United Way Northwest Indiana hosted a Friendraiser event on Wednesday, August 21 at the Hard Rock Casino in Gary. The event provided a deep overview of United Way Northwest’s Level Up program, which focuses on uplifting and empowering families and individuals in the Region.
The event featured prominent public figures, including Gary Chief of Staff Ellis Dumas III, United Way Northwest Indiana President and CEO Adam O’Doherty, and Level Up Assistant Director Courtney Wedryk, along with a video message from Congressman Frank J. Mrvan.
United Way Northwest Indiana, Chief Marketing and Development Officer Rich Shields, and Director of Marketing, Joe Justak spearheaded an innovative marketing event experience, culminating in a very special event presentation from the Level Up Team and their participants in the program
“We do annual friendraisers, and this one was really about honoring the people in our Level Up program while raising awareness about what the program does,” said Shields. “The program is designed to help those on the verge of poverty by supporting their career advancement through educational services, overcoming financial barriers, providing childcare, and more.”
Wedryk believes this is a great initiative because it creates a strong sense of empowerment within the community.
"Level Up is a transformative initiative in Northwest Indiana where we empower individuals and families to thrive through education and financial wellness," said Wedryk. "We aim to strengthen their social and economic standing so they can truly thrive in our community. With the support of our navigators and financial counselors, we work closely with each client, providing a highly individualized program tailored to their needs."
Level Up works diligently with the asset-limited, income-constrained employees (ALICE) population, individuals who earn above the federal poverty level but still struggle to meet their basic needs.
“We are the only organization in Northwest Indiana that serves the largest population of what we call the ALICE population—those who are underemployed or the working poor,” said O’Doherty. “We're the only ones in the Region addressing this, and one of the very few in the country taking action. This work is crucial because these individuals are doing everything society asks of them as they maintain a job and strive for a better future.”
Level Up’s success has been pivotal because United Way Northwest Indiana works hard to meet the needs of its clients.
“Anything a client needs when they walk through our door, we make it happen for them,” said Wedryk. “As Adam mentioned, we work with the ALICE population. They’re often told no by other agencies because they don’t qualify, but we have the privilege of saying yes. We believe in them and know they can achieve great things. Through our program, we’ve successfully helped nearly 200 families in Northwest Indiana.”
O’Doherty encouraged everyone to achieve success now and drive change in the state of Indiana and the nation.
“What we need in this country, more than ever, more winners," said O’Doherty. "How do we create more winners? By creating more opportunities. We do that by working with nonprofits like ours and our partners who support us along the way. That's how we create more opportunities and, ultimately, more winners in our country."
This initiative is important to O’Doherty because it resonates personally with him. He also expressed gratitude to everyone for the impactful work they are doing at United Way Northwest Indiana.
“This is important to me because I grew up in poverty, and I wouldn’t be here today without the support of my track coach and other great mentors in my life,” said O’Doherty. “It’s about paying it forward, and I’m privileged to be part of this. They say I’m the CEO, but I don’t want to take any credit — the real heroes are the navigators, the staff, and the board members. I’m grateful for their leadership and for taking the bold steps to transform our United Way Northwest Indiana into something truly unique.”
One of the highlights of the night was Nakia Dumas sharing her testimony about how Level Up has positively impacted her life.
“I got connected to Michelle, and she told me about this program, and at first, I didn’t think it would work for me,” said Dumas. “Usually, programs like this require you to be unemployed, but I found out I could still be employed and participate in Level Up. I decided to give it a try and ended up meeting some amazing people such as Lindsey, Courtney, and Heather. They were like counselors and advisors to me.”
Dumas is deeply grateful to Level Up for helping her achieve her career goals and improve her life.
“I want to thank this program for investing in me because it changed my life,” Dumas said. “People don’t realize how hard it is to be considered the working poor, going to work every day, never calling off, and just pushing through, so thank you truly for choosing to help me."
Overall, it was a great event, and they hope to continue organizing similar events in the future.
“We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all our sponsors for tonight’s event — they were wonderful,” said Shields. “We also appreciate Hard Rock Casino for hosting us.”
To learn more about United Way Northwest Indiana and the Level Up program, visit unitedwaynwi.org/level-up.