If your child were sick, would you take him or her to see the doctor? The answer seems simple.

However, for the one in three Americans with young children who cannot afford the basics like food,

housing, and healthcare (Kiley), the answer is much more complex. For these many Americans, the

question is not whether there is an appointment available, but whether they should take one child to the

doctor for an illness that may or may not be serious or put food on the table for their other two children.

STEP UP believes that no parent should have to choose between healthcare or providing food.

Moreover, STEP UP believes that everyone, especially children, deserves access to basic healthcare

services. We believe that children like eight-year-old Jenny deserve access to quality healthcare.

Jenny had been experiencing a dull ache in her stomach for a few weeks. In addition, she also

suffered from a loss of appetite and fever. During the first week, Jenny’s mother, Anna, thought that pain

was a normal stomachache. However, after the second week had passed, Anna had tried every home-

based remedies she could think of, but the pain still did not go away. Anna knew that something was

wrong, but she also knew that she could not easily afford to go to the doctor’s office to find out what it

was.

Then one night Jenny awoke screaming in pain “Mommy make it go away.” Spurred on by the

sound of her child in extreme pain, Anna quickly bundled Jenny up and rushed her to the emergency

room. Anna was frantic when she arrived, and she quickly signed all the papers the receptionist gave her.

All she cared about was getting Jenny help, no matter what the cost.

After Jenny was stabilized, the doctor informed Anna that Jenny had developed a serious but

avoidable form of Appendicitis. This doctor explained that this meant that Jenny would not have had to

be hospitalized if she had received timely medical outpatient care. Thankfully, Jenny was able to receive

the care she needed, but Anna ended up owing more than $4,000 in medical debts she had no way of

paying.

Unfortunately, according to research by the national coalition on healthcare, “8.3 million or 11.2

percent of all children in the U.S.” (National Coalition on Healthcare) are uninsured. This number is

especially large when you consider that when the uninsured are unable to cover the bill upfront, they can

1

be turned away except in life threatening circumstances (National Coalition of Healthcare). The irony

occurs when the uninsured must later seek emergency care due to life threatening circumstances, because

they were unable to get primary care earlier

Clients

Therefore, STEP UP serves people who do not have the resources to afford healthcare services. Our goal

is to provide financial assistance and counseling to individuals who cannot afford quality healthcare.

During the past 10 years, we have served over 3,300 unfortunate families who would normally not have

the means to obtain basic healthcare. However, our work is far from over because among the “11.1

million uninsured parents, about 56.9 percent cannot afford coverage and have no access to public

assistance (Daley).” We serve the families who make too much money to be considered for state

programs such as Medicare, but too little money to afford health insurance.

(Psychiatryonline.org) .

2

We do this by providing our clients with services that are designed to help them achieve a better standard

of living.

Services Provided

Lifestyle management

We teach our clients that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We focus on giving our clients

the tools to live a healthy lifestyle and thereby prevent diseases. We do this through free healthy living

seminars and cooking classes that teach them how to live a healthy lifestyle, while living within their

budgets. We teach our clients that they do not have to be wealthy to live a healthy lifestyle. For example,

we tell our clients that taking a walk costs nothing, but the benefits gained are priceless.

Financial & Healthcare Management

We help our clients develop financial acumen through two ways. First, we work with the family to help

them develop a savings plan for healthcare emergencies. We do this by taking a careful look at their

income and spending habits, after which we set up a budget that includes basic living expenses but cuts

out unnecessary items like eating out and movies.

In addition, we also work with the family to find sponsors who are willing to match the amount

they have saved towards basic healthcare treatment. We also work with clinics or hospitals to set up a

pre- arranged payment plan that states our clients will pay a certain amount of money each month for

services rendered. This allows our clients to obtain healthcare when needed.

Basic Healthcare provision

We provide healthcare to our clients by referring them to retired and un-retired physician’s or physician’s

assistants who have donated a certain amount of hours per week towards providing free or deeply

discounted basic healthcare to our clients at our office. In addition, we schedule and provide

transportation to appointments at surrounding free clinics, who offer services that we do not provide.

Career Management and development

3

We work with our clients to help them obtain better jobs and careers. We do this by encouraging them to

pursue high paying careers fields, like nursing, that require an associate’s degree or less. We give clients

the tools to pursue a more satisfying and well-paying career by helping them apply for financial aid and

assistance, giving tips on how to be a successful student, resume assistance, and job interview

preparation. In addition, we work with local businesses to help provide our clients with jobs.

Desired Outcomes

STEP UP believes that through providing these services, we will be able influence the lives of our clients.

We hope that by using our services, our clients will be able to both enhance their quality of life and

possibly later enrich the lives of others.

Program Evaluation

We evaluate our program based on the amount of families whom we have been able to successfully been

help. Of the 3,300 families, we have helped 99.7 percent improve their quality of life.

The strength of our program comes from both our strong volunteer network and the high

percentage of our clients who give back to the program. Our weakness is that we are constantly growing,

our needs are increasing, and sometimes we do not have the resources that we need. Our opportunity is

the families that we will be able to help in the future.

Accomplishments

Our proudest accomplishments are the families we have been able to help—families like that of Jane

Smith. It was late on a Thursday when Jane Smith purposely strode into our office. She wore a dress that

had obviously seen better times and her eyes were filled with a mix of despair and determination. Sitting

down at the desk of one of our consultants, Marci, she told her story.

She had been working a job at a factory downtown for the past five years when her co-workers

began to be laid off. She was nervous, but she felt that she was a valuable enough worker that she would

not be in danger. However, this past Monday her supervisor called her into the office and told her that the

factory no longer needed her.

4

Jane was devastated. On the bus ride to her house, she thought about what she was going to do.

She had gotten pregnant her senior year of high school and had decided to keep the baby, whom she

named Michael. He was the joy of her life and she never regretted keeping him for a moment.

Nevertheless, because she was so busy working at her factory job to take care of Michael, she

was unable to continue with her education. Thankfully, the factory job had good benefits with a low

premium health insurance plan.

However, after losing her job, Jane now had rent to pay, put food on the table, and worry about

health insurance for six-year old Michael. She was more worried for her son than herself. “Growing boys

need food, a bed, and regular health checkups,” she explained. After listening to Jane’s situation, Marci,

our consultant, decided that our healthcare, financial management and career services programs would fit

her needs best.

Therefore, Marci suggested that she enroll in these three programs. Therefore, our first priority

was to locate another job for Jane, through our career services department. We then advised her to

continue her education, even if she had to do it part-time. We also suggested that she enroll Michael in

preschool. After which, we helped her to enroll and finance part time study in a community college

nursing program.

After this, we worked with her to set up a family budget and healthcare savings account for

Michael. “It was hard,” says Jane “but those programs gave me the tools to improve my life. In addition,

STEP UP was with me and supported me every step of the way.” After two years of hard study, Jane

graduated from community college with an associate degree in nursing and found a job as an operating

room nurse with full healthcare benefits.

Moreover, she now contributes to STEP UP by financially supporting our programs and teaching

in our lifestyle program. In addition, she recruits physicians and physician’s assistants at her hospital to

volunteer at our healthcare management program. When asked why she chose to give back Jane says,

“STEP UP gave me so much and helped me to get my life back. I just want to do the same for others.”

5

Therefore, STEP UP feels that our finest accomplishments are the clients who decide to give back to the

program.

Distinctive Competency

STEP UP believes that as much possible the donor’s money should go to help our clients. Therefore, 90

percent of the money our donors give us goes directly towards serving their needs. This compares to a

national average of around 50 percent* (Heck).

*based on averages from California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee,

Washington.

Operational Goals

STEP UP has already served 3,300 families; within the next ten years, we want to double that figure to

6,600 families helped. To do this we have the following operational goals:

Maintaining a low overhead so that as much as possible the money donated will continue to help

our clients

Increasing our volunteer staffing to help with our mission of empowering lives

Increasing our total resources in order to better help our clients

Personnel and Facilities

We keep our costs low by using a volunteer force comprised of college students, professionals and

retirees. This works especially well for our college students because it helps them gain valuable work

experience. In addition, our retirees are particularly valuable because they bring important lifetime and

professional experience to STEP UP.

6

Personnel

Full time Staff

1 Development & Marketing Director

1 Accountant

1 Communications & Volunteer coordinator

Volunteer Staff

25 misc. support volunteers

10 consultants

4 full time financial and healthcare “consultants”

15 College students who are interested in the cause

75 Retirees who are interested in the cause.

Facilities

We keep our overhead low by collaborating with local churches to use their facilities free or with very

little overhead. STEP UP compensates the churches by reimbursing for expenses incurred, such as

lighting and heating. Our current facilities are:

St. Mary’s Community Church

Calvary Baptist Church

Friend’s Non-denominational Church

Please note that STEP UP does not share religious affiliation with the churches above.

7

Mission Statement

Step Up helps families obtain healthcare and build a better future for today and tomorrow.

Funding Priorities

“By working together we can make a difference!”--Marci Scott, founder

Step Up needs funds for these continuing programs:

Healthcare Assistance ……………………………………$300,000 Helps families who would normally be unable to afford healthcare, by helping them

prepare a budget, save for healthcare expenses and match the money they have saved.

Career Management ………………………………………….$25,000 Gives clients the resources needed to pursue a higher education. This is done by

providing career services, studying tips, and financial planning.

Lifestyle Management…………………………………….$25,000 Helps prevent diseases by teaching our clients how to live a healthy lifestyle. We do this

by teaching healthy living seminars and cooking classes.

Total = $ 350,000

Step Up needs funds for the following ongoing operational expenses

Overhead ………………………………………………. $10,000 Used for paying overhead expenses such as electricity and rent.

Staffing…………………………………………………. $100,000 Used for compensating STEP UP's four fulltime employees.

Misc.……………………………………………………………. $25,000 Provides for various operational expenses, such as office supplies, and computer programs, etc.

Total = $ 135, 000

8

Total Funds Needed = $485,000

How to get involved

We appreciate your desire to get involved and make a difference. STEP UP could not exist

without your valuable contributions. The contributions we accept include:

One-time or multi-month pledges made with your check, cash, or credit card.

Real Estate--houses, apartments, cars, etc.

Making STEP UP a beneficiary in your will

Contributing financially is not the only way to become involved with the STEP UP program.

You could…

Become a volunteer and help our clients

Tell others about STEP UP's mission

What Other Donor's are Saying …..

"Giving a donation to the STEP UP program is not just about giving money, it's about changing

a life." -- Ron Jordon, donor for the past 5 years

"STEP UP gave me so much. Why wouldn’t I want to give back?" --Jenny

9

"STEP UP encourages you to get involved beyond the money, they really want you to experience

first hand the phenomenal impact you are making in people's lives."--Michelle Whitely,

volunteer and donor

Changing a life, impact a future

When Michelle Whitley heard about STEP UP, she immediately knew she wanted to

become involved. She knew firsthand how hard it is to constantly worry about the impact

healthcare can have on finances. When she was a teenager, her brother was injured in an auto

accident and his car insurance did not even begin to cover the costs. "I was scared, I

remember wondering if we were going to lose our house," she says. "It took my parents quite

awhile to pay off the debt."

Therefore, when she received a letter asking her to become a supporter, she knew that she

had to respond. “That letter touched my heart, we had health insurance but we still had

financial problems. I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like for someone with

absolutely no health insurance."

With this in mind, Michelle became a regular donor and eventually a volunteer. “I could

never forget the man I met my first day of volunteering. He had just lost his job, and as a

result felt like a complete failure,” she says. However, when Michelle explained the

programs STEP UP had available to help him she saw his face. She says that she will never

forget the words he said to her as he walked out the door, "Thank your for giving me hope."

Therefore, says Michelle “I would like to invite you to join me in experiencing the

personal fulfillment that one gets from knowing that they have changed someone’s life.

2007 Annual Giving Chart For Step Up Organization        

                   $485,000        

10

Range Needed GiftsReceived Gifts     & Gifts Ratio Needed Prospects

Identified Prospects Range Total

Cumulative Gifts

$25,000.00 2 0 4:01 8 1 $50,000.00 $ 50,000.00 $12,000.00 3 0 4:01 12 8 $36,000.00 $ 86,000.00 $ 6,000.00 5 0 4:01 20 10 $30,000.00 $116,000.00 $ 3,000.00 12 0 4:01 48 45 $36,000.00 $152,000.00 $ 1,500.00 25 0 4:01 100 10 $37,500.00 $189,500.00 $ 1,000.00 45 0 3:01 135 15 $45,000.00 $234,500.00 $ 500.00 115 0 3:01 345 12 $57,500.00 $292,000.00 $ 250.00 150 0 3:01 450 15 $56,250.00 $348,250.00 $ 100.00 275 0 3:01 825 100 $48,125.00 $396,375.00 $ 50.00 570 0 2:01 1140 10 $42,750.00 $439,125.00

<50 950   2:01 1900 5 $45,875.00 $485,000.00   2152            

11