Dave Sisk is a man on a mission. As the Manager of Community Engagement for the United Way of La Porte County, Sisk is committed to bringing in more than $1 million this year to support 22 United Way agencies that are providing more than 30 vital health and human service programs across La Porte County.
“Last year, one out of four people in La Porte County utilized something funded by United Way,” he said.
A key fundraising event is the Nov. 9 “A Night in Old Chicago” at the Blue Chip Casino. Blue Chip and Sullair are the major sponsors for the benefit, which includes food and drinks from popular Northwest Indiana restaurants, live entertainment, an upscale silent auction and “mingling with The Blues Brothers, flappers and gangsters from the 1920s.”
Sisk, 44, recently talked about his role during an interview in his office at United Way’s new location in the Northern Indiana Education Foundation building, located at 115 E. Fourth St. across from the Michigan City Public Library. They share an office suite with Unity Foundation and Healthy Communities of La Porte County.
He is a native of South Bend and attended Indiana University Bloomington as a theater major.
“I thought I was going to be the best actor and director to come out of Indiana,” he said.
He enjoyed acting in and directing campus productions until his parents found out about his future plans.
“They were paying the bills and said, ‘No, not on our budget,’” Sisk said. “I hated math and I was not good at science.”
He did well in a criminal justice class and ended up with a bachelor’s degree in that field. After serving as a probation officer from 1992 to 1999 in South Bend, Elkhart and Benton Harbor, Sisk became frustrated by the amount of paperwork and the sense that, in 99 percent of the cases, he was not making a difference in people’s lives.
So he enrolled in Indiana University South Bend intending to get a teaching credential. He took a full-time job with United Way of St. Joseph County.
“I really fell in love with what we were doing,” Sisk said. “Being in the United Way office, you can see the impact. You’re working with volunteers and companies who are engaged in United Way without having to pull anybody’s teeth.”
United Way offered him an ideal opportunity to be out talking with people about an organization he really believed in. During the 12 years he worked for United Way of St. Joseph County, Sisk was director of the 2-1-1 call center that provides up-to-date contact information and referrals to those in need of assistance with housing, health care, transportation, employment and a host of other resources. Before Sisk left to join United Way in La Porte County a year and a half ago, the 2-1-1 center in South Bend was handling calls for six regional counties, including La Porte County.
United Way of La Porte County is currently organizing a similar information clearinghouse, or “one stop shop,” to link potential volunteers to agencies that need assistance.
Sisk is a gregarious, high-energy idea guy who is very upbeat about the energy and commitment he sees in the La Porte County community.
“What attracted me here is the companies are 110 percent behind United Way,” Sisk said. “The top 15 donors love United Way so there’s no hard sell. They’re creating ideas to raise more money and our message is getting out in our community. United Way can only succeed if we work with the community donors, volunteers and employee campaigns. We raise funds so agencies don’t have to.”
United Way works on behalf of people all year, not just at campaign time – which Sisk calls “the spinal cord function.” United Way is at work when Meals on Wheels delivers food to seniors, volunteers build free ramps for disabled people and area schools offer four week Kindergarten Camps to prepare disadvantaged kids for their first day of school.
“It just goes on and on about what United Way does in this community,” Sisk said.
He’s having fun working for an organization that enables him to achieve his professional goal of making a difference in people’s lives.
For Sisk and La Porte County United Way, things are truly “Better Together.”