Blog

Nordstrom volunteers go above and beyond to impact kids’ lives

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Aviva Pinchas

A dozen volunteers from Nordstrom visited Webb Middle School last week to compile Kamico math activity kits that will be used my teachers to support the entire 7th grade for the rest of the year. Their story is an example of what happens when United Way brings together caring companies and local educators to make a difference in our community. Before the project started, Webb students spoke with Nordstrom volunteers about the importance of this and other projects on their campus. Webb is one of three middle schools in the Greater Austin area chosen to participate in Middle School Matters- a UWCA initiative to bring essential services offered by non-profits to key campuses and thus increase graduation rates. “The Middle School Matters initiative has been a blessing for our students and our campus,” said Valerie Torres-Solis, Assistant Principal at Webb Middle School. “Last year my options in terms of helping my students were so very limited. I could provide consequences but no real plan with resources to address the issues. This year, with the support of Middle School Matters, I have quality services to offer my students and their families. I know that when their hearts are right, there minds will be ready to achieve academic success.”

City of Austin saves $7200 thanks to Bank On Central Texas

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Aviva Pinchas

As one of Austin’s largest employers, the City of Austin is setting a strong example about how employers can empower their workers: over 350 City of Austin employees have switched to using direct deposit to deposit their paychecks thanks to Bank On Central Texas, a collaboration between United Way Capital Area and PeopleFund. This move will save the City more than $7200 in fees annually and save each employee who switched nearly $150 every year. “We’re supporting employers to help them make the best financial decisions for their employees,” said Jill Shah, Director, Financial Stability at UWCA. “Using direct deposit is an easy way for both parties to get more out of their dollars.”

[GUEST BLOG] Volunteerism – Make a Difference for Your Community and Business

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Aviva Pinchas

The power of workplace volunteerism is huge –Americans are volunteering in record numbers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ January 2010 report, 1.5 million more Americans volunteered between September 2008 and September 2009 than the previous year. Wells Fargo team members in Austin have been actively involved with the United Way for many years and in fact, our Diversity Council and Team Member Networks are already planning projects to support the “Day of Caring” campaign in the Spring. In addition to working for a company that has contributed more than $1.6 million to the United Way since 1999, I have also had the honor of serving on the United Way’s Campaign Cabinet and the Community Advisory Council. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do. Yet there also is a host of business benefits that can result from community service. Read on for a few examples of win-win situations that can be created when businesses support their employee volunteerism.

Campaign Spotlight: Courtney Medford

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Aviva Pinchas

As a Public Relations major, Courtney never pictured herself working in the nonprofit industry after graduation. However, 3 months into her job as a Campaign Associate (CA) at United Way Capital Area (UWCA), Courtney confesses that her passion for this work has grown tremendously in ways she couldn’t have imagined. Before joining the team, Courtney was a typical Public Relations major at St. Edward’s University. She was focused on maintaining a good GPA, and served as the President of her university’s Public Relations Student Society of America chapter. “My interest in non-profits first started in college” she admits. “But my passion grew as I became more involved with United Way’s philanthropy efforts.”

Campaign Co-Chair Q&A: Part 2

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Aviva Pinchas

For United Way Capital Area’s annual Workplace Giving Campaigns, two dedicated volunteers help promote the importance of giving through the workplace by serving as Campaign Co-Chairs. This year’s Co-Chairs are Ben Bentzin, CEO of Interactive Health Technologies, Inc., and Jeff Thomas, Regional Vice President for H-E-B. They answered some questions about their role in the campaign in the second of this three-part series. Why do you give to UWCA? Jeff: It’s a wonderful organization that touches so many different needs in our community and I have a passion around many of these needs- education for one, especially early education. You can impact the life of a young child even prior to going into school and make a difference in their life forever. Right now, we’re putting a lot of time, energy and money into building literacy rates in the state of Texas and our chairman Charles Butt is very passionate about that, as I am. I also have a passion around the well-being and health of the people in our community. H-E-B is doing an awful lot to make sure we’re educating our partners about being healthy, taking better care of themselves and many of the organizations that UWCA touches connect to that. There’s so many different needs in our community that, if not for UWCA, would go unfilled, so that’s why I’m passionate about giving and supporting United Way. Why do you have a passion for improving the Austin community? Ben: When I’m out during campaign, I talk about […]

UWCA welcomes new Board members

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Aviva Pinchas

UWCA’s Board of Directors is a group of dedicated volunteers that shape the vision for the organization’s future and provide critical support in achieving ambitious goals for positive change in our community. In October, UWCA welcomed 3 new board members: Ben Bentzin, CEO of Interactive Health Technologies, Inc. Don Kendrick, Regional President for Wells Fargo’s Central Texas Region Sheila Plank, retired strategic marketing and management executive They join Bill O’Brien, elected Board Chair in August; Gayle Greer, who joined the board in August; and 12 other passionate and committed board members. “I’m excited to see the latest additions to our board,” said Debbie Bresette, President, United Way Capital Area. “They represent unique and important voices in our community that will help United Way deliver on our promise to create measurable, positive change.” UWCA is proud to welcome these 5 standout professionals in their new roles and we are thankful for the invaluable leadership of our board.

UWCA receives Partner of the Year award for Youth work

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Aviva Pinchas

United Way Capital Area was honored at yesterday’s Breakfast of Champions event with the Partner of the Year award for our work to improve out of school time programs in our community. The event was hosted by Central Texas Afterschool Network (CTAN) and recognized community organizations, school officials, volunteers and government entities. See the full list, including UWCA Youth Leadership Council member Raphael Travis and numerous UWCA partners. “Out of School Time programs are paramount in moving our children forward,” said Debbie Bresette, President, United Way Capital Area. “UWCA is proud to receive this award and to be a part of making a difference in the lives of children in our community.” This year, CTAN embarked on a mapping study to identify gaps in Out of School time services in 17 high-need zip codes in Travis County. UWCA helped design the study and survey questions. UWCA also worked with CTAN to add three new categories to this year’s awards: Program Quality Staff, Program Quality Site and Program Quality Organization. “This sends an important message that we need to maintain high standards for out of school time programs,” said Laura LaFuente, Director of Community Building for UWCA’s Youth Initiative. “These categories highlight the importance of quality out of school programs and will hopefully inspire others to reach these same standards.”

Campaign Co-Chair Q&A, Part 1

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Aviva Pinchas

For United Way Capital Area’s annual Workplace Giving Campaigns, two dedicated volunteers help promote the importance of giving through the workplace by serving as Campaign Co-Chairs. This year’s Co-Chairs are Ben Bentzin, CEO of Interactive Health Technologies, Inc., and Jeff Thomas, Regional Vice President for H-E-B. They answered some questions about their role in the campaign in the first of this three-part series. What is the role of the Campaign Co-Chair? The role of the Campaign Co-Chair is to be the cheerleader for the campaign. It’s a lot like being in a political campaign, except instead of running for yourself, you’re running to raise money for our community. I love being Campaign Co-Chair, it’s a chance for me to go out every day- I’ve been out every day this week- and talk about all the impact we can have through education, income and health. I also love seeing the diversity of the campaigns that we have and how these employee-driven campaigns are totally different but perfect for their individual companies- they’re motivating for employees, it gives them a chance to get to know each other better and do some good in the community. Why did you choose to become this year’s Campaign Co-Chair? I’ve been associated with United Way almost my entire H-E-B career and in fact early in my management years with H-E-B in the early 80s, I was the coordinator for H-E-B’s United Way campaign for one of those years. Ever since then I’ve had a connection to […]

UWCA raises over $100K for Wildfire Relief

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Aviva Pinchas

It’s hard to believe it has been over a month since wildfires broke out across Central Texas. For UWCA, this time of year is always busy with workplace giving campaigns, but the wildfire relief efforts brought an added sense of urgency to the work we do. Within hours of hearing about the fires, our 2-1-1 (the United Way Helpline) team went to work verifying information on resources, services and safety. Social media is now a huge part of every disaster recovery effort so 2-1-1 staff members scoured social channels for up-to-the-minute news, verified its validity and then served as a hub of verified information for all callers. UWCA also initiated a text-to-give campaign, so anyone can text “Wildfire,” to 85944 and donate $10. The money donated to the Wildfire Relief Fund has already provided gift cards so those affected by the fires could buy groceries, gas, lodging, replacement tools, clothes and other necessities. To date, we have collected more than $117,000. Recently, Samsung announced a one-time gift of $50,000 for our wildfire recovery fund, the largest contribution to date. This donation allows United Way to work with communities to determine both immediate and long-term recovery needs. Together, we can help those most in need and those who are no longer covered by insurance regain a productive life. Samsung’s gift exemplifies what it means to be a true corporate partner and citizen. Their gift toward wildfire recovery is in addition to the ongoing corporate giving campaign, so those who relied on […]

Fall Day of Caring: 800+ volunteers come together!

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Aviva Pinchas

On Friday, September 23, United Way Capital Area closed its doors as employees joined over 800 volunteers to complete 35 projects throughout the community. In total, volunteers gave 2,982 hours of service for UWCA’s Fall Day of Caring. Individuals from 22 Austin-area companies came together in teams to build community gardens, support local organizations, mentor students in career skills and much more. The event also boasts a key record: 28 projects were led by UWCA-trained Volunteer Project Leaders– each of them participated in a 2-hour session to learn how to make meaningful and lasting change in their community. Over the past 6 years, UWCA has taught hundreds of volunteer leaders as part of this national training initiative. To say thank you to our dedicated volunteers, we put together a YouTube video featuring clips and photos from throughout the day. Random quotes of kindness: Austin Nature & Science Center– I was amazed at how everyone worked together to get the project done. The people from the Austin Statesman really did an awesome job. The place looks remarkable, more than I expected. I really like that we are able to be a part of the Days of Caring with United Way. We always get so much done on those volunteer days. Thank you so much! – Project Leader Mainspring Schools– I absolutely loved this event. Sometimes when I volunteer, I don’t get to see the full impact of what my time and energy is buying. In this instance, I was able to see the […]