Congratulations and thank you to each of our campaign award winners! Your commitment and investment in the community makes a life a little better for thousands of children, families and adults of all ages! Partner of the Year – H-E-B Stores in Williamson County Large Campaign of the Year Award (1,000+ employees) – St. David’s HealthCare Mid-size Campaign of the Year Award (100-999 employees) – Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation Small Campaign of the Year Award (Less than 100 employees) – First Texas Bank Round Rock Most Improved Campaign of the Year – Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation Volunteer Partner of the Year – Dell, Inc. Campaign Coordinator of the Year – Joyce Hanson, H-E-B Community Builder Awards – Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation, St. David’s HealthCare, TD Industries Outstanding Employee Campaign Awards were also presented to Enflite, Inc., H-E-B Round Rock (RR 620/O’Connor) and H-E-B Cedar Park (Parmer/1431), JCPenney, Oncor, Scott & White Round Rock Hospital, St. David’s Georgetown Hospital, Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation, TD Industries and Wells Fargo locations in Williamson County. United Way of Williamson County (UWWC) recognized the people, businesses and nonprofits that create real change, and impact lives of thousands of Williamson County residents, at its annual campaign celebration on May 9, 2012. Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation in Round Rock was the big winner with four awards including, Mid-Size Campaign of the Year, Community Builder Award, Most Improved Campaign of the Year and Outstanding Employee Campaign Award. The ten H-E-B stores in Williamson […]
Read MorePartner Profile: ABC Home & Commercial Services
Posted on by Aviva Pinchas
Name: ABC Home & Commercial Services Partner for: 6 months Partner for: Employee Campaign, Hands On Central Texas Our relationship: Taking advantage of UWATX offerings to better the community In just a few short months, ABC has selected a variety of UWATX services to make the most of our relationship, including Employee Campaign, volunteering and employee support through Learn Where You Earn. The company participated in Fall Day of Caring, plans to conduct a Volunteer Project Leader training course and uses Hands On Central Texas to facilitate and track employee volunteering. Tailoring Employee Campaign ABC leaders and UWATX staff worked hard to consider the company’s culture and structure to create an engaging, unique Employee Campaign. To accommodate different schedules, UWATX staff held meetings at various times for different teams – including several 7 a.m. meetings. UWATX also produced Spanish-language materials for ABC’s many Spanish-speaking employees. During Fall Day of Caring, Employees were able to utilize their expertise in landscaping to improve a children’s playground at one of UWATX’s early childhood education partners. They didn’t let a little rain stop them and even finished early! The experience matched employee’s skills with community needs to benefit both. Involving leadership to make a greater impact ABC leaders have committed their time, resources and expertise to make an impact on our community through UWATX. Mark Ambrose, General Manager, not only helped coordinate their employee campaign, but personally attended each of the 20 departmental meetings to ask employees to consider supporting UWATX, even travelling to […]
Read MoreIt’s here: 2012 Target Graduation End-of-Year Results
Posted on by Christa Berry
We’ve put the finishing touches on the Target Graduation 2012 End-of-year Results, a report that summarizes the program’s successes over the past year and goals for major improvement in the lives of middle school students in the Greater Austin area. Target Graduation focuses on two areas of work –middle school and out-of-school time – both of which are proven to have a major impact on the success of a student in college, work and life. In the middle school work, Target Graduation’s goal is to change the trajectory of three high-needs middle schools in the Greater Austin area by creating and refining a system of board-spectrum services. Through the Middle School Matters initiative, the program coordinates a wide array of evidence-based services and provides campuses with integrated coordination to ensure the services area available to meet the specific needs of students. Great strides were made this year: As a result of UWATX coordination and funding, our partners delivered more than 1,200 interventions (sessions in behavioral health, case management, mentoring, out-of-school time, parent education and tutoring) at 3 high-needs middle schools. Target Graduation facilitated 75 Youth Program Quality assessments, 23 professional development courses and the training of 108 individuals on improving the quality of their youth programs. Looking forward, we will continue to implement research- and evidence-based models and tracking results to improve the outcomes for children and youth in Greater Austin. We are excited about the future potential of Target Graduation and all UWATX could do for Greater Austin, our stakeholders […]
Read MoreSuccess: $500K of early childhood funding restored
Posted on by Aviva Pinchas
When the City of Austin approved the City’s budget just a few weeks ago, it included a significant win for the youngest and most vulnerable children in Austin: the City restored approximately $500,000 in funding for services to young children. +500K Approximate funding restored to early childhood services throughout Greater Austin thanks to advocacy from UWATX and our partners. “When the City re-bid their Health and Human Services contracts last year, programs serving children under 6 lost more than $850,000 in funding,” explains Sue Carpenter, Senior Director of Success By 6 . “That included parent education, home visiting, literacy services, Head Start and child care centers – it was a significant blow, particularly because these are 3-year contracts.” In response, community organizations rallied together under the leadership of UWATX’s Success By 6 program to identify common goals, create a plan and lobby City Council to restore funding. Thanks to their efforts, Austin’s youngest community members are receiving more support. The restored funds include $150,000 of on-going funding and $350,000 of one-time allocations. With input from Success By 6 and other leaders, the City’s Early Childhood Council is working on recommendations for how the money will be spent. “We still have more to do – this is a great victory for young children, but we need to get back to previous funding levels so we can truly serve our children and invest in the future of our community,” said Carpenter. “Public officials need to see that all of these efforts are working toward […]
Read MorePilot Training: Financial Education Delivered to Social Workers
Posted on by Christa Berry
“About 1 in 5 people, or 20.3 percent of all people in Austin lived in poverty [in 2011],” according to a recent Austin American-Statesman article. Although that’s a decrease from the 20.8 percent in 2010, it’s still a significant number…nearly 32,000 people. One of the most effective solutions in fighting poverty is to educate working poor individuals and families – by supplying them with tools and support individuals can become empowered to take control of their finances. The hurdle: Providing education to 32,000 Austinites would take a large amount of resources and even more time. The solution: Using pre-existing platforms, such as a client/social worker relationship, to reach groups of the working poor provides considerable opportunities to scale. Across the country, social service providers are providing financial stability services in a way that’s culturally competent and builds off a client’s strengths. By understanding the financial values and habits of clients, practitioners are better able to address the root cause of financial insecurity. And so, last week United Way for Greater Austin launched a training, the Client-focused Financial Empowerment Seminar, which was piloted at the University of Texas’ School of Social Work. The seminar, which was a full-day training, was coordinated by UWATX’s Financial Opportunity staff and was conducted by national experts, Robin McKinney and Sara Johnson. Both McKinney and Johnson are directors of Maryland and Baltimore’s Creating Assets, Savings and Hope (C.A.S.H.) campaign, a network of organizations that promote financial stability for working families. The more than 60 participants were […]
Read MoreDay of Caring 2012
Posted on by Lindsey Tyner
Friday, September 28, 2012 marked United Way of Williamson County’s annual Day of Caring. More than 175 individuals, families and groups, including many from local employers came together to tackle work at 14 different project locations in Hutto, Georgetown, Round Rock and Taylor. Volunteers that attended the kick off rally at Dell Diamond sponsored by BBVA Compass, were treated to a LIVE UNITED t-shirt, breakfast tacos from H-E-B and Starbucks coffee. In his welcome to the group, Ed Komandosky, United Way of Williamson County (UWWC) board chair said, “While the breakfast and t-shirt isn’t much of a thank you for your time, you need to know that your time is invaluable to the organizations you will be helping today.” LeAnn Pow ers, Chief Professional Officer for United Way of Williamson County went on to state, “United Way often talks about three ways that we make an impact in the community. Give. Advocate. Volunteer. Today is about the last one. The time you spend today cleaning up at a school or painting or sorting donations is a tremendous help to those organizations.” Volunteers sorted and organized donations for local charity garage sales, thrift stores and clothing drives, while other groups helped with landscaping, light construction work, painting and beautification projects. “I want to personally thank those individuals who chose to take time out of their day to participate in the Day of Caring,” said Debbie Holland, Mayor of Hutto and Day of Caring Volunteer. “It is opportunities like this that show […]
Read MoreWhat’s the best way to make a difference as a corporation?
Posted on by Guest
How do you enable your employees to make a difference in a way that maximizes their impact, builds professional skills, and increases their engagement? In addition, how do you use your unique position in the market to enhance these impact efforts and market yourself as a thought leader in that particular area in a way that drives business benefit? These are the main questions facing companies as they develop their corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy, and as the leader of a CSR program they are questions I wrestle with every day. My company, the Advisory Board, a Washington, D.C. and Austin, Texas based research, consulting, and technology firm focused on elevating the performance of healthcare and higher education organizations, has always been focused on service. We were founded thirty years ago on principles such as a “spirit of generosity” and going “beyond commerce” to help our members and those in need. However, our employees have sought to maximize this ethos of service by recently pushing us to ensure we utilize their skills, talent, and interests in the most effective manner. One of the trends at our firm and across the country is that volunteerism and responsibility efforts are increasingly employee-driven and focused on impactful service, rather than a top-down push from executives focused on using CSR as a driver of the bottom line (though executive interest in CSR is also an increasing trend). This push has led to a surge in skills-based volunteering interest, allowing employees to use their combined time, […]
Read MoreWLC sees their investment pay off with Play To Learn
Posted on by Aviva Pinchas
On Wednesday, September 12, members of the Women’s Leadership Council (WLC) gathered to learn more about the evolution of Play To Learn, part of the Success By 6 program that works to coach parents of vulnerable young children on school readiness at accessible neighborhood locations. “The initial pilot program was funded by the WLC, so we wanted to show them how that investment had grown,” said Leah Meunier, Manager of Donor Engagement. “Thanks to the WLC’s seed money along with a generous gift from Samsung Austin Semiconductor and strong partnerships with Austin Public Libraries, KLRU and The University of Texas at Austin, we’re making a targeted, measurable difference in the lives of young children.” The current version of Play To Learn addresses the needs and barriers identified through extensive UWATX research: Accessible neighborhood locations make it easy for parents to get to the program – removing barriers for parents to participate Instruction focuses on developing fine motor skills, problem solving and communication – areas where research shows children are falling behind The course includes eight two-hour classes with curriculum developed by UWATX. The goal is to provide a variety of tools for parents to engage their children. “Each class starts with healthy snacks as an opportunity to talk about nutrition,” said Kaley Horton, who manages the project. “Most of our time is spent with an activity – from art to blocks to other games – that teaches a skill, and these vary by week. We also showcase appropriate PBS clips […]
Read MoreUnited Way kicks off media campaign with a call-to-action – Garners support of media outlets and corporations
Posted on by Heather Luecke
United Way for Greater Austin (UWATX) today kicked off a 3-month media campaign to inspire increased philanthropic giving in the local community. The campaign, which was created by local agency Creative Suitcase, will run September into early December and be seen in online and print advertising as well as on three CapMetro buses. One of the buses is a full-wrap making a dramatic and impactful impression on Austin’s roads. Bus routes of the wrapped buses are alternated over the three months to increase visibility across the city. Additionally, radio advertising will also be a part of the campaign. This campaign is possible due to in-kind contributions from media outlets, companies and organizations. 3M donated the materials, production and installation for the bus wraps; Creative Suitcase donated design hours; and Austin American-Statesman, KUT, Texas Tribune, The Austin Chronicle, CapMetro and Google have all contributed in-kind media space. All told the in-kind contributions making this campaign possible total more than $150,000. Russell Bridges, Government and Community Affairs Manager at 3M commented: “3M is pleased to be the market leader in many innovative materials, one being the product that makes these creative and impactful bus wraps possible. And we are particularly pleased to be able to offer our product and support the production and installation for a campaign here locally with United Way for Greater Austin.” He continued, “3M has a long history of philanthropic support worldwide for the communities in which it does business and we are proud to support United Way […]
Read More2012 Fall Day of Caring Complete!
Posted on by Christa Berry
Although it was rainy and dreary this morning, we still forged ahead with our annual Fall Day of Caring – with some projects starting at 6 am! The turnout was fantastic – 749 volunteers showed up to power through the nasty weather and give back to our community. Volunteers signed up for Fall Day of Caring as individuals and employees of local companies like ABC Home & Commercial Services, Austin American-Statesmen, Freescale, and Dell, and spread out across 20+ projects. Projects included several beautification projects, an Empty Bowl project at Garza High School, financial kit distribution, and Disaster Response Training + more. Over the course of the day, volunteers completed 2,622 hours of service – giving a total of $57,123 in donated labor costs! To conclude the day, we hosted a Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon at The Long Center, where volunteers got to kick back and listen to some great local music. Special thanks to Freescale for being our Premiere Sponsor and to Austin Coca-Cola for donating beverages to keep our volunteers hydrated! View additional photos from the event! Below is some initial feedback from participants of Fall Day of Caring. Please feel free to leave additional feedback in the comment fields below. ABC Home & Commercial wrote about their time at Open Door Preschool: “Great team building experience. The Open Door folks were fantastic and very appreciative. Enjoyed working with them.” – Bobby Jenkins “I volunteered with […]
Read More