Author: Ricky Deakyne

IBM donates Young Explorer Learning Centers to support young children

Thanks to a generous donation from IBM, United Way for Greater Austin will distribute IBM Young Explorers Learning Centers to Austin Learning Academy, Faith Presbyterian Child Development Center, Child Inc., and El Buen Pastor. The donation is part of IBM’s KidSmart Early Learning program, which operates in 60 countries, and has reached more than 100,000 teachers, serving more than 10 million students. The IBM Young Explorer Learning Center, a child-sized computer station with brightly colored Little Tikes furniture, hosts a computer equipped with applications that encourage language, technology, and math and science skills necessary for children to learn and succeed before they enter kindergarten. It also features fun and interactive games that are ideal for young patrons age three up to seven. “United Way has been great in helping us prepare our students with technological skills,” said Ann Wingler, Executive Director of Faith Presbyterian Child Development Center, “Since 50 percent of our students are low-income, their access to computers is limited. The Young Explorers gives them an opportunity to increase their technological proficiency and interact with computers on a daily-basis.” Along with fostering key skills, the Young Explorers Learning Center promotes social interaction as at least two students share the computer and engage the applications together. “IBM and United Way for Greater Austin have collaborated on various initiatives for nearly two decades,” said Beth Tracy, IBM Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs Manager. “IBM views quality early childhood education as an investment not only in today’s workforce, but also for future workforce development.” […]

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Spotlight: Debbie McGee, Vice President of Resource Development

Debbie McGee, Vice President of Resource Development shares her story of how her past experience has shaped and prepared her for her work at UWATX. Chloe Moore: How do you make Austin Greater? Debbie McGee: In terms of my role here, I’m the bus driver of this engine called ‘Resource Development’, which is basically fundraising for the work we do. My part is to make sure everyone is on the bus and moving in the same direction. So I see my role as bringing all the pieces together; for everyone to be on the same bus and driving down that road of success to make Austin Greater. Chloe Moore: What led you to UWATX? Debbie McGee: I’m from Huntsville, TX; that’s where I grew up. I went to the University of Texas and I ended up in the banking industry in Houston, where my husband and I were for 13 years. I stopped working for a while and stayed home for 15 years to raise my children. During that time, I was very involved as a volunteer in the community and enjoyed using my sales and banking skills to help raise money for different nonprofits in Fort Worth, Texas. When I decided that I was ready to start working again, a good friend of mine at TCU (Texas Christian University) told me, “Debbie I think you would be great at nonprofit and development work.” So in November 2006, as I was interviewing at different places, United Way aligned perfectly with my interests to help people with needs as […]

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Learn Where You Earn Takes Off

On June 19, United Way for Greater Austin wrapped up our first financial education workshop series with The City of Austin’s Resource Recovery department as a part the Learn Where You Earn (LWYE) financial planning series. LWYE is an initiative to partner with local employers to provide education on financial literacy and money management for their employees within the workplace. Seth Mason, with nonprofit Cornerstone Financial Education, presented information in a three workshop sequence on topics such as improving credit scores, how to read a credit report, managing debt, and creating a household budget. One participant, Robert Garcia, never made a budget before and had never looked at his credit report – nor did he understand what his credit score meant.  He now feels equipped to create a budget, has a good handle on his credit and feels empowered to plan for a buying a home.  Through LWYE he will have access to a financial coach to help him continue on his path to home ownership. Ashley Singh Sawicki, of Velocity Credit Union, also stopped by one of the workshops to discuss how direct deposit can save on check-cashing fees and answer questions about banking.  Velocity Credit Union is a member of Bank On Central Texas, a United Way run initiative to bank the unbanked. With financial education, working individuals have the opportunity to engage their hard-earned dollars into active fiscal success. Although budgeting, repairing credit, and increasing savings are among the top priorities of LWYE, individual growth and less […]

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USA Football brings U-19 Championship to Austin

We are happy to announce our marketing partnership with USA Football! For  summer 2012, USA Football will host the IFAF Under-19 World Championship in Austin, TX. Games are June 30 – July 7. Through our partnership,  not only are tickets affordable at under $12 a piece, but 50% of all ticket proceeds will benefit the United Way for Greater Austin and our charitable endeavors. USA Football is a national nonprofit organization that governs the football sport in the United States.  Their organization is also the official youth football development partner of the NFL and the NFL Players Association. The U-19 World Championship brings together eight teams of high school-age players who represent four continents in celebration of football through competition and cultural exchange.  The eight-day tournament culminates in a gold-medal championship game. USA Football is heavily involved in the betterment of young people through football throughout the country.  The Under-19 World Championship, along with the International Bowl, are the  two most prominent organization events and feature some of best high school football players from around the world. Watch a video about this summer’s games here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHVV4MbFpkI To  purchase your tickets in support of this great cause, visit: http://u19wc-unitedway.eventbrite.com Make sure you enter the offer code: unitedway Other great community partners who are also USA Football partners are: State Firemen’s & Fire Marshals’ Association Operation Homefront of Texas Boys & Girls Club of Austin Area Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas Girl Scouts of Central Texas AVANCE Austin Affiliate of Susan […]

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Deloitte makes over Crockett High for IMPACT Day

On Friday, June 8, Deloitte professionals came together for IMPACT Day- a volunteer day where local employees revamped courtyards, common areas, and classrooms of Crockett High School. Before volunteers got down and dirty with various projects, they were greeted with an early morning pep rally to remind them why their volunteer work is so important, introduce them to the school  they were “impacting”, and provide a hearty breakfast to start the day. As projects began at 10 a.m., volunteers were assigned to different areas and set out to perform their duties. Some of these projects included: Building new bookshelves for students to house their achievements Sanding and painting the doors to improve the building’s appearance Landscaping the courtyard with flowers and grass Cleaning out the classrooms for the 2012-13 school year While volunteers worked on the outside beautification projects, additional Deloitte professionals taught no-cost workshops to local nonprofit employees on business counsel, leadership development and financial guidance, allowing these business professionals to gain important hands-on material. United Way for Greater Austin also managed additional volunteer projects for employees on campus, including downloading and preparing the new Samsung tablets with applications for the upcoming fall semester of Play To Learn. The Play To Learn project is an opportunity for parents and their children to learn together about school readiness at accessible neighborhood locations.  The course incorporates Samsung Galaxy tablets pre-loaded with children’s educational apps to continue the learning process outside class. One-hundred and fifty tablets were loaded by Deloitte on Friday […]

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Navigation Center receives its 2 Millionth Call

  On Wednesday, May 30, our United Way Navigation Center reached its 2 millionth call; a symbol of greater need for our local Austin community and greater progress for your United Way. This specific call helped a repeat caller set up appointments to gain clearance for the Medical Access Program (MAP) for her family and helped an older woman gain access to taxpayer advocacy help. “Clients fluctuate between not having a stable job and unpredictable income,” said Charro Peralta-Bronstein, Bilingual Navigation Specialist. “My role is to make sure these callers qualify for assistance for the various programs offered in the Greater Austin community.”   The Navigation Center is at the essence of what keeps United Way for Greater Austin moving forward with vision and purpose. Providing 24-hour assistance, 2-1-1 connects those with needs to useful resources around the clock. Since the economic downturn, United Way has implemented a number of programs and created various partnerships that have been key building blocks in developing and sustaining community access to essential resources. “We have personal relationships with public services important to the well-being of each individual who needs it,” said LouAnn Bardash, Navigation Specialist. “Our helpline has access to a large database filled with our long-standing partners in the community and statewide programs available to anyone.” Through partnerships, not only has the Navigation Center increased their connections to the local community, they have facilitated programs to gain increased recognition for their services.  A partnership with Central Health, for instance, has resulted in a 40% enrollment increase into their […]

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