because we are not just focusing on individuals.
We are focusing on how to change systems,
policies, and cultures that have traditionally
put women at a disadvantage,”
Toohey continued.
The Working Communities Challenge –
Greater Barre Area uses the United Way’s
Working Bridges program as the framework
with Green Mountain United Way serving as
the backbone organization. Working Bridges
is a well established program bringing human
services support to workers at their workplace
and includes interventions like one-on-one
resource coordination and financial coaching,
income-advance loans, educational opportunities,
and volunteer income tax assistance
(VITA). The WCC-Greater Barre Area will
add other elements and advance the Working
Bridges model in order to meet the specific
needs of the clients they work with. Employer
partners for the WCC-Greater Barre Area
project include Central Vermont Medical
Center, Central Vermont Home Health and
Hospice, and other Working Bridges sites.
Additional employers will be included
throughout the development of the program.
“Eli’s unique life and work experience
makes her a wonderful fit for this role. We are
excited to have her leadership at the helm of
this initiative and to have someone who
knows the Barre community and is ready to
work toward lasting changes for women in
our workforce. This project builds on the
foundation that has already been established
by the Working Bridges program and our
employer partners. I am personally excited
to see how Eli’s leadership on this project
can transform the Working Bridges foundation
and bring it to the next level by offering
opportunities specific to women and generations
that follow,” said Tawnya Kristen,
Executive Director at Green Mountain
United Way.
About Green Mountain United Way:
Green Mountain United Way is a Vermont
not-for-profit organization in operation since
1976. They work to improve the health, education
and financial stability of every person
in every community in Caledonia, Essex,
Orange, Orleans and Washington Counties by
mobilizing the caring power of communities
around our region to advance the common
good. No other single organization has the
scope and influence to bring together human
service agencies, government, businesses,
private foundations and dedicated volunteers
around a common vision of creating maximum
impact and achieving long-lasting
results.
Contact Green Mountain United Way, 652
Granger Road, Barre, Vermont, 802-613-
3989 or info@gmunitedway.org.
About Working Communities Challenge:
The Working Communities Challenge
advances local collaborative efforts that build
strong, healthy economies and communities
in Vermont’s rural towns, regions, and smaller
cities.
Launched in 2019, the initiative supports
diverse, local teams as they tackle complex
challenges facing their communities. With a
focus on economic opportunity for communities
and residents with low incomes, this
unique three-year grant competition is supported
by the Federal Reserve Bank of
Boston, the State of Vermont, national and
local philanthropy, and private sector employers.
www.bostonfed.org/workingplaces/communities-challenge/vermont.aspx.
Get Involved with Your Co-op! Apply. Nominate. Run.
Are you looking to reconnect with your
community? Right now, there are three ways
you can get involved with Hunger Mountain
Co-op in creating and sustaining a dynamic
community of healthy individuals, sustainable
local food systems, and thriving cooperative
commerce.
Apply for a Community Grant
Hunger Mountain Cooperative Community
Fund grants provide financial support to central
Vermont businesses, organizations, and
initiatives aligned with the Co-op’s mission.
Awards range from $250 to $3,000, and priority
is given to smaller-scale projects that support
local food systems. Since 2011, the Coop’s
Community Fund has distributed a total
of $73,578 through 59 grants.
Nominate Someone for a Community
Award
The Hunger Mountain Cooperative Community
Award will be presented to a Co-op
member, customer, vendor, employee, council
member, or community member for their
contributions to our cooperative community
and the advancement of our mission. Past
• • •
Community Award recipients include Allison
Levin of Community Harvest of Central Vermont
and Jules and Helen Rabin, the legendary
Vermont bakers.
Run for the Co-op’s Council (board of directors)
Council service is critical to Hunger Mountain
Co-op’s success, and there will be several
open seats in this year’s election. The council
plays a crucial role in representing the member-owners
in developing and maintaining the
vision and long-term viability of the Co-op.
Among other benefits, council members and
their spouse/partner receive a 10 percent discount
on Co-op purchases during their term.
Running for council is straightforward: complete
the application and gather signatures or
email endorsements of at least nine current
member-owners.
Community grants, award nominations,
and council applications are due back to
the Co-op by Tuesday, Sept. 7.
To learn more, visit hungermountain.coop,
email info@hungermountain.coop, or call at
(802) 262-3202.