Author: Aviva Pinchas

Partner Profile: Central Texas Afterschool Network (CTAN)

Name: Central Texas Afterschool Network (CTAN) Partner for: 7 years Partner with: Target Graduation   Our Relationship: Assessing youth programs UWATX facilitates Youth Program Quality assessments in our community to help providers isolate the exact areas where their program could improve. CTAN has been a valuable partner in these efforts by providing trained staff and volunteers to conduct individual assessments. These annual assessments allow programs to evaluate how they’re doing and put in place a plan to improve – studies show that this type of measurement leads to better programs.  Training professionals to provide high-quality programs Once areas of improvement are defined, UWATX and CTAN work together to schedule, plan and conduct topic-specific training classes for programs staff. Topics include building community, quality coaching and cooperative learning. Through this professional development program, CTAN and UWATX improve students’ out-of-school time (OST) experiences by making sure programs are enriching, educational, safe and supportive. Conducting a first-of-its-kind survey of Austin afterschool and summer programs This summer, UWATX was joined by AmeriCorps VISTA summer associates to conduct a first-of-its-kind survey of out-of-school time programs in the Greater Austin area. Previously, there was no comprehensive data on the availability or quality of programs for students outside of school. This research project was be a first step to get a sense of the landscape of services. We continue to work with CTAN staff to analyze the results and take the next vital steps to improve the OST network.   What we’ve accomplished together Together, we’ve conducted […]

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What impact could YOUR holiday gifts make? #GivingTuesday

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, 141 million people spent an average of $400 each during the first “official” weekend of the holiday shopping season. Over the course of the full  season, shoppers will spend an average of $750 on holiday gifts for loved ones. Investing the same amount in our community could make a significant impact:  As you check off your list, filled with family members, friends and other loved ones, consider adding one more to your holiday list: our community. For what you may spend one toy, a piece of clothing or a new gadget, you can make a lasting and meaningful impact for Austin’s future.  If you’re curious what your shopping habits could mean if you invested in our community, check out our impact calculator to find out. After Black Friday and Cyber Monday, celebrate Giving Tuesday by buying a gift for our community: text UWATXHOLIDAY to 85944 to donate $10.  Gifts are a way to recognize what’s important in our lives and show appreciation for the things that matter. We hope that Austin’s future ranks high on your list – make a gift today.  Information compiled from the National Retail Foundation and UWATX Impact Calculator. With text-to-give, One-time donation of $10 will be added to your mobile phone bill. Msg & data rates may apply. Available on Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile. Must be 18 or older or have authorization of account holder. Donations benefit United Way of Austin, collected by Innogive Foundation. Subject to terms: igfn.org/t. Privacy policy: igfn.org/p. Text STOP to […]

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Looking for a warm meal this December?

Each year, our Navigation Center sees a spike of calls during the holiday season – people looking to help by donating food, toys, gifts or their time and also calls from people looking for a warm meal for the holidays. We’ve compiled this calendar of resources that are FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC to make it a little easier to find that warm meal: Click on the image above to see a larger version. Know someone looking for assistance? Tell them to give us a call at 2-1-1 to get connected to resources in our community.

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HOW TO: make Thanksgiving a learning opportunity

Thanksgiving is a time when the whole family gathers together to appreciate good food, watch parades and football and be thankful for one another. It’s also an opportunity to support learning. It can be tricky to figure out how to turn a busy holiday into a learning experience, so our experts from Success By 6 and Target Graduation brainstormed a few simple activities:   Cooking teaches math & science skills Children can help in the kitchen in a variety of ways that help them learn. You can introduce young children to measurement by getting their help measuring out wet and dry ingredients. For children through middle-school-age, this can be a good time to practice conversions and fractions, particularly when doubling or halving a recipe. Cooking can also support nonfiction reading skills when children study the cookbook, and learning about nutrition and the chemical processes involved in cooking can further science skills. Read more about cooking with children.   Making place cards supports language development If you’re having your whole family over for Thanksgiving, children can help make place cards as a fun crafting activity. At its most basic, making place cards helps children practice reading and writing, which is important for young children. This activity can range from simply writing names on existing place cards to taking on a more ambitious craft project, which would support fine motor skill development. Enjoy some child-appropriate place card inspiration.   Expressing gratitude supports social-emotional development Saying what you’re thankful for is a time-honored […]

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Bank On Central Texas connects individuals to bank accounts

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2U4aejO1BI[/youtube]   At United Way for Greater Austin, we know that having a bank account is a critical first step toward thriving financially. That’s why, for the past two years, we’ve been partnering with banks, credit unions and government to get more people banked as part of the Bank On Central Texas initiative, part of our Financial Opportunity program. In our short history, we’ve already opened 12,000 bank accounts, helping people make that critical first step on the path to thriving. Recently, we undertook an ambitious project to raise awareness about the benefits of a bank accounts. We got on the radio, went online and spoke in-person at events to tell people about their options and how a bank account could help them. And we succeeded – we reached thousands of individuals and the number of online inquiries about the program skyrocketed. We also got to meet so many people who were helped through our outreach, including Mark Mead of Alamo Lawn Care, who is using his account to manage his business, and Alfredo and Patricia Hernandez who didn’t have a bank account before. Special thanks to all of the financial institutions who partner with us on this exciting initiative – and to Don Kendrick, Regional President of Wells Fargo’s Central Texas Region and UWATX Board Member, for his support and for narrating the above presentation.  

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Find a warm meal this holiday season

Each year, the holiday season brings some unique calls to our Navigation Center – more calls for people looking to help by donating food, toys, gifts or their time, and also calls from people looking for a warm meal for the holidays. We’ve compiled this calendar of resources that are FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC to make it a little easier to find that warm meal:   Click on the image above to see a larger version as an interactive PDF with links to Google maps for all of the locations. Know someone looking for assistance? Tell them to give us a call at 2-1-1 to get connected to resources in our community.  

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[SPOTLIGHT] Cheryl Black on the ‘behind the scenes’ work that keeps us running

What is your background before coming to UWATX? How long have you been involved with nonprofits? I started at Deloitte, one of the Big 8 firms,  on Halloween 30 years ago. It was really great training and a wonderful way to start my career. Over my career, I’ve been involved with nonprofits in every possible way – I’ve audited nonprofit financials, served as a board member and volunteer, trained nonprofit employees – really, any way you can slice it, I’ve been involved. It may sound cheesy, but it’s because I want to leave the world better than I found it, that’s the best incentive for me. It’s personally rewarding to make a difference.   What’s been your proudest accomplishment? Well, honestly, it’s raising my son – I was a single mom for 15 years. If you do it to the best of your abilities (and no one does it 100 percent right), then it’s about a lot of personal sacrifice. My son is 38 and still calls to discuss problems – so I think I did it pretty well. Professionally, it’s creating a financial management training for nonprofits and teaching it for seven years. It has all the basics of how to a nonprofit can be successful financially, all the dull boring stuff that had to happen or an organization can’t exist. Every once in a while, I will get a call from a nonprofit asking if they can use it. I know of one client who still has her manual […]

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Partner Profile: Bank of America

Name: Bank of America Partner for: 20+ years Partner for: Employee Campaign, Financial Opportunity Our relationship: Bank of America runs an Employee Giving Campaign every year, but with new Austin Market President Nikki Salzillo being open to doing things differently this year, Bank of America took their Campaign to a completely new level. This year, campaign co-chairs Anne Walker and Luke Martinez set out to make a bigger impact. Both engaged as UWATX Strategic Advisors (Anne advising Financial Opportunity and Target Graduation, and Luke working with Young Leaders Society and Hands On Central Texas), they were inspired to grow their company’s support for our community. Here’s what they did differently: Involving leadership to make a greater impact Prior to their campaign kickoff, Bank of America held their Austin market leadership meeting at UWATX, where UWATX President Debbie Bresette, Nikki Salzillo and campaign co-chairs Walker and Martinez spoke with the team about the importance of giving and the real-world impact their donations carry. The Bank of America Employee Campaign Leadership Team amplified this powerful message by sharing it with the site leaders at every Austin Market Bank of America location – empowering site leaders to take ownership over their Employee Campaign and engage their peers. Motivated by the message, many leaders invited our staff to come in and speak at their site! Encouraging philanthropy both inside and outside of the office To encourage participation in its UWATX Employee Campaign, Bank of America offers jean days to sites with 100 percent participation. […]

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After-school programs make a difference for students like Lillie

Middle school is a tipping point for many students – and while what happens during the school day is critical, students spend more than 76 percent of their AWAKE time outside of school. That’s why we invest in quality out-of-school-time programs through Target Graduation, but the importance of these programs can sometimes be pretty abstract. Until you meet people like Lillie – a seventh-grade straight-A student at Mendez Middle School. She’s lived in Dove Springs for ten years and last year, she became involved with Junior Staff, a program from the Boys and Girls Club that students apply to participate in. Through Junior Staff, Lillie learns job skills by taking a leadership role in the program and learns how to run effective after-school programs for other students. “I believe Lillie believes in us as much as we believe in her and I think she will continue to flourish and grow as a vital part of our program.”   Steven Zuniga, Extension Director of the Boys and Girls Club at Mendez Middle School Here’s what Lillie has to say about the program: Why did you start participating in the program? I started in sixth grade because because the people were really nice and my dad thought it would be good for me.  The first time I went I had a lot of fun so I kept coming every week.   What is your favorite part of the program? My favorite day is the day they celebrated my birthday.  They wrote it […]

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[VIDEO] “Working together, we have more impact”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn8PdKiy2Ac[/youtube] Bobby Jenkins, President and Owner of ABC Home & Commercial, has been advocating for UWATX for the past year and a half as co-chair of our Employee Giving Campaign. In his own words, it’s been an inspiring experience: I’ve learned a lot – some of the things that resonate with me is a lot of what happens locally with United Way. That’s something that, as United Way has evolved and changed, that local component is near and dear to my heart. And the ability for  United Way to bridge multiple agencies is one of the things I think is unique – there’s a lot of agencies doing a lot of great things, United Way is the common denominator that can help unite them – working together, we can have a lot more impact than individually.

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