Did you know that one-third of Austin residents are classified as low-income? United Way for Greater Austin’s Financial Stability program helps those who are struggling get the guidance they need through three targeted core strategies: learning, saving and thriving. We recognize that in order to create community-wide changes, individuals and families struggling to become financially stable need the help and support of agencies, social workers and volunteers. The national Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) supports UWATX’s Financial Stability program and sought to develop a workplace-based savings program for low-wage employees. The savings program helps them save a portion of their paychecks through direct deposit through their employer. UWATX partnered with Open Door Preschools to implement a pilot of this workplace-based savings program and then worked with consultants from OpportunityTexas and Raise Texas to help evaluate the program. The goals of the pilot program were to get employees to sign up for a savings account if they did not have one and to also sign up for direct deposit. Although the savings program is still ongoing at Open Door Preschools, the pilot phase was eight weeks long and had three components aimed to decrease barriers to signing up: 1) Employees were prepared – Employees initially learned about the savings program through an email from their executive director. The email included information on what the employees needed to bring to prepare for the meeting. 2) Employees attended a facilitated meeting – Through a facilitated kickoff meeting at each preschool location, the executive director gave employees an opportunity […]
Read MoreSpotlight: Ed Rosentel
Join us in welcoming Ed Rosentel to the UWATX team as the Vice President of Finance! Ed sat down with us to give us a bit of his background and share what he hopes to accomplish in his new role with United Way. What is your background, both in the community and professionally, prior to working with United Way? I am a Certified Public Accountant with extensive experience as the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for Texas non-profits over the past 20 years. While most of these non-profits have been Health and Welfare agencies, I have also tenured with a Community Foundation. In hindsight, I have been an instrumental part of the movement to merge smaller agencies for efficiencies and greater community outreach over this period; creating new organizations developing the accounting, payroll, treasury, human resource, information technology, facilities management and administration departments. What drew you to UWATX and made you feel that it was the right fit for you? I have always worked with the United Way; but as the steward of the community investment dollars provided to the recipient non-profit agency. An opportunity to be part of the United Way legacy and community impact is a natural progression. As for UWATX, the timing was right for my skills and for the agency’s need at this time. The level of commitment, skill and intelligence of the staff, particularly the senior management, is what makes this feel a perfect fit for me. How do you see your role […]
Read MoreInternational Literacy Day 2015
Did you know that children growing up in homes with at least 20 books get three years more schooling than children from bookless homes, independent of their parents’ education, occupation and class? Today (September 8th) is International Literacy Day, and we are taking the opportunity to stress the importance of beginning to teach your children to read as soon as possible. Here are some classroom/home activities you can take part in while celebrating International Literacy Day, provided by internationalliteracyday.org: Scavenger Hunt Create a scavenger hunt where the answers are found in a book. This keeps your child active, engaged and critically thinking while making a game out of learning. Read-a-thon Encourage children to read as many books as possible within a certain time period (a day, a week, a month, etc.). Help them to track the books they are reading and monitor their progress on a chart to show how much they’ve read over time. Book Sale/Exchange Have any old books you want to toss out? Host a book sale/exchange at your school, or even in your driveway à la garage sale. This is an inexpensive way to not only find new books for your child to love, but spread the love of reading to even more children in your community. Writing Competition Host a writing competition within your family and provide a special theme. You can even make it more challenging by developing a list of required vocabulary words to include in the story. First prize? A trip to your local bookstore! Character Dress Up […]
Read MoreVolunteer Feature: Mark Capehart, Kerbey Lane Cafe
Kerbey Lane Cafe puts smiles on people’s faces every day with their iconic delicious pancakes, but that’s not the only way they make Austin greater. Through their well-established philanthropic core values, Kerbey Lane Cafe emphasizes the importance of philanthropy by supporting for UWATX through running employee giving campaigns and setting up volunteer opportunities for their employees. From school beautification projects to displaying UWATX table tents at their restaurants, they do it all! Mark Capehart, KLC – Round Rock Community Ambassador, is a longtime committed UWATX volunteer. KLC restaurant managers go by the title of “Community Ambassador” and make corporate social responsibility a priority by engaging their team with volunteer opportunities. For years, Mark has been the philanthropic liaison for Kerbey Lane Cafe and helped coordinate the adoption of local child development centers that he and his staff volunteer at on a continuing basis. We are proud to have dedicated volunteers like Mark, so we sat down with him and asked him about his experiences leading Kerbey Lane Cafe’s volunteer efforts: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you began leading the volunteer efforts for Kerbey Lane Cafe? My interest is really selfish. I like to volunteer; I want to help out. Through this outlet, I am able to be very warmly received anywhere; when Kerbey Lane wants to volunteer, everybody gets excited about it. Having such willing and positive support from the company really makes so many opportunities possible. Planning and coordinating events with Nikki (UWATX Director of Volunteer Engagement) really makes the […]
Read MoreTips on How to Choose a Childcare Provider
Finding the right childcare environment for your child can be an difficult task. As a parent, you want to verify that your child is receiving quality childcare throughout the early stages of their lives. Whether you decide on in-home care or out-of-home care, here are some tips on how to help you decide what is most suitable for your child’s need provided by KidsHealth.org: If you are considering a childcare setting, spend some time observing the center and staff, as well as talk to the parents who already have their kids enrolled. Evaluate what you observed and what other parents said about the childcare center or provider. Consider the child-rearing disciplines and ask yourself if they resonate with your personal discipline style. If you find interest with in-home care, which involves hiring a nanny or au pair, it is recommended to use licensed agencies for your hiring process. In-home care works well for parents that have careers with busy schedules, usually jobs that require business trips and working overtime. If you decide to hire an in-home caregiver, create guidelines and rules that outline job duties, hours, pay and other obligations. Parents should make sure that the nanny or au pair has the resources and support to be a positive caregiver. Always make yourself available by phone in case an emergency occurs. Interview your prospective hire at least twice and conduct a criminal background check. It is critical that you verify all staff have passed background checks. Ask your potential caregiver questions […]
Read MoreBack to School Savings Tips
School is right around the corner, and every year it seems like back to school shopping gets more expensive. From pencils to textbooks, there’s a lot to spend on in order to prepare your child adequately for the school year. In 2014, the National Retail Foundation reported that the average family with children in grades K-12 will spend $669.28 on apparel, shoes, supplies and electronics. That’s a huge cost – and one that not every family can afford. It is important that every student begins the school year with the resources they need to be successful. If you are looking to minimize costs, here are some tips and resources on how to do so: AISD Back to School Bash On August 15 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Austin ISD will be hosting the 10th Back to School Bash at the Palmer Events Center. There will be free backpacks for AISD students filled with school supplies (while supplies last), free vision exams and free vaccination opportunities. Be sure to bring your child’s shot record! AISD will also be providing free shuttles at various locations throughout Austin. Find out more information on the shuttles here. Shop at Local Thrift and Second Hand Stores Most people go straight to big name stores when they shop for back-to-school however, thrift stores can be some of the best places to find affordable gently-used clothing for the school year. Find a Goodwill Central Texas or Salvation Army to find some quality second-hand bargains which will help you save in […]
Read MoreInterview with Annie Ray, 2015 Campaign Brochure Photographer
We are excited to debut photos from our 2015 Campaign brochure themed “Your Guide to Philanthropy”. Here at UWATX, we believe that the act of giving is what unites our community together. Whether that is through a donation of time or money, we encourage you to build philanthropy in a way that works for you. We had the pleasure coordinating this project with two very talented women, photographer, Annie Ray, and designer, Kathy Horn. Annie Ray is an Austin-based lifestyle photographer who focuses on bringing out the “real stuff” in everything she shoots. She was voted Best Austin Photographer in 2010 and 2011 from the Austin Chronicle. Kathy is a copywriter and creative director who has a diverse skillset and creates print, broadcast and digital projects. Both Annie and Kathy collaborated with their photography and design skills to skillfully capture the uniqueness of the three special UWATX families that were featured in our Campaign brochures. Latara Clark discussed how volunteering has made a positive impact on her children’s lives and helps strengthen their morals(their photo can be seen on the featured image). James McDonough explains how United Way’s Employee Giving Campaign at his workplace made it easy for him to enroll in automatic payroll deduction and give back to his community. Marisela has witnessed firsthand how the Pre-K program funded by United Way for Greater Austin has been pivotal to her daughter’s development. We had the opportunity to chat with Annie and learn more about her passion for photography, as well as discuss some takeaways she had […]
Read MoreFree Educational Summer Activities for Children
Think about when you take time off of work to go on vacation. It can be hard to get back in the groove of things when you return; this is similar to what your kids experience when they have time off from school. When school is out of session, many children struggle to find educational opportunities in the summer months. According to the National Summer Learning Association, research spanning 100 years show that students typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer break than they do on the same tests at the beginning of summer break (White, 1906; Heyns, 1978; Entwisle & Alexander 1992; Cooper, 1996; Downey et al, 2004). It is critical for kids to keep their minds active to avoid the summer learning loss that so many children unfortunately experience. Summer is actually a great time to strengthen a child’s academic skills while still balancing other nonacademic fun summer activities. Here is a diverse list of FREE educational summer activities for your kids to enjoy this summer that will help prevent digression in their academic skills: Literacy Luau at Bright Horizons at Round Rock On Saturday, July 18th from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Bright Horizons at Round Rock is offering a Hawaiian-themed event that will include storytelling using Smart board technology, family-oriented literacy activities and a hula dance performance from Island Rhythms Hula Company. Parents can also learn how to document literacy for all ages! Summer Playgrounds Program Summer Playgrounds is a drop-in program providing quality recreational experiences that […]
Read MoreEasy Ways to Save Money During the Summer
With Austin being America’s fastest-growing city, this means more energy consumption occurs, which is why it is crucial that we all work to minimize our household energy usage during the hot summer months. Many of us come home from a long day and immediately lower the thermostat without thinking of the consequences this might have on our bills and environment. Summer can be a very expensive time of the year. According to Austin Energy, air conditioning represents up to 70% of the average home’s summer electricity bill. Air conditioning may be the largest slice of the electricity bill pie, but other components like energy-powered light fixtures and heat-powered appliances, such as washers and dryers, are also important to consider when thinking about your summertime energy consumption and bills. On average, a U.S. household spends $5,550 a year on energy—this is a serious concern considering 21% of Austinites have incomes below $25,000 a year. Knowing how to be energy-efficient not only helps the environment and economy, but will also help save you money. Here are some simple tips to help you save this summer: 78 Is the Magic Number Turning off your thermostat during the summer forces your air conditioning unit to work long and hard when you return. When you are home, you should set your thermostat to 78 degrees. According to Austin Energy, your bill increase by 3 to 4% for each degree lower than 78. If you have a programmable thermostat, you have a bit more flexibility and can store and repeat multiple daily settings, which […]
Read More8 Fun Ways to Spend Your Fourth of July
Fireworks, barbecue and patriotism are just a few things that come to mind when thinking about the Fourth of July. You might have plans to spend some time at the lake with family, have a potluck-style picnic with friends or you may still be on the search for ideas. We compiled a list of Fourth of July festivities taking place in Austin and surrounding areas: 4th of July Fireworks and Symphony at Auditorium Shores – Come out to Auditorium Shores and enjoy a variety of food, drinks and live music. The symphony performance begins at 7:30 p.m. and fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m. Best of all – it’s completely free. Hill Country Galleria Independence Day Festival – The Hill Country Galleria will celebrate the Fourth of July this year with more than 75 vendors, live music, family fun, barbecue and a fireworks show at 9:45 p.m. to end the night. Live music begins at 4:15 p.m. and will include Vallejo, Dawn & the Hawkes, T Bird & The Breaks and Uncle Lucius. Parking and admission is completely free. Attendees are also encouraged to bring their dogs! Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic – Austin legend Willie Nelson will play at the Circuit of America’s racetrack along with 20 other artists including Eric Church, Merle Haggard, Asleep at the Wheel and more. There will be picnic tables where fans can eat, drink, celebrate and watch their favorite artists perform. Parking opens at 10:00 a.m., gates open at 11:00 a.m. and music starts at 11:15 a.m. Ticket prices range from $35 to $75. […]
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