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

Be a mentor. Pass it on!

Sometime the best solutions are the simplest ones.

Four years ago, during a visit to the Charlottesville/Albemarle Regional Jail with the Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Charlottesville class, it was clear to me that many of the inmates were young men under the age of 25. That led to a question for Charlottesville Police Chief Tim Longo: At what age do we need to reach youth before they turn to criminal activities or drugs? His answer, that kids are deciding between school or gangs as young as the age of 10, stunned us.

 

 

So often these kids are a reflection of their environment. Something as simple as a mentor who will take an active interest in their lives, can change a kid’s outlook on life and raise their expectations for themselves. Think about it – who mentored you? A parent, a teacher, neighbor, coach, older sibling? They might not have thought of themselves as a mentor, but the positive attention they gave you meant a lot, and you probably wanted to live up to their expectations for you.

There are so many kids in our community – from elementary school kids who are struggling with reading, to middle school students who are latch-key kids, to high school students who don’t see the point of school – who could use a friendly adult to encourage them and help them see a future for themselves.

There are also many wonderful organizations in our community that provide these opportunities for kids, and for the adults who want to help them. Mentoring takes many forms – from reading a book with an elementary school student, to sharing your passion for music or sports with a group of teens, to taking a child to their first museum visit or college sporting event.

Which is why the United Way’s Volunteer Center became part of the Leadership Charlottesville class project – Mentor. Tutor. Pass it on! –  and has continued the month-long public awareness campaign about the importance of mentors and tutors for our youth. We are joined in this effort by our sponsors: MichieHamlett Attorneys at Law; the Omni Hotel, Charlottesvillle; Monticello Media radio stations, The Daily Progress and NBC29. Please join us on Thursday, January 26 between 11:00 and 2:00 at the Omni Hotel for a mentor and tutor opportunity fair, where you will be able to meet face to face with representatives from 17 local organizations that need volunteers to work with kids. You can find an organization that is the right fit for you – your time, your interests and your style.

January is National Mentoring Month. All month long, we are running guest posts from volunteers, staff and the kids who benefit from these organizations. We hope you will subscribe to our blog feed, or keep checking back to read their stories. And put January 26 on your calendar!

 

Posted by:

Kim Connolly, Vice President of Marketing & Communications, United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area.

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.

Nonprofit Collaboration in Charlottesville

At the recent Center for Nonprofit Excellence National Philanthropy Day luncheon, the keynote speaker, Dr. Paul C. Light, gave a talk entitled “Driving Social Change in a Time of Urgent Threats.” He emphasized the need for nonprofits to collaborate.

Those of us from the United Way were nodding our heads in agreement. "Collaborate” could be our middle name. We have collaborated with our local school systems for years to create awareness of our project to sign up all eligible area children for free FAMIS health insurance.

Our Child Care Scholarship Program collaborates with the social service departments of the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County.

In the spring, we collaborate with the local letter carrier’s union and the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank to promote the “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive. Because of our strong media partnerships, in 2008 the number of pounds of food collected nearly doubled, and this year we increased collections by thousands of pounds again. Our Volunteer Center made the connection with the Civil Air Patrol which has adopted the food drive as an annual volunteer activity.

We have applied for and received grants on behalf of two local coalitions, enabling us to hire new staff members to coordinate the work of coalition members so that considerable strides have been made for both groups: the Smart Beginnings initiative and the Thomas Jefferson Area EITC Coalition.

The Initiative for Effective Nonprofits is a collaboration of the Wardle Family Foundation and the United Way, working together to provide capacity building grants to local nonprofits so that they can strengthen their business practices.

Our Prescription Assistance program provides a Medication Assistance Worker who works at the Charlottesville Free Clinic and Region Ten Community Services Board every day, signing up individuals without health insurance for free prescriptions from more than 200 pharmaceutical companies.

About to kick off for this year is The Santa Fund, a collaboration between The Daily Progress,  NewsRadio1070 WINA and the United Way. We collect and distribute the funds by working with the school systems in several counties to identify kids with everyday needs like a pair of winter boots, eyeglasses, school supplies and so on.

Women United In Philanthropy was formed in 2004 by the United Way as a way of informing and empowering women to address the needs in our community. Since then, it has taken off, and has awarded nearly $120,000 in grants to local organizations. As a matter of fact, the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation based its Future Fund giving circle on the Women United in Philanthropy's model.

Of course, the Big Kahuna of collaborations is the United Way Laurence E. Richardson Day of Caring, coordinating 2,500 volunteers from 70+ businesses and organizations with more than 100 nonprofits and schools.

Those are just the formal collaborations we have here at the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area. We have dozens of other everyday collaborations with local nonprofits, businesses and media outlets. It is because of these partnerships, big and small, that we are able to leverage our staff, volunteers and donations to have the biggest impact possible in order to change people’s lives for the better.


Are We Preparing Our Children for Success in School? | Smart Beginnings Pianta Presentation

In spite of heavy morning rains, Bavaro Grand Hall was “standing-room-only” on September 30!  Ninety-five people from all sectors of our community (school board members, parents, board of supervisor members, business leaders, community service directors and child care teachers) came to the Curry School of Education to listen to Dr Pianta’s analysis of the key components necessary to move our community forward to the next stage of school readiness.

Umbrellas in hand, we were curious to tour the new Bavaro Hall building.  Thanks to Jeanne Stovall for leading the tour and providing an insider’s perspective of this beautiful building!   More people arrived for the reception and lively conversation ensued.  Personally, I was thrilled to have a chance to talk with the wide range of folks that came.  I shared our “Getting Ready” booklet and resources with a parent whose young child had developmental delays, met with Tracy Eppard, Creigh Deeds legislative aide and talked about metaphorically and literally getting into the “weeds” with school board and board of supervisors members as they recounted their Day of Caring project.

Thanks to Eric Johnson, Smart Beginnings vice chair, for “setting the stage” with his introduction and highlights of Smart Beginnings’ progress-to-date.  Bob Pianta’s presentation was informative and inspiring as he highlighted several key areas that we need to address as a community.  His presentation content and subsequent probing questions will help to move Smart Beginnings forward in our community. 

Smart Beginnings and Curry School of Education jointly hosted Bob Pianta’s presentation, Are We Preparing Our Children for Success in School? Planning and Action for School Readiness in Charlottesville and Albemarle on September 30, 2010 in Bavaro Grand Hall, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia.

View photos from the event and watch the podcast here.

Posted by Miriam Rushfinn

Spring is in the air but, believe it or not – now is the time to register for kindergarten!

During this Week of the Young Child – it’s a good time to think about registering for kindergarten.

Why register for kindergarten in spring? 

Starting school is an exciting, big step for every 5 year old!  Going to kindergarten is a huge transition in a child’s life.  In fact, it is a transition not only for the child; many parents say that it was very emotional for them as well the first time their child got on the school bus.  The better-prepared families are for this transition, the more successful children can be at school. 

Because parents are a child’s first and most important teacher, educational and enriching activities at home are critically important to a child’s academic and social adjustment to school.   Parents can also help by talking with rising kindergartners about the start of school, visiting the school and preparing for school routines in advance helps children be ready to succeed.

Registering now is another way to help your child be better prepared and more comfortable at school.  You and your child can visit the school in advance, meet teachers and receive important information.  There may be summer opportunities, meetings and orientations to attend.  Some schools host kindergarten summer camps. Registering now helps your child’s school be better prepared for your child.

Please view this Smart Beginnings flyer for additional information on how to register for kindergarten or apply for the public preschool programs in Charlottesville and Albemarle.

Posted by Miriam Rushfinn.

Forget the Oscars, these awards change lives

Sunday night may have been the Oscars, but awards that truly have an impact that can last a lifetime were given out on Friday in the Charlottesville area. Local business leaders presented the first annual Star Quality Awards to fourteen exceptional teachers at local child care centers and preschools.

Over and over again, studies have shown that children who have quality child care and preschool experiences enter kindergarten ready to learn. Conversely, children who enter school behind their peers, stay behind. This is why it is so important to encourage participation by child care centers in the Virginia Star Quality Initiative, which helps improve the quality of the care and early learning environments that they and their staff provide to our youngest children.

Additionally, quality, accessible child care has been found to be a key concern among local employees. Our local business leaders have stated again and again that the success of our local workforce is tied to ensuring quality early learning environments in our local community.

For these reasons, Mark Giles, Chairman of Virginia National Bank, and Peggy Echols, Vice President, Operations at State Farm Insurance, as members of the local Smart Beginnings Leadership Council, came up with the idea to publicly recognize outstanding child care providers, nominated by Star Quality-participating center directors.

Mark and Peggy envisioned the award as a Pre-K version of the coveted local “Golden Apple Awards” for outstanding public school teachers. They felt so strongly about it, that their companies combined to give each recipient a $250 personal award, certificate, books and a teddy bear for the classroom, plus some public recognition for the positive impact they have on our youngest children.

Like the Oscars, the recipients were all surprised to receive the awards; many had no idea they had even been nominated for this first-time recognition. There were tears, hugs, some speechlessness, and clapping from their young “audiences”.

Mark and Peggy spent the day with Smart Beginnings director Miriam Rushfinn, traveling from Charlottesville to Crozet and Covesville, to personally present the Star Quality Awards. Charlottesville Newsplex, NBC 29 and The Daily Progress (includes list of recipients) each sent reporters to cover the awards.

Congratulations to the participating Star Quality child care centers, and well-deserved public kudos to the 2010 recipients of the Star Quality Awards.

Posted by Miriam Rushfinn.

"Let’s Play School” Toolkits – Time to get ready for kindergarten!

I received a wonderful, unexpected surprise in my e-mail box on Monday: Melissa, a mother who received one of our Smart Beginnings “Let’s Play School” toolkits, sent me a follow-up note and photos.  

From Melissa (mom) about her son:

“Thanks so much for the school kit, K. had a blast with it.  I’m sending you a couple of pictures to show you how happy he is!

(PS..K. brought me his scissors to use a bit ago saying, “here mom, you can use MY scissors this time!”) Just too cute.  The DVDs are wonderful as well, he loves the schoolbus!”

Thanks so much!   Melissa

It warmed my heart.  Thanks to the support from Women United in Philanthropy, Dominion Virginia Power, Virginia Early Childhood Foundation and Day of Caring volunteers, we were able to produce toolkits to assist children and families prepare for kindergarten.  The English and Spanish toolkits went to children not enrolled in quality early learning programs.  

  

Posted by Miriam Rushfinn.

A Home Away from Home

When I first came to the United Way, I was so nervous. I was interviewed by Cathy Train, the President, and three days later I was thrown right into the mix of things. All around me I could hear typing fingers, phones ringing, and even a peep or two from Rylan (Lisa Frazier’s little daughter). I wasn’t sure how I would fit in, but as my time at the United Way is coming to an end, I feel like I fit in just where I am supposed to be.

I have been to meetings, helped out with golf tournaments, and become a master of the Andar database,  (even though as I write this, it is not working for me.) I helped operate Westhaven Community Day, a day for the residents of this public housing neighborhood to come together and celebrate their culture and their community. At this event I got to do what I love best: work and play with kids. I have also been to the Charlottesville Newsplex on more than one occasion. I received a tour of their entire studio, and also got to see commercials and ads being made. Speaking of media, Shaele introduced me to a couple of radio stations in the area: I met Mr. Jay James from WINA and Mr. Joe Thomas from WCHV. Here Shaele and I (well, mostly Shaele, because I was observing) promoted the Day of Caring, and encouraged people to submit projects for the volunteers.

Recently, I helped install the Smart Beginnings display in the window of the downtown Virginia National Bank with Nathan, my co-intern. We gathered toys from everyone in the office who has kids, made posters with advice for parents about getting their kids ready for kindergarten, and trotted to the Downtown Mall. Here we spent the day arranging toys, and put up flyers for parents in need of this information. Setting up the window was fun, but when I stepped outside and saw people stopping at the window, I realized that the information Nate and I had put up could really influence and help people in our own community.

My weekly Wednesday project is one of my favorites. I head over to Word of Faith church where I meet up with a host of Latina women to whom Martha Trujillo introduced me. These women come together and discuss problems they are facing or troubles they are having because of the transition from their home country to the U.S. While they talk in a seminar-like fashion, I watch their niños (children). These kids are so much fun, and being there helps me practice my Spanish-speaking skills.

Reimi Okuyama, who very recently moved to Florida, took me with her to court and introduced me to a part of Charlottesville I had no idea about: the drug rehabilitation program. Offenders have the opportunity to be in a three-phase program. If they succeed, the offense will not go on their record, and this program also supports self-confidence and self-control.

I have learned so many skills from being here, and being with all the people, and that’s what surprised me the most about the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area. Everyone here gets along so well, and though each of them is constantly working on something different that may have nothing to do with another person, the friendships I have seen in the office seem great.  In the mornings I always hear Rylan coming up the stairs, followed by Lisa, Shaele, Leah, and Miriam who all dote over her. I am then greeted by Alaina, and we always discuss her battle with her morning coffee. Later in the day I usually see Caroline and Kim who have been watching over me for the past months, and have been absolutely great. Cathy is like a ghost because she is always in meetings and I am usually upstairs anyway. However, when I do see her and get to talk to her, her southern accent always catches my ear. Jon and Helen are also like ghosts because they are always at meetings, as well. I find my desk a cozy little place. There are Post-it notes all around, pens open, and the busy Bizhub printer right next to me. I can’t believe my time here is almost over. For someone who was as nervous as I was, I sure found a home away from home here. Thanks United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area!

Posted by Ladi Smith, United Way Intern.

Kudos to Monticello Media and Paladin Media Group

Thanks to the wonderful folks at Monticello Media and Paladin Media Group, our community knows more about Smart Beginnings and how to support our youngest children.  They worked with a wonderful Chamber of Commerce Leadership Charlottesville team in collaboration with Smart Beginnings and lent their expertise and studio time to developing radio and TV public service announcements for Smart Beginnings. These technical media wizards were incredible.

Yesterday, the Leadership Charlottesville team had a chance to thank them for their patience, expertise and creativity.  We also let them know that the PSA’s developed have been so effective and well received that there is interest in using them in other localities around the state.

Please click here if you would like to see/hear the PSAs.

Thank you to the members of the Leadership Charlottesville Team, Linda Kolker, Dennis Mockler, Anita Showers, Tom Cox, Carol Coffey and Michael O’Donnell for bringing the Smart Beginnings message of “Ready for School. Ready for Life” to the public in such creative ways.  And many thanks to the professionals at Monticello Media and Paladin Media Group for bringing those ideas to life.

 

Pictured above with Monticello Media staff.

 

Pictured above with Paladin Media Group staff.

Posted by Miriam Rushfinn.

The Best Economic Investment is…

Last night a diverse group of over 100 local business leaders, educators, elected officials, social service and health care providers all gathered to hear a presentation by Arthur Rolnick, Vice President of the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis. His topic was “The Best Economic Investment during Difficult Economic Times: Early Childhood Development.”

While most people think of preschool education and 0-3 development in terms of educational issues, Dr. Rolnick takes a different approach. He cites a study that followed 125 children from below poverty-level families for 30 years. Half the kids went to quality preschools, and half had nothing. By 6th grade, those kids with preschool were literate and had no grade repeats. Later, they had higher graduation rates than the control group, and most had good jobs. Their crime rates were 50% lower than those of the control group. As an economist, he crunched the numbers and found a 16% real rate of return on investment in early childhood investment! He cited another study that found an 8 to 10% return. Both are rates that would have investors lining up.

We will be posting a podcast of Dr. Rolnick’s full talk sometime next week. It was fitting that the presentation was co-sponsored by UVa’s Curry School of Education and that it took place at the Darden Graduate School of Business, as it blended business principles with education. If you care about education, poverty, and/or economic development, you should take the time to listen. You will come away with a whole new way of looking at community priorities.

Posted by Kim Connolly.

“It will go by really fast.”

That was the advice Kim Connolly gave me about appearing for 20 minutes on Joe Thomas’s talk show on WCHV 1260 AM and 94.1 FM. You were right Kim!   And, it was really fun!  Thank you to the United Way for inviting me to talk about our Leadership Charlottesville Project, Smart Beginnings, with Miriam and Joe this morning.  Joe’s support of Smart Beginnings instantly put me at ease, and Miriam’s expertise made me feel confident the discussion would go well.     

What a terrific project this has been!  Our diverse group of talented team members (Tom Cox, Linda Kolker, Dennis Mockler, Michael O’Donnell, and Anita Showers) chose to work with the Smart Beginnings initiative because we could readily see how making an investment in our children is good for our community  . . . and good for business! 

Working with our partners, Monticello Media and Paladin Media Group, we’ve created radio and TV public service announcements on the importance of quality educational interaction with the youngest members of our community, our pre-school children!  We’ve used humor to get attention and make our points.  Our three key messages are: Read and talk to your children and encourage language development, help prepare them for Kindergarten, and look for Seal of Quality Childcare providers in our community.  We included pre-k educators in our review process to be sure our messages are accurate and helpful. 

April is the month of the young child, and we hope our PSAs will encourage interest and action throughout our community on Smart Beginnings for all our children. Ready for school, ready for life!

 

Posted by guest blogger Carol Coffey

“It's nose-like...yes, it's beautifully nose-like."

What does that mean??  These were the words uttered by our real mom and upcoming star, Amy, at the filming of Smart Beginnings new TV PSA (to be released in April).  I learned so much about the elaborate behind-the-scenes needs while watching Paladin Media Group film our PSA last Monday.  Did you know that to produce a 30-second spot you need 5 hours of filming time?  Or that to ensure you have one beautiful tomato for filming, you need to buy a dozen!?

I’m so grateful for the marketing and media expertise of our wonderful Leadership Charlottesville group (Carol Coffey, Dennis Mockler, Linda Kolker, Michael O'Donnell, Tom Cox and Anita Showers) and the in-kind support from Paladin Media and Monticello Media.  Thanks to their combined efforts, Smart Beginnings will be able to reach parents with young children on television and radio with key messages about early learning, quality child care and school readiness.

By the way, the beautifully nose-like item was a carrot.  I can’t give away the ending, so you’ll just have to look for our PSA in April.  For now, enjoy the photos from the shoot.

Posted by Miriam Rushfinn, Smart Beginnings Director.