Living United

Self-Sufficiency: Telling Stories through Numbers

The numbers are in. Our Thomas Jefferson Area Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) coalition prepared 1,880 tax returns at no charge for local low to middle income residents of Charlottesville and Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson counties.

The numbers tell us that the average refund was $1,491 and the average Earned Income Tax Credit (for those who qualified) was $1,742. Similarly, the average Child Care Credit was $784.

The average income for those we helped was $19,341. Think of the impact that receiving those kinds of refunds and credits can have on someone with that sort of income. You could buy new tires for your car. Pay off a medical debt. Visit your mother in another state. Start a savings account.

And the numbers go on. Our coalition volunteers saved these 1,880 people a total of $366,200 in tax preparation fees. We had more than 100 volunteers, most of them UVA students and law students. The total dollar value of credits for earned income, child care and education totaled $1,605,879. The most returns (649) were prepared at the site at the University of Virginia’s Human Resources department. The United Way’s office prepared the second highest number of returns (216). University of Virginia Community Credit Union employees prepared returns in their branches in Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson counties, plus their downtown Charlottesville branch, for a total of 367 returns.

The numbers also tell us that the total impact of our coalition’s efforts this year, including refunds, credits and saved fees, was $3,453,535.

But what the numbers do not tell us are the stories about the people whose lives were vastly improved by this boost to their bank accounts. Here at the United Way office, a staff member prepared a return for a woman who was a recent immigrant from Eastern Europe and had a middle school age daughter. She could not believe that she would actually be getting money back from the earned income tax credit, and even asked to review the return, in case we had made a mistake. Once she received her tax credit, she returned to our office to show us pictures of the new furniture she was able to buy: new beds and mattresses for her and her daughter. She said “Thanks to you, we will not sleep on the floor any more.”

One thousand, eight hundred and eighty  tax returns prepared. There are a lot more stories to be told.

 

Posted by: Kim Connolly

Winery Tours or Golf at Keswick? You Choose.

There is something for everyone on One Fine Day for the United Way on July 23, 2012. For golfers, the United Way Golf Classic offers the opportunity to play on the private Keswick golf course amid specatular scenery. As an extra, fun twist on the usual tournament, craft beer tastings are offered at select holes on the course. The day starts with a box lunch and ends with a sumptious casual buffet dinner as only Keswick can offer. In addition, dinner guests can participate in a diverse raffle as well as a small live auction for unique opportunities and items.

Don't golf, and wish you had the opportunity to spend the day with friends or clients like the golfers do? An Afternoon in the Country was designed for you. Start the day with a box lunch and a talk by Dr. M. Mala Cunningham: "Be Good to Yourself through Mindfulness and Yoga".

Then board the bus for "One Vine Day" of tours and tastings at three local wineries: Jefferson, Trump and Blenheim. Savor the afternoon with friends while sampling wine and enjoying the breathtaking scenery. We will finish up at Blenheim, where you can play a round of croquet if you desire.

Upon your return, you can join our golfers for the special buffet, raffle and auction. One Fine Day for the United Way serves to support our United Way's priority areas of School Readiness, Self-Sufficiency and Community Health. Help your community while having a wonderful day.

The United Way Golf Classic:

• An afternoon of golf, including a box lunch, craft beer tastings, hole contests and a buffet dinner: $150 per golfer

An Afternoon in the Country. Choose all of some of these activities:

• "Be Good to Yourself" lunch:   $20
• "One Vine Day" winery tour:  $60
• Buffet Dinner at Keswick Hall: $65

Or all three events for $140.

And, of course, there are plenty of sponsorship opportunities available.

To register, please call Caroline Emerson at 434-972-1701 or cemerson@unitedwaytja.org.

 

 

 

Are you Invested in Our Community? We Are.

What would happen if families had access to quality health care, kids entered school ready to learn, and individuals had the job skills they needed to become financially stable? How would their lives be different? How would our community change?

That is our vision. And we need your help.

The United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area is invested in: School Readiness, Self-Sufficiency and Community Health.

To ensure people have the tools they need to thrive, we have assembled a winning team: local nonprofits, business leaders, educators, health professionals and public servants. We are leading these team members in solid, research-based community strategies and linking them with the resources needed - funding, volunteers, advocacy, technology, in-kind resources and corporate partnerships - to deliver transformative, measurable results.

Today we’re appealing to you to step up to the plate and invest in our community. Please make a gift to help the United Way hit a home run for programs that make families more successful, and our community more prosperous.

We’re all on the same team; we all care about this community. It’s time to come together and Hit One Out of the Park.

Everyone who makes an “Out of the Park” donation that is received by June 1, 2012 will be listed in a full page ad in The Daily Progress (please indicate if you want to be anonymous).

What are you invested in? Give today. Click here.

Thank you.

 

University of Virginia Baseball, Rain, Home Runs and Tailgate Parties

The local businesses who are members of the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area's Home Run Club pledge $10 to our United Way for each home run the University of Virginia baseball team hits from April 1 through the end of the post season. As one way of saying "Thank You" for their support, our Team Captain, CenturyLink, hosts a pre-game tailgate party for the team members using CavOne, UVA's sports promotion trailer.

Last year's tailgate was on a Sunday, and the game was moved earlier in the day due to forecasted thunderstorms in the afternoon of a brutally hot day. So our lunch tailgate morphed into a brunch tailgate.

This year, rain had been forecast for game day well in advance, but "scattered showers" meant that the weeknight game time did not change in advance. We set up our food and drink and tents, and just as our party start time came, so did light rain, which morphed into steady rain. However, our attendees took it all in stride, and the clustered tents made for an intimate gathering in which everyone got to meet new people and get caught up with old friends, too.

Once again, we had amazing food, thanks to Fry's Spring Station, Raising Canes and Beer Run. Our friends at Specialty Beverage also helped out with an assortment of craft beers.

Too bad the delayed game did not add to our home run tally, but we DID add to our friend tally.

This weekend's home series against Georgia Tech promises great baseball weather, and our fingers are crossed for a home run or two.

Posted by: Kim Connolly

Interning for the United Way a Valuable, Wide-Ranging Experience

In my third year at the University of Virginia I decided to enroll in the internship program (UIP) for the entirety of my fourth year. I had extra space in my schedule and thought it would be fun to get out of the classroom for ten hours a week and do something a little more practical.

My first day at the United Way was both wonderful and overwhelming. Jessica, my sponsor, showed me my desk and then introduced me to everybody in the office. They were all incredibly nice and excited to meet me and they all wanted to tell me all about what they did. I of course promptly forgot everything that they said and spend the next few months learning everything I could about the office and remembering what they had told me earlier.

At my internship seminar I heard horror stories of other interns’ experiences; they would vacuum for ten hours a week, didn’t have a desk to sit at, or would have to deal with highly erratic sponsors and schedules. At the United Way, however, everybody went out of their way to accommodate my schedule and they did their best to involve me with everything that went on in the office. As the intern I expected to do a lot of the busy work in the office, but people would hesitate to ask me to do certain things; everybody really wanted me to have a valuable experience and not just envelope-stuffing experience. I helped organized a School Supply Drive, participated in the Day of Caring (I have never blown up that many balloons), went to a Board Meeting, did research for Impact Area meetings, worked on the Better Business Challenge to make the office more sustainable, and accompanied people to the radio station.

From January until April, I devoted most of my time to doing taxes through the EITC tax coalition. While taxes might not sound very exciting, I really enjoyed this portion of the internship! It meant I got to interact with clients, problem solve if a return got rejected, and really feel like I was making a difference in the community.

By interning at the United Way, I now have a much better understanding of how organizations, and particularly non-profits, function. I feel a lot more confident that I will be capable of holding an actual job. I gained great work experience and also started really connecting to Charlottesville (the University tends to be a little bit of a bubble at times). It felt great to be a part of an organization that works so hard to improve the community. I know that when I visit Charlottesville in the future, I will definitely drop by the office and say hi to everyone!

Posted by: Ellen Janssen, University of Virginia Class of 2012