Seila Alagic has been working at the Intercultural Mutual Assistance Association (IMAA) for the past 19 years and is the organization’s United Way Workplace Champion. As such, she is a key volunteer who leads and coordinates the United Way of Olmsted County campaign within their workplace to raise awareness and funds for local social issues.
We recently sat down with her to talk about her experience as a Workplace Champion.
Q. How long have you lived in Southeast Minnesota?
A. I've been in the state of Minnesota for 28 years. I was born and raised in Bosnia until the outbreak of the war in 1992 that forced my family and me to seek refuge. We spent three years in refugee camp in Serbia before resettling in the United States, landing in Erie, Pennsylvania. We had friends from the refugee camp who lived in Rochester. They somehow found out that we were in the United States, and they connected with us and said come here. We decided to send couple boxes here, took a 27-hour bus ride, and we came to Rochester. We've been here ever since.
Q. How did you first learn about United Way’s work?
A. When I had my first child, I remember in the hospital, they give you so much paperwork that you fill out. When I was home with my daughter, I started getting monthly books [distributed by United Way of Olmsted County, in partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library]. And to me, I was like, why is United Way sending me books? Who are they? And then I realized that you guys worked with the Mayo Hospital, and that's where I filled out the paperwork to enroll us to get monthly free books. So that's how I learned first about United Way. Then, as I started working [at IMAA] back in 2005, that's when I really learned more about the whole business side and what, really, you all do in the community. It's not just the books that you provide to kids, but much more.
“I strongly encourage 100% participation in our campaigns, emphasizing that every contribution, regardless of its size, can make a meaningful difference in the place we call home. By all of us contributing, we can support our community and individuals in need.”
Q. So then what prompted you to become a workplace champion?
A. When I first joined IMAA in 2005, our nonprofit was small, with a staff of around 12 employees. As operations manager at a smaller company, you tend to have one job title, but you wear a lot of hats and do a lot of different jobs. My job title was and still is Operations Manager, but I do a lot of HR duties as well. As part of my role, I encourage our staff to actively engage in supporting our community through partnerships and contributions aimed to better our future in Olmsted County. The United Way Campaign became part of my job duties.
Attending various gatherings and events hosted by United Way provided me with more insights and knowledge of all the things United Way does for our community. That opened up my eyes a lot, and I was like, wow, this is awesome, and I said to myself, I am part of that.
Q. How does being a workplace champion fit in with your other roles at your organization?
A. I try to be a very loving person here for everybody, so that they can see me as an employee but also as a friend. I open my doors to anybody here for anything. They talk to me; they even sometimes share personal experiences.
My goal is always to bring positivity to staff. Because our staff are mostly immigrants or refugees, we share a deep understanding of the challenges we have overcome and continue facing. When we came to US, most of our struggles were learning English, getting transportation, finding jobs, going to school, shopping. If it wasn’t for organizations such as IMAA and United Way, it would have been hard to do everything on your own.
The fact that United Way has continuously funded IMAA since 1984 is also a huge thing. I often remind my coworkers that our organization stands today because of organizations such as United Way and the support we have gotten over the years from them. We always have to remember where we came from and have to give back and pay forward when we can. I strongly encourage 100% participation in our campaigns, emphasizing that every contribution, regardless of its size, can make a meaningful difference in the place we call home. By all of us contributing, we can support our community and individuals in need.
“Because United Way makes it so easy to donate through the payroll, that makes a huge difference. As a company, it makes you feel like we can do something to better our community.”
Q. How would you describe the value of United Way workplace campaigns?
A. I think it's great that United Way exists and is able to work with other businesses and get help. Donating through an employer makes it easier, I believe, because you talk about it more at work, instead of just getting one email or letter at home. We talk about United Way until we get 100% participation from our staff.
Because United Way makes it so easy to donate through the payroll, that makes a huge difference. Once they agree to the donation, we set up our payroll deductions for employees and then they have nothing to worry about. Their contributions go directly to United Way and are reflected in their W2s.
Throughout the year, we share United Way stories with staff, do small celebrations for our contributions, and attend yearly United Way events. As a company, it makes us feel like we are doing something to better our community.
Q. One last question – what are your hopes for the future?
A. Hopefully, we can continue growing with United Way, and more companies can join in, so that together, we can work to eliminate hunger and poverty and help more people in need in Olmsted County. It would be great if there was nobody on the street, nor hungry. I hope for peace and love in our community, where we can all educate ourselves to do better so that tomorrow, our community is a better place to live.
Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
###
About United Way of Olmsted County
United Way of Olmsted County (UWOC) is a community change organization with the mission to unite people and resources to improve lives in our community.
We fight for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in our community in a variety of ways: we collaborate with local organizations, businesses, and community leaders to mobilize their expertise and resources; we accelerate impact by strengthening systems and cultivating leaders to build a community where all people can thrive, regardless of race or place; and we participate in a collective effort that empowers local residents to create lasting transformations in their own communities through our focus on community-driven change.
Adèle McLees
Communications Coordinator
United Way of Olmsted County