On Friday, June 3, over 140 volunteers at 12 different locations across Travis and Williamson counties rolled up their sleeves at United Way for Greater Austin’s Summer Day of Caring, a community-wide volunteer event. Volunteers worked on a range of projects, from cleaning up local parks to painting jungle gyms at child development centers to gardening at local nonprofits – and more! “These Days of Caring are so important. It connects us with each other, it connects us with the community, and it connects us with the truth that when one of us suffers we all suffer, and when one of us celebrates we all celebrate,” said United Way for Greater Austin CEO David C. Smith while at a volunteer location in Leander (pictured below). “Volunteering with United Way makes a difference,” shared Terry Cook, Commissioner of Precinct 1 in Williamson County. Terry and her team volunteer every year, and choose to support United Way for Greater Austin because “the tasks chosen by United Way are very impactful.” Events like Summer Day of Caring are a crucial part of United Way’s mission to fight poverty. Volunteering makes a direct impact on our community in a powerful way. Community events like these aren’t possible without the help of our amazing volunteers and sponsors. A big thank you to H-E-B, JPMorgan Chase, QuikTrip, Superior HealthPlan, and Texas Gas Service for their support in making Summer Day of Caring a success! Check out the full photo album for Summer Day of Caring here. […]
Read MoreAustin-based Superior HealthPlan Filling a Need with Hygiene Closets
This blog was written by Superior HealthPlan Director of Communications Michael Cation. Superior HealthPlan is a long-time corporate partner of United Way for Greater Austin and a pillar of our community. Together with our partners like Superior, we’re making a real difference for children and families across our Austin region. Shampoo. Toothpaste. Feminine hygiene products. These are just a few of the items individuals from lower-income neighborhoods often struggle to buy. That’s why Superior HealthPlan, a leading managed care organization in Texas, has been working with schools and nonprofits in Austin and beyond to launch hygiene closets. As part of this initiative, which kicked off in 2020 during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Superior provides grants to community-based organizations to help stock these closets for individuals in need. “We’re excited to support the Austin community as well as many others in Texas by providing families access to personal care items,” said Mark Sanders, President, and CEO of Superior HealthPlan. “Combined with the many other community programs and family services we offer, hygiene closets allow us to help Texans right where they are.” The initiative began by partnering with 6 organizations that support the disability community. Following a wealth of positive feedback, Superior decided to expand the program in 2021 and has supported even more organizations this year. To date, Superior has provided more than $300,000 in funding to more than 70 organizations and schools in Texas, including more than $20,000 to the following in the Austin area: Austin […]
Read MoreHonor Dr. MLK Jr.’s life and legacy with us
Join us Monday, January 17 as we continue our annual tradition of gathering with our neighbors in service and learning to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King believed in the power of individuals to strengthen communities and achieve common goals, and all of us here at United Way do too. That’s what our mission – bringing people, ideas, and resources together to fight poverty in our community – is all about. For our 2022 MLK Jr. Day of Service, we invite you to join us for one or several socially-distanced activities, all of which carry on Dr. King’s legacy of anti-racism, justice, and equity. Learn: Take our self-guided walking tour. Walk through part of the area of Austin that was originally created to segregate Black Austinites in 1928, and reflect on how walking played a critical role in the Civil Rights Era. Give: Donate books to the “I Am Brave” book drive. We’re partnering with Brave Communities to provide reading material to young people from vaccine-hesitant populations, and bring awareness of the importance of diverse representation and storytelling in books. Advocate: Advocacy is volunteerism, and we encourage you to use your voice to enact change in 2022. The Texas Primary Election is March 1. Voter education impacts voter turnout, so take some time today to make sure that you and your loved ones are registered to vote. Volunteer: Get outside this MLK Jr. Day with the Austin Parks Foundation. Check out […]
Read MoreFamily Resource Fair: A family-friendly event offering free books, rent assistance, and more
The pandemic put a long pause on in-person events, attributing to fewer families receiving the resources they need for their little ones. These in-person events allow parents to feel heard and supported, ultimately encouraging engagement in their child’s development. With vaccine rates rising, and in-person learning back in place, United Way and Austin ISD partnered to bring back the Family Resource Fair for a second time. On Saturday, November 13, the Family Resource Fair took place at Uphaus Early Childhood Center in south Austin. Families in the surrounding area were invited to an outdoor event offering resources like ECE/ESL registration, rent assistance programs, parenting groups, career services, camps, and more. A special thank you to our partners for coming out and supporting families and children. Have questions about participating in the next Family Resource Fair? Contact Stephanie Gatica at Stephanie.Gatica@uwatx.org.
Read MoreSponsor an early childhood education center!
This holiday season we’re inviting you to be a champion of cheer to spread a little extra joy! We’re bringing together our friends and neighbors to spread good tidings through special holiday care packages for our early childhood education centers – who have been resilient through the pandemic, caring for and teaching our youngest Austinites. Will you be a champion of cheer for our community by building care packages with us this holiday season? Child development centers like Bright Beginnings and directors like Patsy make learning exciting for children and they are the reason we’re celebrating this year. The human spirit is resilient, and our child development centers continue to prepare our youngest Austinites for success! Each holiday care package will include: 1 Yeti coffee mug Coffee shop gift card 3-5 children’s books Check out our volunteer website for all the details, including shopping lists, delivery details, and more! Want more information before signing up? See our FAQ. Have additional questions about this opportunity? Please email our volunteer team at Volunteer@uwatx.org. Happy holidays from the United Way team. We look forward to making the season brighter with you!
Read MoreHispanic Heritage Month: How we celebrate united
Here at United Way for Greater Austin, we value the beautiful diversity of our community. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we want to celebrate that beauty with you! Join us in recognizing and honoring the rich culture and diversity of the Latino community. This year, we asked our United Way team to share what Hispanic Heritage Month means to them and how they celebrate their roots. Natalie Obregon, Development Operations Associate Francisco Gallegos, PACES Project Coordinator Paola Silvestre, Director of Family Pathways Clarena Tobon, Director of Resource Development, United Way WilCo Jose Lopez, H-E-B United Way Executive Thank you Natalie, Francisco, Paola, Clarena, and Jose for sharing your stories. Everyone’s roots may be different, but one thing is for sure, food connects us all! We wish everyone a happy Hispanic Heritage month. When you celebrate united, you Live United.
Read MoreFall Day of Caring: A Bookspring, Enterprise, and Onnit Collaboration
COVID-19 has impacted all of us, including young kids. As the reality of the pandemic set in, and schools closed abruptly to keep students and their families safe — many students were navigating the challenges of remote learning for several months. It’s no surprise that education professionals have witnessed a stall in reading skills among young students since the pandemic began in early 2020. That is why, this year, our annual Fall Day of Caring took form as a book extravaganza! On Thursday, September 30, the Greater Austin Reading Coalition , convened by United Way, partnered with BookSpring to distribute 5,000 books to local community organizations supporting families with children ages 5-12. Special thanks to our partners at Enterprise and Onnit who volunteered their time and effort to distribute all of the books throughout the region! At United Way, our mission is to fight poverty, and we know that reading is a crucial skill to help future generations win. Currently, only 30% of children from families with low income are reading at grade level by 4th grade. Our goal is that all children in Greater Austin reach that level. By increasing access to quality out-of-school learning opportunities, culturally relevant books, and building a community culture of reading, we can move the needle on grade-level reading rates in our community and create greater opportunity for local children and families. We’re honored to get 5,000 more books into the hands of young readers. Thank you to our partners, Bookspring, Enterprise, and Onnit, for […]
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