After five campaigns, Gaila Demel is retiring from the United Way of Central Kansas after the first of the year. Stepping into her shoes is Charell Owings who has been with UWCK since 2014, working behind the scenes and one-on-one with community partners, supporters, and volunteers.
This week, the handoff began. Continuing to work together in the office, Demel is preparing Owings for the transition that will fully take place at the beginning of the year.
“In all my time with United Way, there are parts of the job that I didn’t do in my prior role,” Owings said. “Much of that was due to my availability since I worked other jobs alongside my job with UWCK. I am grateful that I have two weeks to work with Gaila on these tasks, and I am fortunate that she is just a call or text away if questions arise over the coming months.”
She is optimistic, though, that this will be a smooth transition since she is familiar with the people and organizations that UWCK works, as well as the workings of the office.
Much of the groundwork is already laid for the first quarter of 2022, thanks to the forethought and hard work of staff, she said. Reality U in Hoisington will take place on Jan. 26, hosting students from Ellinwood, Larned, Central Plains, Otis-Bison, Pawnee Heights, and St. Joseph’s School in Ellinwood. Much of the Boxes of Love project is also complete, with Valentine’s cards and assembly being the last few steps that need to be completed.
To round out the first quarter of the year, UWCK will work on Literacy Kits, a Read-A-Thon, and #RealWorld.
“Charell moving into the executive director role is an amazing step in leadership continuance without interruption,” Demel said. “Truly this is a gift to me personally, to hand off the programs and day-to-day work to someone so very capable and prepared to help move United Way of Central Kansas into post-pandemic relevance.”
But, “mostly, I am so proud of Charell and so grateful to her for training me on many agency tasks,” Demel said. “I have thoroughly enjoyed serving the communities as the director and excited for Charell and UWCK.”
Owings resides with her husband Jeremy and their twin boys in Hoisington. Not only has she been a employee, but she is also an active volunteer to many agencies UWCK serves in her free time.
Before assuming the UWCK leadership position in June 2017, Demel was employed by ElderCare in Great Bend. But, she was no stranger to United Way, having worked on various projects with UWCK prior to becoming executive director including Stuff the Bus, Boxes of Love and payroll campaign presentations.
She has said she plans to continue volunteering.
UWCK currently serves 22 community partners in Barton and Pawnee counties. The group’s work focuses on education, financial stability and health, the building blocks for a good life and a strong community.
United Way of Central Kansas’ partner agencies include Barton County Young Men’s Organization, Barton County Youth Care, Caring Hands Daycare, Catholic Charities of Southwest Kansas, Central Kansas CASA, Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation of Kansas, Child Abuse Prevention Education, Ellinwood Heritage Senior Center, ElderCare, Family Crisis Center, Girl Scouts of the Heartland, Great Bend Children’s Learning Center, Habitat for Humanity, Hoisington Commission on Aging, Hoisington Community Food Bank, Hoisington History Museum, Hoisington Toys for Tots, Immediate Intervention Programs, Meals on Wheels, Orphan Grain Train, Central Kansas Volunteers in Action/RSVP and the Salvation Army.
For more information, follow United Way of Central Kansas on Facebook, check out its website, www.uwck.org, or call 620-792-2403.
