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Kyle L. Bennett Community Impact Development Officer Originally Posted On: Wednesday, 05/23/2007 Keywords for this article: Short Description: Cross-departmental position responsible for (1) soliciting workplace contributions to support the Community Impact Fund and the overall mission and goals of the United Way, including ongoing education of workplace donors and general community and (2) directing interaction with Community Services staff in dual role of floating program/focus issue management support and community services/annual campaign liaison. To tell my story properly, I must start at the beginning. I was born in Brooklyn, NY and moved to Providence, RI before I was a year old. I attended Henry Barnard elementary School, the Wheeler School (Middle and High school) and Rhode Island College, as well as countless community programs. I was also actively involved in my neighborhood church Ebenezer Baptist Church. I can proudly say I am a product of the State of Rhode Island. I have a large family here including a 14 year old daughter who attends Classical High School in Providence. I grow more attached to Rhode Island every year and try to work to improve the quality of life here. The primary challenge I have faced has been how to live one life and not one for family, one for community and one for work. One of the most rewarding responsibilities I have had was working for Providence Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr. During my time with the City, I was able to directly help people who found themselves homeless or otherwise disenfranchised by facilitating their access to emergency, City and State services. Each of the five years spent in City Hall provided new challenges and countless opportunities to make a difference in the lives of the people in the City of Providence. It also provided me with many more questions as to why the need not only persists, but grows. Another enlightening opportunity came during my time (although very short) with the Education Partnership. I was part of a Rhode Island phenomenon, three Rhode Island non-profit groups merging into one: the Business Education Roundtable, the Public Education Fund and the Education Committee of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce. The merger was in itself a new and interesting concept, however my particular part of the process was to help the State examine its core curriculum and figure out how to make it more rigorous for students' benefit. As I worked with the Partnership, I found that the curriculum alone was not the problem. Students had needs beyond the classroom that should be addressed. I have personally found the challenge of obtaining meaningful work, to provide for myself financially and medically as well as for my daughter, an arduous one to say the least. Sometimes I have worked two or three jobs at the same time, only to find that the ends were still not quite being met. Last August, I emailed my resume to Jim Vincent, President of the Rhode Island Affirmative Action Professionals (RIAAP) and told him I was looking for work in the community and with an organization that I could grow into and with as they developed. The very same day I received phone call from Lynn Corwin (also a RIAAP Member) the HR Manager at United Way of Rhode Island (UWRI). She asked if I was interested in interviewing for a temporary position called Ambassador, whose primary function is to visit various worksites and raise funds for the Annual Campaign of the UWRI. I enthusiastically agreed and was hired for the position. Five months later, I find myself at United Way as a Community Impact Development Officer, a new position that combines resource development, community services and programming. Interestingly enough UWRI's targeted initiatives work to support community efforts revolving around helping children succeed in school, addressing the problems of affordable housing and homelessness, and increasing job skills for adults. It is like a dream come true, the mission made sense to me right away. Although I was able to help countless individuals in the past, the one reason I never saw a measurable change in the overall community need, was because I always responded to crisis. United Way of Rhode Island looks to partner with other community agents for change to truly put an end to need. The organization is lead by a community first approach; it includes a broad based Board of Directors, a diverse staff which includes work related experience, as well as social, religious and ethnic backgrounds and most importantly, a vision driven administration. I finally feel as though I have reached a point in my life where I can be who I am and work to support the areas most important to me while giving my employer exactly what they are looking for: A Success Story.
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