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United Way for Greater Austin Awards $475,000 to 20 Williamson County Nonprofits

 United Way for Greater Austin awarded a total of $475,000 in strategic grant funding to 20 nonprofits in Williamson County. The recipients represent a diverse set of community leaders collectively serving more than 3,000 Williamson County residents in the areas of education, health, and financial stability. “We are grateful to every donor who makes these strategic investments in Williamson County possible,” said David C. Smith, CEO of United Way for Greater Austin. “Every dollar goes a long way to ensure everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential. United Way is proud to support and work with such outstanding partners, and we look forward to changing lives the only way we know how: United.” In January 2022, United Way for Greater Austin and United Way of Williamson County joined forces and merged into a regional organization supporting children, families, and individuals in Austin, Travis County, and Williamson County. This funding represents our continued investment in Williamson County. The grants will support strategic work in the areas of: Education (8 organizations) Health (7 organizations) Financial stability (5 organizations) View the full list of grant recipients. “United Way is proud to partner with these organizations to advance the powerful work they are currently doing, which impacts thousands of children, families, and individuals in our region,” said Amy Mizcles, Vice President of Williamson County at United Way for Greater Austin. As an organization committed to equity and inclusivity, United Way approached the grant selection process with these values in mind. In total, […]

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MLK Jr. Service Week: Honoring the legacy of Dr. King

Celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. every year is critical to our commitment to the fight for racial equity and creating a Greater Austin region that works for everyone. Last week, United Way for Greater Austin hosted a series of in-person community volunteer opportunities and an educational walking tour to honor Dr. King. On Monday, January 16, more than 100 volunteers at two different locations across Travis and Williamson counties rolled up their sleeves to clean up parks in our community, in honor of Dr. King’s powerful words, ‘What are you doing for others?’ Senator John Cornyn and Austin Mayor Kirk Watson attended the event in Austin and thanked volunteers for their time. On Friday, January 20, dozens of community members joined us on a guided tour, led by Harrison Eppright of Six Square: Austin’s Black Cultural District, to explore the Austin area that was originally created to segregate the Black community in 1928. Participants toured historic buildings and landmarks, and learned about the history of East Austin and how this neighborhood played a critical role in forming the city that we know today. See photos from the volunteer events and walking tour. “We thank you for volunteering to support United Way’s mission of bringing together people, ideas, and resources to fight poverty,” United Way CEO David C. Smith emphasized at the event. “When Dr. King said, ‘Everybody can be great because everybody can serve,’ he knew that we reach our highest potential as human […]

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One year since our merger: big wins in Williamson County

In January 2022, United Way for Greater Austin and United Way of Williamson County joined forces and merged. So much good has happened since then in our Greater Austin region. In the last year, United, we were able to make an even bigger impact for and with our neighbors in Williamson County.  Here are just a few things we accomplished in our first year as a newly merged organization. United, we awarded 36 grants to Williamson County nonprofits Thanks to the generous donations of thousands of community investors, we awarded $2.2 million to 68 local organizations, including 36 grants to Williamson County organizations focusing on education, health, and financial stability. We also celebrated with our partners at our first Nonprofit Partner Celebration! United, we launched new initiatives in Williamson County We launched several new initiatives in Williamson County, including: The Williamson County Success By 6 Coalition, to ensure all children in Williamson County enter Kindergarten happy, healthy, and prepared to succeed in school and beyond Pre-K Partnerships, to expand access to high-quality pre-K and provide centers with resources to help improve and sustain quality services for children in Round Rock ISD Addressing Cancer Together, to save lives and reduce the economic burden of cancer on families and communities in Greater Austin Community Health Connect, to improve health outcomes and expand access to resources for local families United, we served our community by volunteering We mobilized hundreds of volunteers to come together and serve the community at various locations in Williamson […]

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More than 140 volunteers come together for Summer Day of Caring

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. […]

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Honor 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 […]

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2015 Campaign Awards

We are honored to recognize the accomplishments of each of our campaign partners. Together, our workplace partners increased campaign giving by more than 6%. This directly impacts the resources available to help stabilize families, help children and youth succeed, and empower healthy lives for people of all ages. Thank you to every one of our campaign partners for helping in Williamson County. Congratulations to our 2015 campaign award winners. Your commitment to the values and goals of United Way is inspiring to us all. Partner of the Year: AARP Tax-Aide Volunteers Large Campaign of the Year Award (1,000+ employees): H-E-B Partners Mid-size Campaign of the Year Award (100-999 employees): Wells Fargo Small Campaign of the Year Award (less than 100 employees): Frost Bank – Williamson County Volunteer Partner of the Year:  TDIndustries Campaign Coordinator of the Year:  Mike Labay, Atmos Energy Community Builder Awards:   H-E-B, Baylor Scott & White and Wells Fargo Outstanding Employee Campaign Award: Amplify Credit Union, Cigna, City of Georgetown, H-E-B – Round Rock #1 and #2 and H-E-B – Austin 14 (1431/Bell Blvd in Cedar Park), JC Penney (Round Rock and Lakeline), R Bank, RBCFU and Target Stores in Georgetown.

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2014 Day of Caring – September 26, 2014

A record number of volunteers participated in United Way of Williamson County’s annual Day of Caring held on September 26, 2014. More than 220 volunteers provided in excess of 650 hours of time in their efforts to complete 19 local community service projects across Williamson County. Communities served by United Way of Williamson County volunteers included Cedar Park, Leander, Hutto, Georgetown, Round Rock and Taylor. Volunteers read to preschoolers in Taylor ISD, painted the Head Start facilities in Hutto, and expanded gardens at elementary schools in Round Rock ISD and Leander ISD. Others sorted donations and organized thrift store items at Round Rock Area Serving Center, The Caring Place, Shepherd’s Heart Food Pantry, Hill Country Community Ministries, Annunciation Maternity Home and Hope Alliance. Williamson County Parks and local municipalities welcomed volunteers to assist with park clean up, beautification projects and trail development. The City of Round Rock made their Tool Lending Center available to volunteer projects across Round Rock. The Day of Caring is an annual event that coincides with the start of the annual United Way of Williamson County campaign and focuses on helping local nonprofit agencies, schools and communities complete projects that will benefit residents across Williamson County. Many special thanks to our Day of Caring sponsors. We are grateful for your support of our volunteers and our community.

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2014 MLK Day of Service – January 20, 2014

More than 175 volunteers marked the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday by participating in United Way of Williamson County’s Day of Service on January 20, 2014. Volunteers of all ages joined together with hundreds of thousands of others across the country who participated in this National Day of Service. More than 450 volunteer hours were donated back to Williamson County during this annual event. “Each year, the MLK Day of Service seems to attract more and more volunteers,” said LeAnn Powers, Chief Professional Officer at United Way of Williamson County. “Many people have time off of work or school on MLK Day, and it’s encouraging and inspiring to see so many families or employee groups taking time on a day off to help others in Williamson County.” Families, individuals, student groups and corporate teams sorted donations, cleared and mulched trails, assisted with beautification projects and prepared the Hutto Library for an upcoming renovation project. Projects were held in Georgetown at Annunciation Maternity Home, The Caring Place, WBC Opportunities, and Berry Springs Park & Preserve. The Hutto Library hosted volunteers from ERCOT. Southwest Regional Park in Leander hosted 70 volunteers, many of whom were employees of Starbucks and TDIndustries. AGE of Central Texas and Hope Alliance hosted volunteers in Round Rock, and Shepherd’s Heart welcomed volunteers in Taylor.

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Day of Caring – September 20, 2013

A welcome weather system accompanied by cooler temperatures and scattered thunderstorms didn’t stop 175 volunteers from participating in United Way of Williamson County’s Day of Caring. Thank you to all the volunteers, made up of individuals, families and groups from many local employers, for coming together to brave the elements and complete projects at 19 locations across Williamson County! A special thank you goes out to our friends at H-E-B for the breakfast tacos and Starbucks for the coffee. THANK YOU to our event sponsors for supporting volunteerism in the community!

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