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LIVE UNITED Film Series: Critical Condition: Hector's Story

Posted on by Aviva Pinchas

You’re invited to a special screening and discussion on healthcare.CRITICAL CONDITION:A thoughtful look at the healthcare crisisScreening and DiscussionMarch 25, 20106:30 – 8:30pmAlamo Drafthouse South 1120 South Lamar,Austin, TX Free to the public.All are invited! Go to:http://handsoncentraltexas.org/ to RSVP! Meet Hector Cardenas. He worked his whole life. Then he lost his job, his health insurance … and his infected foot to diabetes. Now he lives in a hotel and struggles to pay the medical bills. Join us for a special screening of Critical Condition, which captures the harrowing struggles of critically ill Americans who discover that being uninsured can cost them their jobs, health, home, savings, even their lives. Join us after the film to hear panelists discuss the film and the issues Hispanics and other Americans without health insurance live with every day. Know more – and share what you know. Get Engaged – Sign up today! Moderator: Jacqueline L. AngelProfessor of Public Affairs and SociologyLBJ School of Public Affairs – University of TexasAuthor, research and expertise in family, health, aging and Latinos

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Day of Caring Profile: Ramping Up to Help the Homebound

Posted on by Aviva Pinchas

“I enjoy it—it’s as simple as that,” said Dennis Mick, a retired 3M employee who now spends his free time building wheelchair ramps. “I like working with my hands and I like seeing the immediate results.”Mick will be just one of hundreds of volunteers using their hands to help others on Friday, April 23 during the United Way Spring Day of Caring. This event offers opportunities for community volunteers to lend a hand in tackling issues such as poverty, education and health—doing everything from building homes to delivering meals to beautifying community parks. Through his work with the Texas Ramps project, Mick will lead volunteers in projects during this year’s Day of Caring. To sign-up for the Day of Caring, visit www.handsoncentraltexas.org and register for a project. Mick says there are numerous people in the community who are homebound due to their inability to negotiate stairs because they must rely upon a walker or wheelchair. In about 5 hours, Mick and his team of volunteers can complete a ramp giving new freedom to those who need it. In late February, Mick and a team of volunteers from the Northwest Kiwanis built a wheelchair ramp for Janet, who lives with her husband in a mobile home near Manor. Janet had undergone surgery several days earlier to relieve symptoms from spinal stenosis which had left her paralyzed. Her husband, Steve, said he was very pleased that his wife could return home after more than five months of treatment in the hospital. Mick […]

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Live United Film Series attendees share what they think

Posted on by Aviva Pinchas

Some of the attendees at our last film series screening, It All Adds Up, had great ideas about how we can make Austin schools better, and KLRU caught up with them to find out what they had to say: The next Live United Film Series screening is Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. at Alamo Drafthouse South. The evening will focus on financial stability and feature Frontline: Inside the Meltdown. For more details and to RSVP, click here.

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Success By 6 Touchpoints Training

Posted on by Aviva Pinchas

What is the best way to improve the lives of children? Engage more effectively with their parents. During the past three years, United Way Success By 6 has been doing just that by offering Touchpoints training, a parent education program developed by Dr. T. Berry Brazelton. “The Touchpoints training helped me provide solutions to the mother of a two-year-old whose child cried every time she was left at school,” said Nadine Rueb, Family Service Coordinator of MainSpring Schools. “The mother made a few simple adjustments such as extending the child’s sleep schedule, reading books to help her child understand feelings of separation anxiety, and giving her child a stuffed comfort animal. Within two weeks, the child was doing much better. The mother was also greatly relieved to know this was all part of her child’s normal growth and development.” Early childhood professionals engagedin a Touchpoints training session.In the training, child care providers and early childhood professionals learn how to enhance parenting skills to help parents identify, expect and understand the stages of normal child development. Armed with this knowledge, parents are less likely to become frustrated and more able to enjoy and support their children.United Way Capital Area subsidizes qualified early childhood professionals to become trainers and leaders in the Touchpoints program. In exchange, each trainer agrees to train others. To date, UWCA has sponsored seven trainers, who in turn have trained 80 individuals from more than a dozen early childhood agencies. The Touchpoints program provides a vehicle for Success […]

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Live United Film Series: It All Adds Up Recap and Photos

Posted on by Aviva Pinchas

Thanks to everyone who attended the first Live United Film Series event on Jan. 28. Stay tuned for details about the February screening. If you attended the event, and would like to continue our conversation about the state of education in Central Texas, please comment below. (Professional photographs, courtesy of KLRU.) KLRU and United Way Capital Area teamed up to bring Central Texas the Live United Film Series. The first event on 1/28 focused on education. More than 150 people watched the documentary IT ALL ADS UP and Jason Sabo from United Ways of Texas moderated a discussion on whether the Central Texas community is investing enough in education. Panelists were:Clayton Christopher from Sweet Leaf Tea and a student he is mentoring through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas.Dr. Michael Marder from University of Texas UTeach project.Liliana Ary from Univision Radio

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LIVE UNITED Film Series: All it takes is a game of UNO

Posted on by Aviva Pinchas

Life is too hectic.Work is crazy busy.I am already overcommitted.There never seems to be enough time.I have my own kids.Someone else will do it.Will I really make a difference? What do all these statements have in common? They could easily be reasons as to why you cannot be a mentor to a young person in need. And guess what? They are all very valid statements. However, they are also an easy way convince yourself to NOT get involved in the life of a young person. As the Director of Volunteer Services and Community Partnerships for Communities In Schools of Central Texas (CIS), I see the impact a caring adult mentor can have on a child just by showing up one time per week. Each year, we match more than 500 CIS students with adult mentors. Often times, these students are in need of a little extra support. This support can come from a one hour a week volunteer mentor. That hour can spent playing a game of Uno. It can be as simple as homework help or a walk around the school track. That extra support can be just the thing that makes a difference to a child. Knowing that their mentor will be there can translate to improvement a child’s attendance at school. Or it could be just the thing that allows them to dream of a brighter future. Or gives them the hope that they can achieve great things. Our mentors are able to connect with students in […]

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United Way’s 2010 Martin Luther King Day of Service

Posted on by Aviva Pinchas

United Way’s 2010 Martin Luther King Day of Service on Saturday, January 16 was an incredible success! The theme “everybody can be great because anybody can serve” was definitely felt throughout the entire day. We are still in awe of the attendance at the morning kick-off and throughout the day. Approximately 700 volunteers of all ages and backgrounds carried out Dr. King’s legacy of service by painting the Dove Springs neighborhood recreation center, painting and organizing at the Austin Groups for the Elderly, planting 100 trees at different sites with Foundation Communities, beautifying numerous parks and schools and stuffing hundreds of bags in preparation for the 2010 Feria Para Aprender. Think about it– six hours of volunteer service translates to $87,360 in a single day that went back to our community!

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