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We write to you, the friends of United Way, to let you know David has resigned his position as president and chief professional officer to pursue new career interests. The board has named Debbie Bresette, UWCA executive vice president, as interim President and CPO. During David’s tenure, the people of Central Texas have partnered to provide $140 million and thousands of volunteer hours to help meet critical community needs. Hard work by talented people of United Way will help continue this vital mission. David guided the United Way Capital Area through an ambitious and critical shift in its giving model–to an approach that aims to achieve lasting gains in the lives of all Central Texans–truly a laudable mission. This era of transition at United Way Capital Area has meant a lot of hard work and has demanded that we all rise to the highest standards of committed and ethical leadership. David’s service to our organization, and to our community, has been what United Way needed through a period of substantial change. Those changes have been difficult, but change is essential to the continued vitality of every organization. David’s plans include becoming a partner in Civic Interest, LLC, which is a local collaborative of civic-minded leaders at work on community projects. Projects include continued work toward the same goals that have animated the work at United Way — addressing the region’s widening disparity gap and creating positive change in Central Texas. Thank you for your continued support and all you have […]

From Texans Care For Children: What’s at stake:Doctors around the state report a significant increase in the number of overweight toddler and preschool age children in Texas. Although Texas has worked to address child obesity in school-age children, a new bill under consideration represents the state’s first concerted effort to focus on the health, nutrition, and physical activity of children under the age of six. What’s in the bill:Senate Bill 395 (Lucio) would create an Early Childhood Health and Nutrition Interagency Council to assess the health of young children and identify best practices for improving early childhood health through nutrition and physical activity. The Council would create a plan to increase fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity among young children, increase awareness of benefits of breastfeeding, and engage community resources to promote nutrition education. Learn more. ***WHAT YOU CAN DO***SB 395 is scheduled to go before committee this TODAY. Take action NOW: Let the committee know you support SB 395. Come to the Capitol and put in a card of support for the bill. You may also come and testify, or–if you can’t come in person–email committee staff, Jordan Head, with your testimony or comments in support of the bill at: Jordan.Head@senate.state.tx.us. The hearing begins at 9 a.m. To learn more and see other bills that will be heard: click here. Urge committee members to move the bill forward to the Senate floor for a vote. Call or email Committee Members (email forms can be found at the links […]

From a recent Associated Press article: Popping a pill can cut your cholesterol. But did the doctor also prescribe cutting the stress that’s eroding your immune system? Or teach you how to exercise without worsening painful joints? Think 3 Ps: Good health care is preventive, predictive and personalized, a rarity today in a crisis-oriented care system far better at treating disease than keeping it at bay. To help change that, one of the nation’s top medical groups starts a major push this week for what patients might call whole-body wellness care. Here in Central Texas, we know that with a growing aging population (by 2040 those over 65 years of age will account for 27% of the population of Central Texas, compared to 11% in 2000 ), this type of approach to health care is especially important (for EVERYONE, since many of us will be part of the aging population by 2040). Click here to read the rest of the article.

Want to stay on top of the latest developments with the economic stimulus package, and understand how they may affect you as a consumer and a homeowner? From whitehouse.gov: There’s a new site geared at ensuring the accountability of the FSP (Financial Stability Plan) at FinancialStability.gov. Since the plan has just been announced, the site’s pretty basic, but it does have a fact sheet which will give you a good idea of how the plan is going to work. You can also learn more about the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act and subscribe to e-mail updates at:http://www.treas.gov/initiatives/eesa/

If you would like to have more of a say in future areas of improvement for the Hispanic population Austin, and you’ve been meaning to get more involved, now is your chance. The First Community Forum for the Hispanic Quality of Life Initiative will be on Education, next Tuesday, February 24, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm at Stephen F. Austin High School. From the City of Austin website: The Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Initiative begins with four community forums held across Austin in North, East, South and Central locations during early spring. These forums will focus on four areas or designated themes: Education, Economic/Business Development, Healthcare and Cultural Arts/History/Enrichment. The initiative seeks to address the following questions: Is the quality of life for Hispanics in Austin markedly different from the quality of life experienced by Hispanics in other cities? Is the quality of life experience by Hispanics significantly different from the quality of life experienced by the rest of Austin and other demographic groups? Is the City of Austin providing program services, financial assistance and other opportunities to enhance the quality of life for Hispanics? Click here to read more about the Hispanic Quality of Life Initiative. Why is this initiative so important? With a purchasing power of about $8 billion in Central Texas, the region has become one of the top 25 Hispanic markets in the country. The key to Central Texas’ future rests on in its ability to develop a skilled workforce, and the growing Hispanic community must […]

Are you or is someone you know a local, underserved entrepreneur that could use a boost? BiGAustin, a nonprofit that provides entrepreneurial education, business counseling and financing has extended the deadline of its annual business plan competition. They will be accepting applications from small business owners until Feb. 27. Click here to register for the competition.

If you thought our program Hands On Central Texas has been outstanding in its community engagement efforts over the past two years, wait until you see what it can do with a three-year grant from Hands On Network and The Corporation for National and Community Service. The three-year grant, valued at $82,497 per year, for a total of $247,491, was awarded after a comprehensive review process, is going to make it possible for Hands On to work some real magic in our community. Mando tells us that “this award will allow us to increase the momentum around creating real community engagement and change. We will be able to continue to innovate, educate, inspire and engage more people. Develop more volunteer leaders from within different communities and provide real solutions that ultimately help more Central Texans have the opportunity to succeed in life.” In 2009, get ready for more of the projects and programs you know and love, and then some! Check back at the Hands On site often for: Days of Service – large volunteer impact days Volunteer Project Leader Training – equipping volunteers to organize and lead neighborhood projects Hands On Innovation Workshops – workshops and classes about new trends and techniques that accelerate social change Skills-based Volunteer Program – match volunteers to opportunities based on specific skills & interests Live United Film Series – increase awareness and understanding of social issues via film (documentaries) followed by community discussion Natural Leaders – environmentally focused education and volunteer project skill […]

On this rainy Tuesday morning hundreds of child advocates, as well as nearly 600 pre-school children, descended upon the Texas State Capitol to encourage lawmakers to support early childhood education by expanding Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) programs for the youngest and most vulnerable Texans. Pre-K, a state-funded program for four-year-olds, provides free education and free or reduced lunch to those children who live in poverty, who are in the foster care system, who are English-language learners, and whose parents serve in the military. Research shows that children who attend Pre-K programs exhibit the developmental and educational benefits of the program throughout adolescence. During the 81st Legislative Session, advocates will be pushing for the passage of Senate Bill 21 and House Bill 130 which will give school districts the option of expanding their Pre-K programs to a full day, reduce class sizes by increasing the number of classes, and will require that school districts form partnerships with Head Start programs and/or community child care centers to deliver quality Pre-K programs. TECEC (Texas Early Childhood Education Coalition), the organizer of Pre-K Lobby Day, has worked tirelessly to gain bi-partisan support for this legislation. Before visiting the Capitol, the Women’s Giving Network/Women’s Leadership Society members attended a networking reception at the Austin Club hosted by the United Ways of Texas and members of United Way of San Antonio/Bexar County. In addition to being briefed on the issue of Pre-K and tips on meeting with legislative representatives, several guests including Speaker of the House Representative Strauss, […]

We know that many of you are unable to attend Pre-K Day at the Capitol this morning. However, we want to give you an opportunity to participate from a distance, and make an impact. The following is a link that the Texas Early Childhood Education Coalition (TECEC) sent out to its members today, asking them to contact their state representatives. By clicking on “Email your legislators and ask them to participate in Pre-K Day” you will be sent directly to TECEC’s website where you can send a pre-written letter to your representatives. This takes only a few minutes and can make a huge impact! Email your legislators and ask them to participate in Pre-K Day

On February 11, 2-1-1 Central Texas will be celebrating National 2-1-1 Day, and their seventh year of serving the community. 2-1-1 Central Texas have taken more than 840,000 calls since 2002, and with the worsening economy, now answer on average 16,000/month. In 2008, in partnership with the Health and Human Services Commission, 2-1-1 Texas, United Way Capital Area handled more than 190,000 calls. Reflecting a national economic crisis, 2-1-1 UWCA responded to a: 19% increase in demand for basic needs from 2007, most significantly for: emergency food – 34% utility bill assistance – 19% housing payment assistance – 14% Click here to learn more about the work 2-1-1 Texas does, including its disaster response role during Hurricane Ike.