Woman helps revamp United Way

UNITED WAY IN THE NEWS

June 1, 2006


BY MEGAN PENNEFATHER
STAFF WRITER
Observer & Eccentric Newspaper

Dona Ponepinto hopes to change the face of your community.

And most of the communities of southeast Michigan for that matterBut for the Troy resident and recent transplant from California, it's all part of the job.

"It's more than a career for me. It's a huge shift to move from California to Detroit," she said. "I saw an opportunity to be part of what I saw is going to be something great."

Ponepinto is the vice president of Resource Investment and Community Partnerships for United Way for Southeastern Michigan, which means she's heading up a major restructuring for the venerable charity, one that aims to touch more communities on a larger scale.

After the Oakland County and Community Services branches merged last year to become United Way for Southeastern Michigan, officials wanted to revamp the way it reaches out to communities.

Ponepinto said a 10-month period of garnering feedback from residents online, in person and through surveys identified issues that most concerned regional residents.

After calculating the results, the United Way will seek out partnerships with local nonprofits, governments and private businesses to create a more proactive approach to issues like education, which was identified as a major concern in the region.

"At a community level, we're seeing fundamental change and progress," said United Way President Michael Brennan. "There are some things in this region ... we can make better strides together than alone.

"I personally believe we're at an unprecedented moment in this region for a chance to work cooperatively in ways we've never done before."

And it's Ponepinto he's entrusted with that effort.

"Dona had the strongest blend of the qualities we needed," he said, adding she has a proven track record of getting things done.

She's worked for the United Way for 18 years in California, where she headed up similar restructuring programs. She, husband Joe and dog Henry moved in January to Troy, where the cold winter and spotting a deer in her back yard for the first time prompted her bemused realization: "I'm not in California anymore."

No, she's not, but she's excited about the prospect of bringing the southeast Michigan United Way into an organization that has more of a "community impact," in addition to its usual work of aiding basic-needs charities.

"It's potentially changing the face of the community," Ponepinto said of the United Way's efforts.

"It has to be partnerships and collaborations. Otherwise, we won't move."

That's one of the reasons Brennan invites people to the United Way's Web site at www.uwsem.org to offer the organization feedback.

"One of the big things is to get as many people as possible involved," he said.