Change in Helping Kids Succees Initiative

The United Way of Hastings announced a change in the Helping Kids Succeed initiative. Mari Mellick, Executive Director, released the news that the 3-year-old project will transfer from a full time endeavor to one of more community volunteer support. The Helping Kids Succeed the Hastings Way handbook was made possible by a collaboration between the United Way of Hastings, the City of Hastings, School District 200, the Hastings Ministerial Associaton and the Ruth Gale and George W. Doffing Charitable Fund. The handbook has been distributed widely to aid parents, teachers, faith communities and teens themselves in the healthy navigation of the process of growing up. The initial funding covered the work that was accomplished in the community to gather inputs and publish the handbook. Over the past year, Jane Neumiller-Bustad, first as a volunteer, then as the Helping Kids Succeed Director of Connections, has been working with the UWH, the Helping Kids Succeed teens, and the community to implement strategies associated with initiative. The future goal, however, is to involve more community volunteers to build the web of support and Neumiller-Bustad will continue in a volunteer capacity as she strongly believes in the program and it’s power in giving youth as much support as possible to succeed.