I’m writing regarding an article published April 23 (“Teen pregnancy education group marks 25 years of perseverance”). Back in 1991, Rowan County’s teen pregnancy rate was significantly higher than the state average.

The Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Council (APPC), under the auspices of the Health Department, was working to reverse that trend. At the same time, the Rowan County United Way conducted its very first needs assessment. It identified the top three health and human service challenges in our community — adult daycare, information and referral services and adolescent pregnancy prevention.

This was significant because the United Way was seeking a partner with which to work in the teen pregnancy area. As APPC board chair, I worked with Cynda Wood in seeking member agency status. The United Way Board granted this status to our organization and provided annual, sustainable funding, allowing APPC to become autonomous from the Health Department.

Over the next few years, the agency broadened its mission and was renamed Families First.

Since 1992, APPC/Families First has received generous funding from our United Way, however in the recent Salisbury Post article there was no mention of the United Way. It is critical the community know how important this funding has been to Families First. Without their support, there is no doubt services would have been diminished. Each year grants come and go, but the one thing the agency could count on was its United Way funding.

— Mark Lewis

Salisbury