In the Greater Austin area, child poverty rates are nearly 25 percent higher than the national average and only 13 percent of children raised in Austin’s low-income neighborhoods enter kindergarten ready to learn. These concerning statistics are the target of UWATX’s Success By 6 program through initiatives like Play To Learn, a project that targets low-income families from under-resourced neighborhoods in Greater Austin and surrounding areas. Play To Learn provides high-quality early education for children alongside their parents. The goal is to help parents learn how to put their children on the path to success in school and life. We recently say down with Play To Learn mom, Naomi, and her daughter (with the most precious blonde curls you’ll ever see), Tirzah, to hear how the program is supporting them. Why did you and your daughter start participating in United Way’s Play To Learn program? I was in search of fun things to do with my daughter. She’s at the age where she likes to explore and interact and, most importantly, be active, so I thought this was a great opportunity for us to learn and grow together. Do you feel the program is having an impact on you and your daughter? It has had an impact in both our lives. I believe it’s very important to set routines and schedules with toddlers and I had no idea on where and how to start; Play To Learn has helped me create a safe environment for her, where there is discipline and […]
Read MoreGet in better financial shape – 10 tips from the Financial Empowerment Boot Camp
In Texas, working families are often unable to access traditional financial services that can help them repair or build financial stability but across the country, social service providers are working to educate client. That’s why our Financial Opportunity program brought in staff from the Baltimore and Maryland CASH Campaigns to provide training for more than 40 nonprofit providers about how to talk to their clients about money. The Financial Empowerment Boot Camp covered the role of a practitioner, exploring their own financial values, exploring their clients’ financial lives, and financial content and resources. Below are a few tips from the Boot Camp that can not only help clients you may work with but also help you with your own personal finances: Giving people the confidence to make better financial decisions and to access existing resources can change their financial reality. Most people don’t have someone to talk to specifically about their finances besides a bankruptcy attorney or credit counselor. You CAN talk to people about money. It may sound too personal, but you can do it even if you aren’t an expert on financial issues. Your finances don’t have to be perfect to talk to anyone about money. We are often ashamed of our own financial mistakes. Use these as a teaching tool and way to build rapport. No one is perfect. You already have many of the skills that you need to talk to people about money. Likely you have great skills around listening, asking powerful questions, problem solving, and […]
Read MoreElected officials & local organizations partner to get Central Texans covered
UPDATED 10.31.2013: In the first month, UWATX received more than 650 calls related to the Health Insurance Marketplace. Learn more about the process so far from KEYE. Download the following maps: Hays County Williamson County Travis County In Central Texas and across the country, the Health Insurance Marketplace just launched. We’ve been working to connect individuals to government health programs through the UWATX Navigation Center and today we came together with a wide range of elected officials and health care advocates to urge Central Texans to sign up for coverage. “Today represents a big step – a serious step – toward making health insurance available and affordable to so many Texans who need it,” said Senator Kirk Watson at today’s press conference. Oct. 1 marked the first day of open enrollment for the Marketplace, which allows applicants to easily access, compare and sign up for a variety of health insurance plans in person, online or over the phone. Consumers can access the Marketplace by going to healthcare.gov. In Austin, they can call the UWATX Navigation Center by dialing 2-1-1 to find their nearest Certified Application Counselor. “The Affordable Care Act is law, and about 1.5 million Texans will benefit from the opening of the Health Insurance Marketplace that the Act allows,” Watson said. “But don’t forget, Texas leads the nation in our percentage of uninsured residents. There’s still much, much more we can do to ensure that Texans have the health coverage they need.” More than one in four […]
Read MoreThank You Austin!
At United Way for Greater Austin, our mission is to inspire, lead and unite an eclectic community of philanthropists including individuals, nonprofits, businesses and government to overcome barriers to economic opportunities and ensure Greater Austin continues to thrive. To help fulfill this mission, we offer our donors the opportunity to designate a portion or all of their donation to any nonprofit of their choice. Below is a TOP 50 list of local organizations our donors designated a portion or all of their donation to in our 2012 Campaign Year. In total, during the 2012 Campaign Year, we raised $16 MILLION for 1,712 nonprofit organizations! So, THANK YOU Austin! Because of each and every one of our donors and supporters, Central Texas is becoming a better place to live for ALL of us. For a complete list of the organizations that receive donations through UWATX, please visit uwatx.org/nonprofits AGE of Central Texas AIDS Services of Austin American Cancer Society Austin Metro Market American Red Cross of Central Texas American YouthWorks Animal Trustees of Austin Any Baby Can* Austin Children’s Shelter Austin Community College Foundation Austin Habitat for Humanity Austin Parks Foundation Austin Pets Alive Austin Recovery* Bannockburn Baptist Church Bastrop County Emergency Food Pantry Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas* Bookspring* Boy Scouts of America Capital Area Council Boys and Girls Clubs of Austin and Travis County* Breakthrough* Breast Cancer Resource Center of Austin Capital Area Food Bank Caritas of Austin CASA of Central Texas CASA of Travis County Catholic Charities […]
Read MoreFinancial Opportunity rewards those who open bank accounts
The Financial Opportunity team at UWATX recently had the pleasure of rewarding our Bank on Central Texas grand prize raffle winner, Mark Mead, for taking a critical step towards financial security – opening a bank account. In April, Financial Opportunity launched a strategic outreach campaign to help Central Texas families save hundreds of dollars each year by opening free or low-cost bank accounts. Mark, who was among many individuals to take part in the campaign, opened an account with Greater Texas Federal Credit Union, conveniently located on his way home. Without a bank account, families pay close to $1,000 a year in fees to cash checks. For many unbanked individuals, how close a financial institution is to their home can make a significant difference because getting to a far away location is often not an option. Transportation is just one of the barriers to accessing quality financial services, along with a lack of education about what services are available and how to access them. Our outreach efforts were another step towards breaking this education barrier. Without access to mainstream financial services, individuals may spend tens of thousands of dollars over a lifetime on the high fees associated with check cashing, money orders and other alternative financial services. According to the Brookings Institute, the average unbanked worker spends an estimated $40,000 throughout his or her life just to cash paychecks. More than that, a bank account is often the first step towards greater security – the beginning of a relationship with a bank […]
Read MoreNew Employee Campaign season, exciting new tools
With the start of Employee Campaign season (which typically runs from July to January), we joined the new crop of Employee Campaign Leaders (ECLs) for our 2013 ECL Annual Meeting. The event was an opportunity to showcase the new tools we’ll be using this campaign season, meet some new faces & reconnect with familiar ones. Employee Campaign Leaders are individuals identified by leaders at a company running an Employee Campaign to be internal champions for the effort. They define goals, coordinate activities and work closely with account managers on our staff to implement best practices and create a great experience for their fellow employees. What’s new UWATX Online Store: We’ve launched the UWATX Online Store to create a way for companies to purchase various customized items for their Campaign. UWATX Videos: Along with two longer videos, we’ve introduced a series of five one-minute videos to help explain our work . Share a story: We’re looking to feature individuals who benefited from United Way in the past and now give back because of that experience. Do you or a coworker, friend or peer have a story? Inspire others by sharing your story with the Greater Austin community! ECL Linked In group: To help ECLs connect to one another, we’ve launched a LinkedIn group. We also held a raffle for those who signed up for the group the night of the event – congrats to Mike Tay with Rockwell Automation! What’s updated Campaign In A Box: This toolkit includes tons of helpful documents like our United Way 101, assorted email […]
Read MoreH-E-B Partners celebrate philanthropy
Each year we host the H-E-B In-Store Coordinator Training here at UWATX – an afternoon where roughly 60-70 H-E-B Partners come together to energized and informed for the upcoming United Way Employee Campaign. A being a part of this training, which took place Friday, is not only exciting for H-E-B Partners, but also for the UWATX staff involved – everyone present has such an infectious, positive energy. Jeff Thomas, Senior Vice President & General Manager for the Central Texas region of H-E-B, and Kathleen Farlow, Managing Partner at Deloitte and incoming UWATX Campaign co-chair, kicked off the training with highlights from last year. Afterwards, coordinators introduced themselves – revealing a lot of first-timers – shared experiences from past campaigns and offered up tips to other stores about how to engage team members. “I think H-E-B is so successful at raising money because everyday their employees see struggling community members in their stores,” said Sherry Klein, the UWATX Development Officer that manages the HEB Campaign. “Some have even experienced those struggles themselves and the United Way Employee Campaign makes it easy for them to give back – even if it’s only a dollar or two a paycheck.” In 2012, H-E-B reported having 90 percent participation at some stores – a true testament that the company and its employees are committed to the Greater Austin community. [AFG_gallery id=’7′]
Read MoreHighlighting local philanthropy: Shantel Tharps
At UWATX we know one single story can inspire thousands to give back, united our community and offer hope. This year, we’re telling stories of individuals who, at one point or another, received services/support from UWATX and now give back in dollars or time. Their stories prove that ANYONE can be a philanthropist. Most recently, I sat down with Shantel Tharps, a middle school teacher, whose story inspired me beyond belief. When did you receive support from United Way and what did it help with? When I went off to college in the fall of 1990, I had twin daughters with me, no car and finances were tight. During my second semester my girls and I moved into family housing on my campus and United Way helped my find quality child care and even helped me pay for it. It made it possible for me to bring my daughters with me to college rather than leaving them with their grandparents. Did that experience have a lasting impact on you and your family? If so, how? Yes it did! I was able to make it through those seasons of life with the help of United Way! The child care United Way helped us pay for was more of a learning center with high school mentors for the kids. I remember the ones that helped my girls really made them feel special and took an active part in all they did. We still have the little farewell apple she made them when they ‘graduated’ […]
Read MoreVolunteer Project Leaders celebrate a year of success!
Just a few days ago, we celebrated the achievements of our Volunteer Project Leaders – 30 middle school students from Decker, Mendez and Webb Middle Schools who have become community advocates in just a few short months. Across three campuses and two school districts, students: completed 10 volunteer projects; gave 479 hours of volunteer work; and contributed the equivalent of $10,811 in volunteer time to the community! Projects included campus clean-ups, painting healthy and educational activities for outside play, creating campus motivational walls with letters from supportive adults, distributing food at a local food pantry and hosting a Community Cultual Celebration for families – just to name a few! To say Thank You and recognize their efforts, we gathered at UWATX offices – check out the pictures. Here’s what some of these amazing volunteer leaders – all 7th graders who participated in VPL – had to say about it all: Q: Why are you participating in United Way for Greater Austin’s VPL training? Valerie: I participated because I want to help other people and the experience I get from it. Breonna: I participated for fun! Jaritza: I saw it as an opportunity to do something in our community. Breon: I participated to join in on the VPL events and attend meetings. Q: What projects have you enjoyed the most? Valerie: I enjoyed Community Cultural Celebration the most because a lot of people were involved and I helped out my community in a good way. Breonna: The Community Cultural Celebration! Jaritza: The Community […]
Read MoreThank a teacher this week!
Every day, teachers in our community touch the lives of students and parents in significant ways. They work to ensure our children receive high-quality education and they encourage, support and prepare students for their future. At United Way for Greater Austin, we all have memories of teachers who connected with us when were students. As parents, we all know teachers who know how to reach our kids, and who inspire them to succeed. As an organization that works in early child care and supports middle schoolers, we have the opportunity to work with and support educators every day who are committed to creating positive learning environments for all students. Through our Target Graduation program, which provides support to youth during those tough middle school years, UWATX works to positively impact the culture of learning in schools – making is easier for teachers to focus on their work while assuring students get the additional services they need. “United Way’s Middle School Matters (a Target Graduation initiative) has been a great resource for our school,” said one Webb Middle School teacher. “Teachers and students lives have been changed for the better based on the services provided. I don’t think our school would have been as strong as it is in terms of students support if United Way was not here.” Join us this week as we say “Thank you!” to teachers in the Central Texas community! There are a number of ways you can thank a teacher this week: Leave a special treat on a […]
Read More