This is the last in a three-part series exploring UWSCMI’s recently adopted vision, mission and values. You can find them all in one place at unitedforscmi.org/vision-mission-values.
Part 1: Where We’re Going | Part 2: What We Do
Tibor “Ted” Rubin had every reason to be bitter.
As a Jewish Hungarian-American, he faced anti-Semitism and constant harassment by his U.S. Army fellows. Then he and his regiment were captured by Chinese troops in North Korea in October 1950. Suffering hunger, disease and cruelty, most of the men turned their backs on one another.
Except for Ted Rubin.
Risking his life, Rubin would regularly sneak out of the POW camp to steal food from Chinese and North Korean supplies. Then he’d return, distributing the food evenly to every prisoner. Rubin also nursed the sick and encouraged his comrades. Later, when the Chinese learned of his Hungarian roots, they offered to release him to that Iron Curtain nation. Rubin steadfastly refused, choosing to suffer with his fellow soldiers.
Ted Rubin lived by his values. At United Way, we’re committed to doing the same.
Values Drive Us
In this blog series, we’ve covered Our Vision (where we’re going), Our Mission (what we do) and Our Path (how we do it). For those things to be meaningful and effective, they must be rooted in strong values.
The United Ways that formed UWSCMI shared common values. Those values drove our legacy of impact. They now form the foundation of our values today. These are the things that drive us in our daily work, that define how we partner with our communities, that motivate us to pursue our mission.
Equity: Applying principles of diversity, inclusivity, justice, antiracism, empathy and trust to every facet of our work and our culture, with a firm commitment to historically underrepresented and marginalized people.
Community: Solving the toughest social issues that affect local individuals and families, changing lives and strengthening our region in the process.
Integrity: Pursuing our work with transparency, accountability and dignity, constantly learning and adapting to the changing needs of our communities.
Compassion: Caring passionately for the people we serve, the colleagues we work alongside, and the communities we strive to improve.
Collaboration: Working hand-in-hand with communities and partners to honor their voices, build trust, increase impact, and grow diversity in ideas and representation throughout our shared efforts.
Results: Driving impact through innovation, creativity and leadership that brings new ideas, new resources, and equitable, lasting solutions.
More Than Words
Values must be more than words or turns of phrase. They must be fundamental to who we are and what we do. That’s why our United Way firmly commits to holding ourselves accountable to these values. We expect our communities to hold us accountable, too.
There’s another piece to this that brings everything full circle.
We’ve talked about Our Vision: Strong, caring communities where every person is valued, thriving, and connected for the common good. We can think of other words to describe that dream—a future strong in equity, in community, in integrity, in compassion, in collaboration, and in results. Our Values more deeply define Our Vision.
That’s our commitment to the present and to the future. Please join us in that commitment!