From our President & CEO: A note of thanks

An upbeat and inspiring Friday morning at St. John Paul II High School with our President & CEO Mark Skala.

In this season of giving thanks, we at the Cape and Islands United Way are so grateful to all of our donors, supporters and partners.

There is so much to reflect on for 2019, marking in September my first complete year as President/CEO. It's hard to express in words what a gift it is to work with this organization, our donors, supporters and collaborators who are truly helping to make meaningful, impactful change in our communities. I feel so blessed to be in this position to help our community address key issues facing Cape Cod and the Islands.

There is much work to be done, but the way I see things, there are many generous and caring people who recognize this and are undaunted by the challenges. Together, we are addressing the work that needs to be done to promote health, improve educational success, encourage financial stability and create housing stability. In 2018-2019, the Cape and Islands United Way funded more than 37 critical programs that:

• Provided food to local pantries visited by 32,729 individuals

• Distributed more than 9,600 books to children under the age of 5

• Allowed 1,482 children to attend quality out-of-school programming

• Offered 1,977 individuals and families homeless prevention services

• Gave 144 seniors support in helping them age in place
  

And the list goes on. As does our work. There are far more requests than we can fulfill right now, but that drives us to have great impact and results from our work. We cannot do it without our community’s support and encouragement. So thank you, and I wish you joy and peace in this holiday season.

Gratefully,

Mark Skala