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hroughout the River Region, there are individuals who work quietly, often behind the scenes, to help people, to effect change and to ad- dress the needs in our communities. These individuals, many of whom are true servant leaders, recog- nize that when you help one person, you help everyone. They are the directors of community nonprofits and affiliate agencies of the River Region United Way (RRUW), and they, too, are true change- makers. P ROVIDING A H AND U P , N OT A H ANDOUT Mary Ellen’s Hearth (MEH) at Nellie Burge is one of more than 40 affiliate agencies supported by the River Region United Way. MEH provides a transitional home for homeless women and their children. It is not a shelter, but rather a program the women com- mit themselves to for up to two years. During their time at MEH, they learn all of the life skills necessary to live and raise their fam- ilies with success, helping to break the pattern of homelessness in which they found themselves. “Mary Ellen’s Hearth at Nellie Burge impacts the homeless women and children we serve by giving them hope, help and heal- ing,” explains Debbie Dobbins, executive director. “We help moth- ers learn to be strong mothers, to raise strong children and teach them skills to ensure they will leave us ready to be self- sufficient. We do not do this work alone, because it takes a village to help homeless women and their children.” Debbie, who began working on the MEH Board of Directors in 2010 to open Mary Ellen’s Hearth, served as executive director from 2012 to 2015. She recently returned to her post as executive director in June 2018, following a short hiatus to work in Missis- sippi. Debbie adds that “Through the River Region United Way, Mary Ellen’s Hearth has been able to partner with other agencies that help our families to develop skills and knowledge they need to transition to independency.” E XPANDING THE A FFILIATE N ETWORK TO M EET C HANGING N EEDS As the needs in our communities change, the River Region United Way is also changing. In July of 2018, for the first time in 12 years, the RRUWBoard of Directors announced that as a direct result of recent community needs assessments, it was expanding its affiliate network by three agencies: Cancer Wellness Foundation of Central Alabama, Hope Inspired Ministries and Legal Services Alabama were added to the agency roster. The River Region United Way believes each of these organiza- tions provides essential programs that meet critical needs in United Way’s focus areas of health, education, financial stability and basic needs across its five-county service area. Such is the case with the Cancer Wellness Foundation of Central Alabama, which ensures that cancer patients in the area have transportation to and from Find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter September 2018 23 T