Living United

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.

 

Pulling People Together

We have each been involved in supporting local nonprofits for more than 20 years. Jane thrives on helping organize special events for a variety of organizations and Bryan has served on the board of our United Way for more than 20 years, as well as serving as the chair of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce and as a volunteer for Special Olympics, the Red Cross, Blue Ridge Rotary Club, and the Party Parade.

Our United Way impacts the community in many ways that people do not see. Not just by providing grants for local programs and by offering many direct services, but by advocating for the human service needs of all citizens. There are many issues in our community that concern us, including the education of our children and their well-being. Children need to be raised with the appropriate education and social skills plus the understanding that they are part of a larger community. The economic prosperity of our region is also very important, and we need to provide people with the skills they need as well as the jobs needed to sustain a healthy and safe living environment for everyone who lives here.

Our United Way addresses these issues by looking at where the needs are; we do this by pulling together community members-from nonprofits, businesses, the education and health care communities, and the public sector -and listening to them about what works and what hasn't, and where they see the need for more action. That is why we support our United Way both financially and with our time -because of the important role it plays in our community. We feel strongly that the dollars raised here stay in our community. We have a staff that works tirelessly to provide direct services like the Volunteer Center, Child Care Scholarships, Prescription Assistance and so on. We can see a tangible impact on our community through the United Way.

Posted By:

Bryan Thomas, Area Executive, BB&T

Jane Thomas, Community Volunteer

Paying Taxes, Saving Money

Our office has been hopping lately. The Thomas Jefferson Area Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Coalition is headquartered in our office, ably coordinated by our staff member, Pamela Frank.

Our Information and Referral Center's phone has been in constant use, with Martha Trujillo, our Community Services Coordinator, fielding phone calls and scheduling appointments for folks to have their taxes prepared for free. There are many member agencies in our local coalition and approximately 100 volunteers who have been certified by the IRS. Most notable are the students from the University of Virginia and the law school, plus the UVA Community Credit Union, which offers free tax preparation in its branches, especially those in our surrounding rural counties.

While our office may be crowded (since we are one of the tax sites) and our phones ringing constantly, it is a good feeling knowing that we have saved these families and individuals earning less than $50,000 a year a lot of money. Not only do they save the the tax preparation fees, but we help them to claim all the credits for which they are eligible. The IRS estimates that more than a quarter of the people who are eligible for the earned income tax credit do not claim it, and we aim to remedy that. In addition, we help people avoid the so called "instant refunds" which are in reality high interest, short-term loans. Folks who file their taxes through our nonprofit coalition can normally expect their refunds direct deposted into their bank acount within 7 to 10 days.

Pamela reported this morning that since mid January, the coalition has helped around 600 people with their taxes, and we are still barely into the season!

Why do we do this? It all relates to our impact area of Self-Sufficiency. We want to help working people keep their hard-earned dollars, and hopefully save their refunds to use to build a nest eggs or pay off bills. The coalition's motto is Earn it. Keep it. Save it. And that is what we hope they do.

 

Posted By: Kim Connolly

 

Music Resource Center: not just an afterschool program

January is National Mentoring Month.

All month long we are featuring guest posts from many of our local nonprofits that work with youth and need volunteers to become mentors and tutors. On January 26, 2012, the United Way Volunteer Center invites you to our annual Mentor and Tutor Opportunity Fair from 11:00 - 2:00 at the Omni Hotel. There you will be able to meet in person with representatives from 17 local organizations and fit the right fit for you as a mentor or tutor.

Mentor. Tutor. Pass it on!

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If you’re familiar with the Music Resource Center (MRC), you probably know that we are an after-school music program where Charlottesville youth can explore their musical talents in our state-of-the-art studios.  But did you also know that the MRC teaches students during the school day? 

Through theCharlottesville Albemarle Technical Education Center (CATEC), the MRC offers a two-credit elective class to juniors and seniors in Charlottesville city and Albemarle county high schools. The goal of the class is to equip students with technical skills that will allow them to compete for jobs in the music industry after graduation. In the class, which meets for two hours every weekday, students learn aspects of recording engineering, live sound engineering, instrument maintenance and repair, beat production, music journalism and radio programming. 

The Music Industry Technology class was started in the 2008-2009 school year and is now in its fourth year. Approximately fifty students have taken part in the class over the course of four years. To learn more about the Music Industry Technology curriculum, visit the CATEC website.

 

Guest post by: Maria Gall, Music Resource Center

Initiative for Effective Nonprofits Grants Available

Grant application are now open for local nonprofits wishing to strengthen their governance and management so that they will be more effective in delivering services. Organizations that are managed well are better able to develop, implement and sustain effective services to meet community needs.

The Initiative for Effective Nonprofits is a collaborative effort of community organizations, foundations and individuals to strengthen nonprofit organizations that provide services to residents of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District which includes the City of Charlottesville and the Counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson.

Below is a guest post from one of the local nonprofits that received the grant and used it to strengthen a local coalition.

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The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is a well-documented and successful model of improving police interactions with people experiencing acute episodes of mental illness. The training is designed to educate and prepare police officers who come into contact with people in crisis, to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illness and to respond effectively and appropriately to the individual. Because police officers are often the first responders in these incidents, it is essential that they understand how mental illnesses can alter people’s behaviors and perceptions.

The trained CIT Officer is skilled at recognizing and de-escalating crises involving people with acute episodes of mental illness, while bringing an element of understanding and compassion to these difficult situations. The goal of the CIT program is to reduce unnecessary restraint and incarceration of people with mental illness and to provide individuals with appropriate treatment in the community.

The Charlottesville CIT project began in 2005 with the support of an Initiative for Effective Nonprofits Grant from the United Way. The first 12 months were spent building consensus in the Charlottesville community to decide whether or not to bring a Crisis Intervention Team to the area. With overwhelming support within the community, we began the implementation phase of the project with a grant from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) in 2006.

Guest post by Tom von Hemert, OAR/Jefferson Area Corrections

Christmas Trees, Living on a Budget and Wonderful Volunteers

Years ago, when I was working at a nonprofit in another state, I had an assistant  who was one of the most outgoing, happy and hardworking persons I have ever met. She was also the same age as me (30) and had a 14 year old daughter. Yes, the math says she was 16 when she became a mother. One day, as we were driving to a meeting, she pointed out a large evergreen bush in front of an unoccupied industrial building. She told me the story of how one year, she could not afford a Christmas tree and so instead took a very large branch from the back of that bush and brought it home and decorated it for her young daughter.

Having grown up in a protected suburban bubble, this was the first time I had realized that for many families, a Christmas tree is a big expense. Perhaps that is why I so wholeheartedly embraced the Target stores’ Share-A-Tree program when their store opened in Charlottesville.

For 21 years, Target stores across the country have donated a couple of special display Christmas trees to their local United Way to give to families or a local nonprofit organization. We are so fortunate that our local store manager may actually be Santa’s special envoy, because he donates ALL of the store’s display Christmas trees to us each year. This year there were 24 trees.

We try to spread the joy every year by working with a different local organization to identify families who are struggling to make ends meet. These artificial trees enable families to keep money in their pockets each holiday season by eliminating the need to purchase a new tree each year. Whether you are a real or fake tree aficionado, you can agree that this makes good economic sense for these families.

In past years, we have worked with the Charlottesville City Public Housing Association of Residents, Love Inc.(which put us in touch with local churches), MACAA and GRACE in Greene County. This year, it was not hard to see that the people in hard-hit Louisa County, the epicenter of the August earthquake, could use some extra holiday cheer. So we contacted Donna Isom at the Louisa Resource Council, who immediately began finding homes for the trees. Two of the trees, which were quite high-tech looking as they were made of black tinsel, were given to Computers4Kids here in Charlottesville, to be decorated using a technology theme.

Ryan McKillip, regional manager of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, has provided us with a box truck for the fourth year in a row, and looks forward to volunteering to pick up and deliver the trees each year. Henry Graff, reporter for NBC29, joined as a volunteer last year when we delivered to his Greene County neighbors, and has now made this an annual volunteer effort (of course producing a news story along the way). The three of us are beginning to be a well-oiled machine.

Here is the link to our still photos from the day, and below is Henry’s story.

 

In addition, Bryan McKenzie of The Daily Progress, put his signature spin on the story in his column this week. Many thanks to the good folks at Target’s national headquarters, and many more to the employees of our local store for embracing and enhancing this wonderful concept.

Give. Advocate. Volunteer. That is what is means to Live United.

 

Posted by: Kim Connolly

Give. Advocate. Volunteer...Be Energy Efficient?

The United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area is one of the seventy businesses that have joined the Better Business Challenge, an initiative by LEAP and Better World Betty that encourages businesses to become greener. Points are given for assessing current practices (such as reviewing a year’s worth of utility bills) and implementing sustainable changes (such as replacing incandescent light bulbs with CFLS or LEDS)

We are exited to start earning points for incorporating greener practices in our daily operations. To become “certified,” we have to get at least forty points in the areas of energy, water, waste, purchasing, leadership, and transportation. With the help of LEAP we have started benchmarking our energy and water usage so we can set reduction goals and identify areas in which we can improve sustainability.

I am helping Alaina Schroeder with this energy efficiency challenge as one of my internship projects here. Since the start of the challenge, we’ve been reading up on “greener” practices. Alaina attended a meeting where she learned about more efficient lighting and we met with our two volunteer UVA student Better Business Challenge “concierges” to discuss our options. Now, they are off researching light bulbs, lighting assessments, energy audits, etc. for us.

Being such a small organization has both pros and cons for the challenge. The transportation category doesn’t apply at all and because we use relatively little water (especially compared to restaurants), our water saving options are also limited. I have made an inventory of all electrical equipment in the office; it would have probably taken me days had we been much larger. In addition, it turns out we are already doing a number of sustainable things in the office. We recycle, store and make documents available online, we print double sided, and we’ve planted drought resistant plants that we don’t water at all. 

We hope that as the challenge continues our energy and water costs go down with the changes we implement. This way, the Challenge will not only help us contribute to a greener planet, but will also make it possible for even more of our funds to go towards community projects instead of bills.

We will keep you updated as the challenge goes on with the improvements we have made. If you are interested in joining, the official deadline to join the Better Business Challenge was October 1 (extended from September 15) but they are more than happy to accept participants throughout the fall.

 Submitted by: Ellen Janssen

With Your Help, We Are Changing Lives

Wow.

A little recent number crunching on our part yielded this statistic:

The average annual benefit this past year for our United Way RxRelief Prescription Assistance Program clients was $4,017 in medications (retail cost) -- this represents 30% of the average annual income of our clients ($13,186).

This is how we have an impact on our community.

In order to qualify for assistance from this program, individuals must have a chronic, long term condition like diabetes, heart disease or mental illness that requires medication, and they must be uninsured.

They no longer have to choose between paying their electric bill or paying for medications. They are staying healthier because they are taking their medications regularly. This reduces the need for emergency medical care, which reduces the financial burden on hospitals treating uninsured patients, or on the families facing insurmountable medical bills. Because they are healthy, they miss less work, so they have a steadier income and their employer has a consistent employee.

Community Health and Self-Sufficiency are two of our impact areas (the other is School Readiness). This program, in which our employee, Medication Assistance Caseworker Helen Frye, spends her time mostly at the Charlottesville Free Clinic and Region Ten Community Services Board, as well as at Martha Jefferson Hospital's satellite offices, demonstrates how we can leverage our resources to have a very large impact.

When you are considering where to make your charitable donations this year, please consider how our United Way uses your donations to maximize the ways we can have a positive impact on individuals’ lives and strengthen our community.

 

Posted by Kim Connolly

UVA Employees Can Have a Powerful Local Impact

Starting today, October 3, employees of the University of Virginia, our area’s largest employer, can support their favorite charities through the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign.

This workplace giving campaign allows employees to designate a gift to a specific nonprofit organization or several organizations. With more than 12,000 employees, just imagine the impact if each gave $1 a week to an organization! Not all employees do participate, but many of those who do, designate $5, $10, $20 or more per pay period.

The United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area was formed in 1943 by the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce, and has from our beginning been known for our workplace giving campaigns. This is not a surprise since we were formed by a business owners organization. However, we are just one of 1,300 nonprofit organizations that UVA employees have to choose from in their state-run campaign.

It is our hope that our friends and neighbors at UVA have heard and read about the many ways we have an impact on our local community, and that they realize that every dollar contributed to the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area not only stays here in our local community, but because of our strength, stability and thoughtful leadership, we bring $4 of services to the community for each dollar donated.

We focus on school readiness, self-sufficiency and community health.

In the past year:

• 2,100 volunteered for the United Way Laurence E. Richardson Day of Caring, providing $280,000 worth of labor to local nonprofits and schools.
• 2,416 children received shoes, clothing, medication and eyeglasses through the Santa Fund.
• 1,500 low-income individuals received free tax help creating $2.6 million in saved fees, tax credits and refunds, to be saved and spent in our local community through our local Earned Income Tax Credit coalition.
• 575 uninsured adults received $2.24 million in needed medications through our prescription assistance program.
• 100 United Way child care scholarships were provided and 96% of those parents maintained their employment.
• Volunteers collected, sorted and distributed over 50,000 lbs of food for local food banks through the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, for which we recruit volunteers and provide local marketing.

In short, we hope that University of Virginia employees will scroll down that long list of national, international, regional and local organizations to get to the end of the alphabet at the “U” and use code #3627 to designate the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area to receive their support through the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign. We promise to use their gifts in a thoughtful, impactful and powerful way to change lives right here in Charlottesville and Albemarle, Greene, Fluvanna, Louisa and Nelson Counties.

 

Posted by Caroline Emerson

What Is a “School Ready” Community?

Parents everywhere are grappling with the start of school. Here is some food for thought from the Smart Beginnings State of Local School Readiness Report:

We know what children, families, schools and the community need to provide to ensure a child’s readiness for school. The Getting Ready research states that children “…need to be surrounded by strong structures in their lives: Caring families, Supportive communities, Ready schools and Effective service. Efforts to improve school readiness are most effective when they embrace the rich cultural and language backgrounds of families and children.” A young child’s readiness for school is influenced by a child’s development in five areas:

1. Physical health and motor development
2. Social and emotional development
3.  Approaches to learning
4.  Language development  
5. Cognition and general knowledge

 

For our children to be ready for school, our community needs to be ready to prepare them for success. A child’s readiness for school is the result of: Ready Children, Ready Families, Ready Services, Ready Schools, Ready Communities. Each component plays an essential role in school readiness and no one component can stand on its own. Smart Beginnings’ initiatives and goals address the five areas.

Importance of Starting Early

The first five years of life have an enormous impact on how well children learn and grow throughout their lifetime. Early experiences have tremendous influence on the development of the brain’s neuron connections. This “wiring” impacts the capacity to learn and develop social, emotional and cognitive skills. In the first three years of life, the majority of a child’s language development occurs.

During this critical time of development, we invest the least in children. The research shows that early learning experiences, the quality of young children’s environment and social experience have a decisive, long-lasting impact on children’s successful development and their ability to learn. However, during this period of rapid growth, communities invest the least in children’s education, care and services.

To learn more about what our community is doing to address this, visiting our Smart Beginnings section of our website.

When is a Deadline a Deadline?

Nonprofit project and volunteer team registration for the September 21^st United Way Laurence E. Richardson Day of Caring opened on June 1^st and a month before that for schools.

Since the first of June, we have had news stories and interviews on TV and radio and have run public services announcements on all three Charlottesville Newsplex stations and on nearly every radio station in Charlottesville encouraging nonprofits to register their projects and for volunteer teams to sign up. Several Constant Contact emails have been sent to everyone who has participated in the past.

Our intern called all the agencies who had not submitted projects a week before the deadline. CVille Calendar sent out a blast to their 7,000 subscribers. SuzySaidCville has posted about project registrations. Announcements have been made at meetings of local nonprofits and on the Chamber of Commerce weekly e-newsletter. And of course, we have done several blog posts about the Day of Caring, as well as had a prominent widget on our United Way home page and on the sidebar of this blog.

Volunteer Center director Jessica Snyder released the project list to all registered teams on Monday, and will be releasing the list of lottery numbers by which teams get to choose their projects next week.

And still…

Her phone is ringing and emails are pouring in from Proscrastinating Pollies (and Pauls) -  nonprofits who had not registered projects by the July 29 deadline and folks wanting to register their volunteer teams. One nonprofit even got phone calls from past volunteers who did not see the organization listed on the released project list asking why they did not have a project listed. What a missed opportunity for that nonprofit!

 The Proscrastinating Pollies say they had not heard anything about it… TV, print, radio, email, phone calls, Twitter, Facebook, website and postings on this blog since the beginning of June – are we missing something?

 

Posted by Kim Connolly

You Deserve to Have One Fine Day

We are so fortunate to have great relationships with all the media outlets in Charlottesville. Recently, our good friends at WINA, sponsors of our One Fine Day for the United Way, a Day at Keswick Hall, Club & Estate, recorded the following public service announcement for us.

 

United Way Golf Classic PSA

 

And, our friends at Charlottesville Newsplex and Comcast Spotlight collaborated to created this terrific television spot.

 

Plus, event sponsor The Daily Progress is running this ad on Sundays for us.

Hurry up and sign up for your spot on the golf course or a relaxing day at the estate. We have sold out the golf tournament the last couple of years. Call Caroline Emerson at 434-972-1701.

 

Posted by Kim Connolly

 

Join us for Live Radio on the Patio at Keswick

As part of our promotion for One Fine Day for the United Way, a day at Keswick Hall, Club & Estate, our wonderful radio partner NewsRadio 1070 WINA will be broadcasting LIVE from the patio at Keswick Hall on Monday, June 27. Join us for a special broadcast of Jay James' "Best Seat in the House" with special guests UVA Head baseball coach Brian O'Connor, his assistant coaches, and pitcher Tyler Wilson.

The always accommodating staff at Keswick is offering $15 drink and appetizer specials for our friends joining us for this fun evening. Last year’s radio event was especially memorable because it was one of the evenings we had a severe weather microburst and the power went out at Keswick.  The party went on, and we ended up listening to an extended version of Coy Barefoot’s show as he fielded listeners’ phone calls reporting in damage around the area. Jay James was able to go on live later with an in-person interview with coach O’Connor. This year will be our third year of doing this special broadcast with Coach O'Connor.

Come by after work at 5:30, you are guaranteed to enjoy wonderful Keswick hospitality and some radio fun.

Everyone who registers at the party for either the Keswick-United Way Golf Classic or An Afternoon at the Estate is eligible for prizes.

Overall event sponsorships as well as hole sponsorships are available. The tournament fills up quickly, but now non-golfers can also enjoy An Afternoon at the Estate.

For more information or updates, call Caroline Emerson at 434-972-1701, follow us on Twitter as @UnitedWayTJA or “Like” us on Facebook as United Way TJA

Calling all Local Nonprofits!

It’s that time of year again!

Although the United Way Laurence E. Richardson Day of Caring is on September 21, 2011, project registration for nonprofits and schools begins NOW! As of June 13, nonprofits can register their projects online. Registration will remain open until July 29th, but DON'T WAIT! Every year we run in to the same issue - because the event is in September, organizations think they have lots of time before they have to submit a project.

But...with 2,500 volunteers, we need the month of August and most of September to match those volunteers with projects. If the projects are not in our system, they won't be available for  volunteer teams to view. If you have any connection to a local nonprofit or school, please urge them to register their projects as soon as possible.

The United Way Day of Caring is a gift to local nonprofits. They get the opportunity to provide meaningful introductions to their organizations and missions to a group of ready, willing and able volunteers who are eager to help. It is our hope that nonprofits will then follow up with those volunteers after the Day of Caring through thank you notes, newsletters and ongoing volunteer opportunities.

Need a room painted or have some gardening that needs to be done? If you work at a nonprofit or area school, start to brainstorm meaningful projects for volunteers now. Use our Project Development Toolkit to think of needed supplies, number of volunteers needed, etc. Check out our list of ideas for projects if you need help brainstorming.

This is your chance to have volunteers help you complete projects and learn more about your organization - maybe even become longer-term volunteers or advocates for your agency!

Once you’ve planned out your project(s), check out this step-by-step guide on how to register your project using our Volunteer Center website.

  If you have questions or need assistance with the new registration process, email United Way Volunteer Center director Jessica Snyder at jsnyder@unitedwaytja.org or call (434) 972-1705.       

Oh, What a Night! Celebrating Local Nonprofits and Staff.

We are experiencing post-event euphoria here at United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area. Last night was our  fifth annual United Way Awards of Nonprofit Excellence, and the evening was everything we could have  hoped for. Our board chair, Margery Daniel, and board member, the incomparable Jay James of NewsRadio 1070WINA, collaborated to engage the former Leadership Award recipients who were in the audience to tell their stories about what it means to work in the nonprofit field, and what it meant to be recognized for their work.  
Many thanks to Gordon Walker of JABA, Pat Smith of OAR/Jefferson Area Community Corrections, Peter Thompson of the Senior Center, and Chuck McElroy of WorkSource for being such good sports. 

Then it was on to Steve Krohn of Virginia National Bank, underwriter of the Excellence in Nonprofit Board Governance Award, and Governor Gerald Baliles, chair of the review panel for the award. He spoke at length about each finalist board: The Center for Nonprofit Excellence, PACEM and the Senior Center; and then announced that the 2011 recipient was the Center for Nonprofit Excellence.

Board chair Russell Willis Taylor graciously accepted the award on behalf of her board and the staff of CNE.

The United Way Award of Excellence in Nonprofit Staff Leadership was presented by Bob Foster, on behalf of Hantzmon Wiebel, and Renée Grisham, chair of the review panel. Renée gave the audience a wonderful overview of each finalist’s unique qualities and contributions to their organizations, clients and the community. We were inspired by the work and dedication of Claudette Greene, Shelter Director for PACEM; Ethan Tate, Director of Volunteer Programs at Building Goodness Foundation; and Debbie Taylor, Director of Operations for JAUNT. Renée noted how hard it was to choose just one recipient when all were so deserving, yet ultimately she revealed that the 2011 recipient of the United Way Award of Excellence in Nonprofit Staff Leadership was Claudette Greene of PACEM.  Claudette’s acceptance speech was heartfelt and uplifting.

More can be read about each finalist in the program book.

Photos are credited to Tom Daly.

Many thanks to the wonderful staff of United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area for their many hours of preparation in ensuring a smoothly run event, and to the staff of the Boars Head Inn for their outstanding service.

If you know of an outstanding nonprofit board, or an outstanding nonprofit staff member, we hope you will consider nominating them next year. This event is a wonderful opportunity to shine the light on the people whose mission is to help others.

 

Submitted by Kim Connolly

Thanking our Tax Season Volunteers

The Earned Income Tax Credit helps middle to low income families keep more of their hard earned dollars to help pay the bills or establish savings accounts.

This tax season our the Thomas Jefferson Area EITC Coalition helped low-income taxpayers file around 1,500 tax returns, an increase of 550 returns compared to last year.

Our efforts generated an economic impact of more than $2.4 million, including federal refunds claimed and tax preparation fees saved by taxpayers.  This could not be possible without the help and support of more than 100 hard-working volunteers and community members.  

Last week we had an ice cream social at our office to thank those volunteers, many of whom are UVA students. Delegate David Toscano (on the left in this photo) was the impetus in the formation of our local EITC coalition and stopped by to thank the volunteers in person.

Highlights of the tax season:

• The UVA Medical Center site increased the number of taxpayers from 41 returns filed last year to 177 returns this season.
• The International Rescue Committee opened up a new site and filed 77 tax returns.
• UVA Community Credit Union increased their number of sites from 3 to 5 locations.
• Approximately 30% of taxpayers helped by the coalition qualified for the Earned Income Tax Credit on their 2010 tax returns.
• United Way staff answered tax questions and scheduled appointments for more than 2,800 individuals.

Volunteers came from CYFS, the IRC, PVCC, United Way, UVA Community Credit Union, UVA Law School, and UVA’s Madison House.

Thank you to all the volunteers who provided many hours in helping their fellow community members become more self-sufficient.

 

Posted by Kim Connolly

Car Wars: The Revolution at JPJ this Week

Tuesday kicked off the five day extravaganza known as Car Wars: The Revolution. Our friends at the UVA Community Credit Union created this event, which features the four largest car dealers in the area: Battlefield Ford, Brown Auto, Colonial Auto and Jim Price Auto. They bring their inventories of new and used cars to the John Paul Jones Arena so that the public can come in and compare, test drive and get a great financing deal from the credit union, all in one location. No driving up and down Route 29 or Pantops trying out all the car models you are considering.

So what does this have to do with the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area? We are the beneficiaries of the car sale. The more cars are sold, the bigger the donation we will receive at the end of the sale. So if you are in the market for a new or used car, come on down! You'll get a great deal and the community will get a helping hand.

We had a lot of fun with Chewbacca, Princess Leia and C-3PO, who will be making appearances at various times during the sale this week. Eric Pritchett of NBC29 did live interviews during the evening news, and Caroline Emerson, our Vice President and Campaign Director, had some fun with Chewbacca during her interview.

Enjoy the slide show!

   

The United Way Home Run Club

Do you love UVA baseball? We do. And we appreciate the work ethic and sportsmanship of Coach Brian O’Connor and the high standards he sets for his athletes.

We also love our community and do our best every day to help children, families, at-risk elderly, those with health problems or disabilities, and the many working families struggling to be self-sufficient.

So we thought, “Why not combine our community’s passion and support for the baseball team with an equal passion for reaching out to help others in need?” And so, the United Way Home Run Club was born.

For every home run the UVA baseball team hits between April 1 and the end of the 2011 season, Home Run Club team members pledge $10 to the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area. (Of course, this is the first year that composite bats are not allowed, so we doubt the team will hit close to last year’s season–long total of 61 home runs.) But just to be safe, we have capped the amount at no more than $450.

Several area businesses have already signed on as team members:

Battelle Memorial Institute

BB&T

Beer Run

Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport

Clean Cut Mowing Service

Colonial Auto Center

CVille Tickets

Evergreen Real Estate & Construction

Frys Spring Station

The Law Firm of LeClair Ryan

Mane Assets Hair Salon

Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company

Roy Wheeler Realty

Select Speciality Products

Volvo of Charlottesville

 

CenturyLink enthusiastically endorsed the Home Run Club and immediately signed on as our Team Captain. They will be hosting a tailgate party using Cavalier One for our team members before the May 15 baseball game. Each team member business will receive 2 tickets to that game as well.

Union First Market Bank also stepped up to the plate as an All Star Player sponsor, as did WINA 1070 and The Daily Progress. We are running weekly ads in the Sunday paper listing the team member businesses and keeping a tally of the home runs. We find ourselves listening closely to each game broadcast on WINA, or following online, and the Home Run Club does not officially start until April 1! If you listen to WINA broadcasts of the baseball and lacrosse games, you will hear these sponsors voicing radio ads urging you to join the club!

We will be recording more ads naming the businesses who are team members and running those through the rest of the season.

 Can we add your business name to the list? Individuals are welcome as well. If you know of a local small (or big!) business that loves UVA baseball and also wants to support our community, tell them about the United Way Home Run Club. They can publicly show their support of both, plus get print and radio exposure for their business. Win-win. Click on the link on our sidebar to learn more.

Swing, batter, batter! GO HOOS!

                       

                                                  
        

 

A Local Family is Quickly Helped

I was the first person in the office this morning, after a 7:40 am interview on WINA. When the main office phone rang before our opening time of 8:30, I answered it. On the line was a woman who said that the Charlottesville Free Clinic had told her that the United Way should be able to help her family.

It turns out that her teenage daughter needs to have some dental work done, including having her wisdom teeth removed. My teenage son just had his wisdom teeth removed by an oral surgeon, and we had to pay $300 out of pocket even with a good dental insurance plan. This family has no dental insurance – no health insurance as a matter of fact, because the father is self employed and they make less than $30,000 a year.

The reason she was told to call us is because of our Insurance for Children Project. Melissa Behl, our outreach worker, seeks out and signs up families for Virginia’s FAMIS program, which offers doctor visits, well-child checkups, shots, prescription drugs, dental and vision care, eyeglasses, hospital stays, ER care, mental health care, tests and X-rays with low or no co-pays.

I told the caller that Melissa was not in yet, but that I would have her call as soon as she got in. This afternoon, I asked Melissa if she had spoken to the woman. Not only had she talked with her, she had done the paperwork and submitted it to the state. Based on the information she has, she thinks the family will have no problem qualifying for FAMIS. The family should hear within a couple of weeks that they can get the daughter the dental care she needs. In addition, her sibling will be covered as well.

This is a family that is proud and trying to be self-sufficient, and would never think about accessing government social services. But because the United Way - a local nonprofit - offers a program and makes signing up as easy and comfortable as possible, these two children will have access to health care and the family will have a huge financial burden and stress lifted from them in the most dignified way possible. I hope they will take their children for complete physicals, get them current on their immunizations if necessary, get their teeth cleaned, fill those cavities, get their vision checked and eyeglasses if required, and will never need a hospital, but will have peace of mind if they do.

Sometimes when we answer the phone here, it is heartbreaking because there is no easy fix for some problems. Today, we were able to help a family within a few hours, in a way that is personal, substantial and has a long-term impact. Wow.

That is one more reason why I feel so fortunate to work here.

 

Submitted by Kim Connolly

Stay Tuned for Some Fun!

We often write about the many needs in our community. United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area runs several programs and is involved in several partnerships and initiatives that help kids, families, other nonprofits, and so on.

Of course, to make all these wonderful things happen, funds are needed to pay for staff, materials, program outreach via advertising, and so on. We also like to have fun while doing good, and also like to make business support be a win-win situation.

Did you know?

According to the 2008 Cone/Duke University Behavioral Cause Study:

• A full 85% of Americans say that they have a more positive image of a product or company when it supports a cause they care about.
• 79% would be likely to switch from one brand to another brand ... if the other brand is associated with a good cause.

This is called “Goodwill Marketing” and we are poised to introduce an opportunity for local businesses to have some high-profile fun.

 We will be announcing this opportunity soon, so stay tuned!