Creating an impact in 2020
Building stronger communities where every child has access to a high quality education, and every family is financially stable and self-sufficient.
January 2020
There are just too many nonprofit organizations in this
region!
I hear this all the time. From donors. From volunteers. And even
from nonprofit leaders. What I don’t hear about as often is the
impact of nonprofits on the economy and the role that they play
in addressing poverty in our state.
According to the new CausesCount findings, a report commissioned by CalNonprofits on the economic power of nonprofit organizations in California, “nonprofits are key contributors to California’s economy, with nonprofit economic activity generating approximately 15% of California’s Gross State Product.”
The impact of nonprofit organizations cannot be understated: “California state, county and city governments rely heavily on nonprofits to serve communities.” In fact, “California governments rely on nonprofits to provide healthcare and community services, to build housing…to care for children…manage foster care, protect natural resources and more.” California nonprofits are also highly-trusted organizations. According to the report, “Over 80% of Californians surveyed for this study are confident that nonprofits act ethically, help people in poverty, and protect the earth, animals, and environment.”
This vote of confidence means everything to our United Way. We strive to be the best stewards we can be of the time, treasure and talent we are given.
Our vision is to build stronger communities where every child has access to a high quality education, and where every family is financially stable and self-sufficient. That’s what our Square One Project is all about. If we partner with communities to help end poverty, starting at school, we will have honored the promise we make every day to those community members, our donors and our volunteer.
United Way leverages every dollar you give to the Square One Project by investing in, and with, other nonprofits, for-profit businesses and government agencies to get results. Because of your support, low-income children receive the tutoring they need in the classroom to improve their grade-level reading. Those students also receive healthy nutritious meals after school and during the summer. Families receive free tax prep and financial coaching to bring them one step closer to self-sufficiency. None of this would be possible without partnerships.
As we enter this new decade, we will continue to invest resources in our Square One Project to achieve our goals of keeping kids in school, keeping them on track, setting high expectations for their success and providing strong family support.
We will continue our partnership with the Robla School district in 2020. Because we believe that communities know best the challenges they face, we are in conversations with stakeholders in Woodland to understand their community’s challenges so that together, we can create solutions that will get results. Regionally, we will continue to convene nonprofit organizations, for-profit businesses, school districts and government agencies to address hunger, and to help families achieve financial stability. That is what makes United Way unique and it is a role that the for-profit and government sectors rely on us to play.
We thank all of our donors, volunteers and community members who
are making the Square One Project possible. We also salute our
nonprofit partners in this region. Together, we are vital drivers
of our economy and are the heart of our communities.
Volunteers are the heart of United Way
One heart and many hands can make all the difference for communities in need.
December 2019
The heart of United Way is our volunteers. They help kids who are struggling to read. They provide free tax prep for low-income families. They are the steady hand that guides our Square One Project. They help raise funds to support nonprofit organizations in our region as well as across the state. The hours that volunteers give are priceless.
Every year, our local United Way honors those exemplars of what it means to be in service to others. This year, we celebrate the following partners for the time and talent they give to our United Way.
Our United Way’s Merger Committee is the recipient of our Boje and Price Award. This award, named for longtime volunteers Dick Boje and Sterling Price, is given to those who have demonstrated community leadership by garnering the support of other volunteers to enhance the mission of United Way. We thank merger committee members Mike Jansen, Kris Kristensen, Ruth Miller, George Myers, Carolyn Turpin, Mark Ullrich, and Dave Wilson for their dedication over 18 months to shepherd the Woodland United Way merger to its successful conclusion.
This year’s Cornerstone Award recipient, given to a United Way corporate partner, is Deloitte. The Cornerstone Award is given annually to an organization that achieves outstanding results in its United Way campaign and makes volunteerism and community engagement part of its culture. Deloitte’s commitment to helping raise funds in support of the Square One Project, and their in-kind support through skills-based volunteerism, has positioned our United Way for maximum impact in our region. Deloitte was recognized as a top global corporate leader at United Way Worldwide in 2012. Our United Way is proud to have them in service to the Sacramento region.
We are pleased to honor two members of our Women United Leadership Council with the Women United Member of the Year Award. Rocio Cepeda-Espinoza, staff operations director at Nationwide, and Tracy Sambrano, area manager at Enterprise, have served on the Women United Leadership Council for several years. Together, they have helped coordinate life skills workshops for foster youth aging out of the system, and have helped raise funds for matched savings accounts. They work tirelessly to promote Women United in their respective companies and out in the community.
Ken Imwinkelried is our Young Leaders Society Member of the Year. The Award is given annually to a YLS member for their exceptional dedication to philanthropy and service. As a member of the YLS Leadership Council, he helps organize activities and events to engage young professionals and raise funds to support our Square One Project. Ken is also a young executive with River City Bank, who wants to give back to his community.
It is our honor to recognize Ruth Miller with
the Frances
Wisebart Jacobs Award. This award is given to a
community trailblazer who made a significant impact through their
gifts of time, talent, treasure, and testimony to United Way
California Capital Region. A United Way volunteer and donor for
over 30 years, Ruth is a former chair of Woodland United Way
Board and is currently on the United Way California Capital
Region’s board. Ruth also served on the merger committee and is
chair of the Woodland Community Advisory Council for our
newly-merged organization. She is a passionate United Way
ambassador in her role as an executive at Wraith, Scarlett and
Randolph Insurance in Woodland.
We are inspired every day by the commitment of our volunteers and
we hope you are, too.
One heart and many hands can make all the difference for communities in need. Please visit www.yourlocalunitedway.org to learn about how you can lend a hand.
Volunteers are the heart of United Way
One heart and many hands can make all the difference for communities in need.
December 2019
The heart of United Way is our volunteers. They help kids who are struggling to read. They provide free tax prep for low-income families. They are the steady hand that guides our Square One Project. They help raise funds to support nonprofit organizations in our region as well as across the state. The hours that volunteers give are priceless. Every year, our local United Way honors those exemplars of what it means to be in service to others. This year, we celebrate the following partners for the time and talent they give to our United Way.
Our United Way’s Merger Committee is the recipient of our Boje and Price Award. This award, named for longtime volunteers Dick Boje and Sterling Price, is given to those who have demonstrated community leadership by garnering the support of other volunteers to enhance the mission of United Way. We thank merger committee members Mike Jansen, Kris Kristensen, Ruth Miller, George Myers, Carolyn Turpin, Mark Ullrich, and Dave Wilson for their dedication over 18 months to shepherd the Woodland United Way merger to its successful conclusion.
This year’s Cornerstone Award recipient, given to a United Way corporate partner, is Deloitte. The Cornerstone Award is given annually to an organization that achieves outstanding results in its United Way campaign, and makes volunteerism and community engagement part of its culture. Deloitte’s commitment to help raise funds in support of the Square One Project, and their in-kind support through skills-based volunteerism, has positioned our United Way for maximum impact in our region. Deloitte was also recognized as a top global corporate leader at United Way Worldwide. Our United Way is proud to have them in service to the Sacramento region.
We are pleased to honor two members of our Women United Leadership Council with the Women United Leadership Award - Rocio Cepeda-Espinoza, staff operations director at Nationwide, and Tracy Sambrano, area manager at Nationwide, have served on the Women United Leadership Council for several years. Together, they have helped coordinate life skills workshops for foster youth aging out of the system, and have helped raise funds for matched savings accounts. They work tirelessly to promote Women United in their respective companies and out in the community.
Ken Imwinkelreid is our Young Leaders Society Member of the Year. The Award is given annually to a YLS member for their exceptional dedication to philanthropy and service. As a member of the YLS Leadership Council, he helps organize activities and events to engage young professionals and raise funds to support our Square One Project. Ken is also a young executive with River City Bank, who wants to give back to his community.
It is our honor to recognize Ruth Miller with the Frances Wisebart Jacobs Award. This award is given to a community trailblazer who made a significant impact through their gifts of time, talent, treasure, and testimony to United Way California Capital Region. A United Way volunteer and donor for over 30 years, Ruth is a former chair of Woodland United Way Board and is currently on the United Way California Capital Region’s board. Ruth also served on the merger committee and is chair of the Woodland Community Advisory Council for our newly-merged organization. She is a passionate United Way ambassador in her role as an executive at WSR Insurance in Woodland.
We are inspired everyday by the commitment of our volunteers and we hope you are, too.
One heart and many hands can make all the difference for communities in need. Please visit www.yourlocalunitedway.org/holiday to learn about how you can lend a hand this season.
The Season of Giving Thanks
Help United Way make it the most wonderful time of the year for everyone
November 2019
Like so many nonprofit organizations, we
are ringing in the holiday season by
offering a variety of ways to give. While it is easy to feel
overwhelmed by the many requests that flood our mailboxes and
inboxes during this time of the year, I am always humbled by how
fortunate I am. I have a home to go to, food I can put on my
table, and gifts I can share with family and friends.
For far too many families, this time of year can be tough. Our local United Way knows those families and the challenges they face. They are struggling to get by, but want so badly to celebrate the joy of the holiday season.
We hope that you will take a moment to consider how you can join us to help make the season special for those families.
There are three ways that you can give through United Way California Capital Region this holiday season: our November gift drive, our December Holiday Market, and by making a gift to the Square One Project.
If you would like to shop: During the month of November, United Way California Capital Region is accepting new and unwrapped gifts for kids in need in the Woodland and Sacramento communities. You can also purchase a gift from our Amazon Wish Lists or at your local store. Shoes (youth size 11 – 4), and coats (Youth XS – Adult S) are always great gift ideas.
Each year, we also partner with Gifts from the Heart. This annual holiday gift-giving program* serves foster youth, who may be without the friends, family, and gifts of the season that so many of us are fortunate to have. Items like gift cards, headphones, toiletry items, and small electronics are the gifts that teens request the most. Dolls, cars, board games, and art kits are always a hit with younger foster youth. All giving options can be found here.
Here’s how you can give your time: Our United Way will host a free Holiday Market for families in need in the Robla and Woodland communities to distribute those donated gifts in December. Parents will be invited by their local school to shop the market and select gifts for their children. United Way volunteers will be onsite to assist guests with shopping and gift wrap. This will be the most festive place to be in our region this holiday season! Please click here to learn how you can volunteer to help.
We are deeply grateful for the support we receive for our Square One Project throughout the year. We are offering the opportunity for donors to make a special gift this holiday season in support of our work to end poverty, starting at school. Please visit our donation page to make your gift before the end of December. Together, we can help make this the most wonderful time of the year for children and families in need in our region.
Thank you and happy holidays!
The Results Are In: United Way’s Summer Stars Program Reduced Summer Learning Loss
September 2019 Blog
Grade-level literacy is a predictor of future success in school. By fourth grade, children should be reading to learn. However, far too many students in our region are struggling to meet that milestone.
Our United Way, through our Square One Project, made a commitment to reduce the number of students who fall behind academically during the summer. We also wanted to make sure that low-income students, who rely on school meal programs, were continuing to receive meals during the summer. In June, we launched Summer STARS, a six-week program that provided targeted literacy support to students three times a week for three hours a day as well as a nutritious meal. I had an opportunity to visit Summer STARS sites in Sacramento and Amador counties. In addition to reading support and a healthy meal, students received a bag full of books to take home to read to their parents.
The program received rave reviews
from students, their parents and our nonprofit partners. More
importantly, Summer STARS helped local kids combat the summer
slide.
We partnered with five nonprofit agencies across 14 sites in Sacramento, Yolo, and Amador counties. Twelve of our Summer STARS sites were low-income housing communities. A total of 507 children in grades K-5 participated in the program. Of that total, 284 STARS attended all the required sessions.
Students were assessed before the program began and at the end. Our kindergarteners were assessed based on their site word inventory: the ability to recognize words without having to sound them out. Our first through fifth-grade students were assessed based on fluency: the ability to read connected text aloud with accuracy, speed, and appropriate phrasing. If students have strong oral reading skills, they are more likely to comprehend what they are reading. Our program used a national curriculum from Scholastic, Inc., a leading provider of books and literacy tools for teachers and students.
Here are the results of our Summer STARS program:
- About 73% of students had increased assessment scores
- Overall, 83.4% of students either maintained or increased their reading level
The Summer STARS Program is an example of how the Square One Project strives to keep kids on track.
Grade-level literacy is a predictor of future success in school. By fourth grade, children should be reading to learn. However, far too many students in our region are struggling to meet that milestone. The program also helps our local United Way meet our overall goal of fostering a love of reading and learning so that more students graduate high school, college or career-ready. We know that education beyond high school reduces the likelihood that those students will live in poverty.
Going forward, we want to reach more students in our five-county region. Those young readers are our future workforce and future community leaders. We invite you to join us in supporting their success.
The Square One Philosophy
August 2019 Blog Post
In 2016, United Way California Capital Region made a promise to children and families in this region that we would end poverty, starting at school. Behind this audacious goal is the philosophy that by bringing together funders, nonprofit organizations, government, and the business community, we can remove barriers to opportunity for low-income families. Since adopting this philosophy, we have not only served more individuals, but we have also seen promising outcomes. From improvements in grade-level reading, to helping families move closer to self-sufficiency, the Square One Project is working.
It is with great pride that we share with you these outcomes and more in our annual report. In this report, released just this week, we celebrate our Square One Project’s work to keep kids in school, keep them on track, set high expectations for their success, while supporting their families along the way.
At our United Way, we believe in possibility-thinking and so do the children and families we serve. Whether students in the Robla School district, or families throughout the region who are working toward financial stability and independence, all have a stake in building the future they want for themselves and their children. They understand the importance of creating a legacy that will move them from crisis to thriving. With the help of our nonprofit partners, we are able to meet these families where they are so that they can get there. In the annual report, you will read about the programs and partnerships that are fueling the Square One Project’s success.
It takes the generosity of donors and volunteers to make those outcomes possible. Our corporate partners, foundations, and individual donors, including Women United and our Young Leaders Society, are the engines that drive our fundraising and community engagement. And of course, we could not do what we do without the steadfast generosity and hard work of our United Way Board members and staff.
Please share this annual report with your family, friends, and colleagues. We are so proud of our work, and I hope that as a partner with us, you are, too.
United Way California Capital Region Merges with Woodland United Way
Merger will increase community impact throughout the region
After a year of exploration, community meetings and preparation,
Woodland United Way and United Way California Capital Region have
officially merged.
The new organization operates under the United Way California
Capital Region name. Both groups’ boards of directors
unanimously approved the merger earlier this month. The
merged United Way California Capital Region maintains offices in
Woodland and Sacramento. Woodland United Way executive director
Lori Ross is now a staff member at United Way California Capital
Region directing its Yolo County programs from the Woodland
office.
“Our organizations have a long history of collaboration and
shared common goals. We approached United Way California Capital
Region nearly a year ago to discuss a potential merger as a way
to enhance our ability to serve our community,” said Mike Jansen,
board chair, Woodland United Way. “Together, as one local United
Way we are stronger and better equipped to improve the lives of
residents throughout our region.”
“We are thrilled that our longtime partnership with Woodland United Way takes on an even stronger form today,” said Stephanie Bray, president and CEO, United Way California Capital Region. “This merger ensures we are using our resources wisely and efficiently as we work to increase the number of kids across our region who graduate from high school ready for success in college or career.”
The merger will continue the former Woodland United Way’s work to make lasting change in Yolo County through education, including its KinderCamp, Read to Succeed, Imagination Library and Woodland Kids Read programs. Woodland City Manager Paul Navazio and John Purcell, senior vice president at Bayer Crop Science, have joined United Way’s board of directors, and the group has created the Woodland Community Advisory Committee chaired by Woodland resident, former Woodland United Way board member and longtime United Way California Capital Region board member Ruth Miller.
“Our region and our residents are already benefiting from the combined experience, expertise and resources of both organizations,” Miller said. “I have seen how exceptional these two organizations have been individually, and I look forward to their work together to create stronger, healthier communities for families in Woodland and across the region.”
The partnership between the two United Ways recently resulted in Pioneer High School in Woodland attracting a P-TECH program. The P-TECH initiative created by IBM allows students to earn an associate’s degree in STEM along with a high school diploma and paid summer internships with local industry partners. Pioneer’s P-TECH program, SEED Academy, will open in partnership with Woodland Community College in fall 2021.
“Pioneer’s SEED Academy is an incredible asset to our community,” Ross said. “Merging our organizations is already bringing significant resources to Woodland, and I look forward to continuing to direct United Way’s presence in Yolo County.”
Over the past year, United Way has already expanded support and partnerships with nonprofits in Woodland and Yolo County. For the past three years, United Way California Capital Region has collaborated with Empower Yolo to offer free tax preparation services at Woodland High School. This partnership has helped Woodland residents claim more than $1 million in federal tax refunds. Through United Way, Yolo CASA became the first nonprofit partner in the region to offer the CalSavers Retirement Savings program to its employees.
For nearly 100 years, United Way California Capital Region has brought local people together to make community change happen. Today, the nonprofit is bringing people together across Amador, El Dorado, Sacramento, Placer and Yolo counties for its Square One Project, a 20-year promise to significantly increase the number of students in our region who graduate from high school ready for success in college and beyond. United Way believes ending poverty starts in school and is working to ensure kids meet important milestones and their families receive support and resources.
Charting a Path to Financial Wellness
How United Way's programs are different than most out there.
June 2019 Blog Post
Philosopher Lao Tzu once said, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
At our United Way, we strive to bring out the potential in
everyone. Whether a child who is struggling to read, or an adult
trying to make ends meet, we convene, we collaborate and we
commit to helping people tap into their potential to live
healthy, productive lives. This includes achieving financial
wellness. 
For thirteen years, United Way has worked in collaboration with local government, non-profit organizations, businesses, and an army of volunteers to ensure that low and moderate income families don’t have to spend their hard-earned dollars on getting their taxes prepared. Through United Way’s Free Tax Prep Program, formerly known as VITA, we served over 9,000 families this past tax season and saved them a total of $1.8 million in tax prep fees. Over 21,000 volunteers at 49 sites in Sacramento, Yolo and Placer County helped families claim earned income tax credits that resulted in $11.3 million in total federal refunds. With the help of financial counselors who partner with our United Way throughout the year, families chart a path to financial wellness. Families used their refund dollars to pay off debt, purchase a more reliable vehicle, or in some cases move to a better neighborhood. This past tax season, hundreds of families used all or a portion of their refunds to open savings accounts for the first time, or to purchase savings bonds, totaling over $475,000 saved, and average of $1,214.
Our United Way also helps families save for their children’s education through our Kindergarten to College Program, or K2C. This program was launched by Assemblyman and former Sacramento City Councilmember Kevin McCarty, along with SAFE Credit Union, at five schools in the Sacramento City Unified School District. In 2016, our United Way expanded this program to the five schools in the Robla School District, our Square One Program partner. In partnership with the City of Sacramento, and Every Kid Counts, a program administered by the California Student Aid Commission, we will create K2C accounts at six more schools for a total of sixteen in the City of Sacramento. Students at each of the 16 schools will receive a $25 seed for a college savings account, and a $50 match for $25 of family savings, plus a $100 incentive for attending a financial workshop.
The impact of college savings
accounts can’t be understated. These accounts increase both the
parents’ and children’s educational expectations and correlate
with having a college-bound identity. College savings accounts
improve attendance and standardized test results. Students are
three times more likely to attend college and four times more
likely to graduate than those without a CSA account.
Both of these approaches-Free Tax Prep and K2C-are gateways to financial wellness and a pillar of our work to ensure strong support through our Square One Project.
It’s All About Outcomes
Three Years into the Square One Project is yielding results.
April 2019 Blog Post
In 2016, our United Way made a promise to this region that we
would end poverty starting at school through our Square One
Project. This promise marked the scaling of our work to help more
children achieve important milestones on their educational
journey early on so that they are more likely to graduate from
high school, college or career-ready. We announced our
partnership with the Robla School District, the district with the
highest poverty rate in Sacramento County. We put every
resource we could raise into keeping those kids in school,
keeping them on track, setting high expectations for their
success, and providing support for their families. We engaged the
Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) and they have
concentrated efforts into supporting teachers, families, and
students in the Robla School District. Through strategies to
improve teaching and learning, and by cultivating a school
culture and climate that encourages excellence, SCOE is an active
committed partner with our United Way and
Robla. 
After nearly three years, the data is in: the Square One Project is working! According to the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP):
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In 2018 in the Robla School District, the annual increase in the percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards in English Language arts was nearly TRIPLE the state and county averages compared to 2017 data that placed Robla nearly 20% below the state average and 15% below the county average.
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In 2018 in the Robla School District, the annual increase in the percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards in Mathematics was nearly TRIPLE the state and county averages compared to 2017 data that placed Robla 13% below the state average and 11% below the county average.
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In 2017, chronic absenteeism in the Robla District was 15.8% compared to the state (11.1%) and the county (13.4%). In 2018, the rate of chronic absenteeism dropped by 26% and is on track to improve over the state and county average.
Additionally, the Robla School District has increased parent
involvement through parent empowerment dinners, communication
through a parent portal, electronic newsletters and social media.
Through bilingual community outreach assistants, Latino, Hmong
and Russian parents are able to stay connected to the school
community. Our United Way is building relationships with the
broader community to identify ways to sustain the Square One
effect into the future.
I hope that as donors and supporters you are proud of our
progress. As we have said all along, we cannot do this work
without committed partners like you.
Big Day of Giving will soon be upon us. As you consider which of the many organizations you will support on that day, I ask that you include United Way. We rely on the generosity of donors to do our work. In turn, we invest those dollars as efficiently as we can to get outcomes that help change people’s lives.
We also ask that you spread the word about our Square One Project. We want to take our success with the Square One Project and what we have learned to other potential school district partners. With your help, we can also engage other donors and supporters to invest with us in the success of kids in districts like Robla.
Thank you for helping us honor the promise we made to the
students, the families, and the community in the Robla School
District.
The Path to Prosperity for Children and Families
February 2019 Blog Post
According to Prosperity Now (formerly the Corporation for Enterprise Development), a national nonprofit organization that is working to ensure that everyone in our country has a clear path to financial stability, wealth and prosperity, too many families continue to struggle. Prosperity Now projects that forty percent of households are liquid asset poor, meaning they lack the savings to weather a financial shock. Another study, the Real Cost Measure commissioned by United Ways of California, found that in the Sacramento region, too many families do not earn enough to pay rent, feed their families, or afford childcare.
Because of our Square One Project partnerships, we know that many of these families are one financial emergency away from not having enough resources to sustain them and we have been on the front lines of fighting this crisis.
Our work on anti-poverty programs like Free Tax Prep (formerly VITA), and our partnership with businesses, funders, and local government to provide financial coaching for low-income families, is moving the needle on financial stability and self-sufficiency. We are also helping children and families plan for the future by investing in matched savings accounts for education beyond high school, and for foster youth aging out of care.
This month we launched our annual Free Tax Prep program, which removes the cost of tax preparation and helps eligible families claim the tax credits they are entitled to. Last year, over 8,000 families received assistance, resulting in over $10 million in refunds in the form of State and Federal Earned Income Tax Credits. Our goal is to reach 10,000 families!
Through strategic partnerships with funders, our United Way has provided training to nonprofit partner agencies to become financial coaches for their clients. Presently, we are assisting the City of Sacramento with establishing Financial Empowerment Centers to provide free financial coaching that will teach city residents how to reduce their debt, improve their credit scores, increase their savings and end the use of predatory lending. We see this as an important next step to scaling our work in this area.
And finally, with the help of our United Way volunteer action groups, Women United and the Young Leaders Society, we are supporting the dreams and aspirations of students. Whether the entire kindergarten class in the Robla School District or foster youth aging out of care, our volunteers believe that every child has the potential to succeed. We thank them for their gift of time as mentors, and their financial support as investors.
As I have said time and again, United Way cannot do this alone. We are grateful to partners like SAFE Credit Union, Citi Community Development, Internal Revenue Service, State of California Franchise Tax Board, SMUD, HealthNet, and others, along with the many volunteers who give so much to help break the cycle for children and families.
We hope you will join us by supporting the Square One Project. It will be one of the best investments you’ll ever make.
Happy New Year from United Way
CEO Stephanie Bray's look forward to 2019
January 2019 Blog
Happy New Year!
Our United Way is excited for 2019. While we can certainly look back and celebrate our accomplishments, we look forward to new opportunities to make a difference for children and families through our Square One Project.
This month marks National Poverty in America Awareness Month by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD.) They remind us that more than 37 million Americans live in poverty; 13 million of them are children. Yet, according to the CCHD, a recent Gallup poll found that only 5% of Americans believe poverty and homelessness are important problems for the country.
Our United Way is proud of our commitment to end poverty, starting at school. We are also grateful to you, our donors and volunteers, for joining us in this fight.
We are steadfast in our belief that access to education beyond high school can help break the cycle of poverty. We remain committed to the long game: we know that the investments we are making today through our partnership with the Robla School District will yield returns well into the future. Most of the students in that school district will be the first in their families to continue their education after high school. Whether they pursue a four-year-degree or vocational-technical training, those students are getting the support they need so that they are well-prepared no matter what path they choose.
This should matter to all of us who live in this region, especially potential employers who will need a future workforce to start or grow their businesses.
Looking ahead, we will be expanding our Square One Project in this region so that more students and families will benefit from our partnership with nonprofit organizations, government, and businesses to provide access to opportunities for everyone to thrive. Our plans for 2019 include:
- Partnering with more school districts to provide literacy support for students struggling to read at grade level.
- Convening our first ever Foster Youth Summit to create a plan for increasing the number of foster youth who graduate from high school and go on to some form of higher education.
- Partnering with the City of Sacramento to create financial empowerment centers as a service for all city residents who want to learn how to reduce their debt, increase their savings, improve their credit scores, and save for the future.
- Increasing access to summer learning opportunities through our summer meal program so that students not only receive a healthy meal during a time when food insecurity is highest, but they also get the support they need to stay on track, avoiding the “summer slide.”
- Ensuring that kids in the Robla School District can start an education savings account to fund their dream of continuing beyond high school to college or career training.
As I have said time and again, we cannot do this work alone. No one sector can. It also takes an army of donors and volunteers. That’s why in 2019, we will need your continued support.
So, as we recognize National Poverty in America Awareness Month, our United Way is doubling down on our commitment to reducing poverty in our region and we hope you will stay the course with us.
Another Year Older, Another Year Wiser
October 2018 Blog, Stephanie Bray
I was born in October and every year I become quite pensive as my birthday approaches. I often reflect on my life up to this point, especially my childhood. I chuckle when I think about how I once believed that anyone older than 50 was really old and pretty much done with life.
Imagine that! Now that I am in my fifties, I am grateful and privileged to lead a life dedicated to serving others and I still feel like I am just getting started! Every day is an opportunity to leave the world a little bit better a place than it was the day before. At United Way, our Experience Corps volunteers share that same passion.
Experience Corps is our United Way’s partnership with AARP to help kids who struggle to read stay on track. Volunteers who are age 50 and older tutor small groups of first through third-graders in the classroom or after school two to three days a week. Our Experience Corps results are remarkable.
During the 2016-2017 school year, 27 Experience Corps volunteers helped 273 students in 9 schools across 4 school districts. 71% of local students who were below grade level at the beginning of the year improved their reading and literacy performance by half a grade level or more compared to 67% nationally. 42% of local students improved by a full grade level or more compared to 30% nationally. And 38% of local students were at or above grade level by the end of the year compared to 29% nationally.
Grade-level reading is a cornerstone of our Square One Project to end poverty – starting at school. By fourth grade, children are reading in order to learn. Therefore, if they are not reading at grade-level, they will not only fall further and further behind, but are also far more likely to drop out of high school.
Our Experience Corps volunteers tell us time and again that they get so much more out of volunteering than they could ever give. When surveyed, 100% of volunteers felt that the Experience Corps program helped them stay physically active, increased their sense of purpose in life and helped them make a difference in the community. Nearly 90% reported that the program helped expand their social network. You can read the full 2016-2017 Experience Corps report here.
Teachers love Experience Corps, too. 92% of teachers reported that the Experience Corps volunteers had a moderate or strong influence on student reading and literacy performance. 87% reported that the volunteers had a moderate or strong influence on student academic engagement behaviors, such as motivation, concentration, participation, or self-confidence. Kids who receive tutoring support are more excited to come to school and experience fewer behavior issues.
So, if you are 50 or older and want to give some of your time to change the life of kid struggling to read, Experience Corps is for you! Join us at one of our upcoming Experience Corps orientation sessions and help change a life today!
The Power of Partnerships
Published August 15, 2018
Back-to-school time was always bittersweet for me. My daughters are in college now, but I remember how it felt to drop them off on the first day of school. Each new school year was an opportunity for them to learn and grow. Central to their academic achievement was, and still is, the commitment that schools make to provide all kids with the quality education they need to reach and even exceed milestones on the path to high school graduation and beyond. However, for far too many from low-income families, success in school is a struggle.
There are many studies that link poverty with student achievement and the data are distressing. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, 40% of the variation in average reading scores and 46% of the variation in average math scores across states, is associated with variation in child poverty rates. That does not bode well for California which, according to the Public Policy Institute of California, has a child poverty rate of 21.3% (about 1.9 million) when adjusted for cost of living. Without the social safety net, (programs like Cal-Fresh, federal and state earned income tax credits, child tax credits and school meals), the percentage would be 35.3% (about 3.2 million.) The five-county region (Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Yolo) that our United Way serves has an average poverty rate of 15.6%. Sacramento County has the highest at 18.4%, and El Dorado County has the lowest at 10.6%.
Through our Square One Project partnership with Title I schools, which have the highest concentration of kids who live in poverty, our United Way is committed to keeping kids in school, keeping kids on track, setting high expectations for their success, and supporting their families along the way. By providing healthy meals after school, we give kids the fuel they need to focus on their homework. By providing reading support, we are increasing grade-level literacy rates, an important measure of future success in school. By educating parents on how to manage their finances, we open a pathway to financial stability for families. None of this would be possible without our partnership with school districts.
As we head back to school, we salute our school district partners for investing with us to improve outcomes for kids. With their support of volunteerism in schools, programs with measurable outcomes, and by allocating financial resources, we have a strong Square One Project partnerships with the Robla, Center, Washington, and Elk Grove districts. Together, we are breaking the cycle of poverty through education one student and one family at a time.
VITA and Square One
Working together to lift families out of poverty
We’re in the midst of tax season and working hard to ensure that low-income, working families file their taxes for free through our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA).
VITA dates back to 1971 when Gary Iskowitz, a professor at California State University Northridge, organized college students to volunteer to prepare tax returns for free. What started out as a valuable community service and hands-on learning opportunity for students has become one of the most efficient and effective ways that low-income, working families achieve financial stability.
In our region, VITA was launched ten years ago and is led by a coalition of nonprofit organizations that our United Way brings together. Each year, we recruit as many as 200 volunteers who give their time from January to April at community and neighborhood centers, libraries, schools, shopping malls, and other convenient locations, including public housing sites, to help eligible families file their taxes for free. Our volunteers receive 12 hours of training, in addition to the many hours they give preparing taxes at VITA sites during the season.
VITA volunteers inform taxpayers about special tax credits for which they may qualify such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (state and federal), Child Tax Credit, and the Credit for the Elderly or Disabled. Not only does the VITA program save families an average of $200-300 in tax preparation fees, but it also enables people to claim billions of dollars annually, boosting the state’s economy. At the same time, families are encouraged to save a portion of their refund for a rainy day and receive valuable coaching on how to achieve their financial goals. And thanks to our diverse corps of volunteers, we are able to offer VITA services in Spanish-speaking and Russian communities.
The work of the Capital Region VITA Coalition would not be possible without support from generous funders including the IRS, the Franchise Tax Board, the State of California Department of Community Services and Development, SAFE Credit Union, SMUD and Wells Fargo. This year, we also received a very generous donation from JPMorgan Chase of 50 Samsung tablets that we use to train volunteers, and to file returns on myfreetaxes.com, another way that eligible filers can prepare their taxes for free if their household made less than $64,000 in 2016.
We are inspired by the work of our volunteers and our coalition to help lift families out of poverty, the goal of our Square One Project. That’s why this year we hosted VITA sites at schools in the Robla School District.
Ending poverty really does start at school!
Learn more about VITA, MyFreeTaxes.com and how you can file your taxes for free.
Why do YOU give to United Way?
There a many reasons why giving to United Way is THE best way to help those in need.
For 25 years I have worked in the nonprofit community. During that time, I have seen many changes in how people give to support their favorite causes. When United Way was started in the late 1800s, it was a way for people to contribute to a community chest to help their neighbors. Through direct mail, online giving and now crowdfunding, people have more choices than ever when it comes to how they give to the charities they want to support. So, I am not surprised that people are wondering why give to United Way when I can give directly to my favorite charitable organization?
There a many reasons why giving to United Way is THE best way to help those in need.
- When you give to United Way, you are helping to improve literacy rates for children at risk of dropping out of school, providing a safety net for foster youth who have no other resources, and you are helping to provide healthy, nutritious meals to children who often do not have enough to eat.
- United Way connects donors to nonprofit organizations that would have a tough time doing it on their own. Most charitable organizations have under $100,000 in assets which means that they don’t have marketing budgets or even fundraising budgets. United Way provides them with a way to get in front of people to tell their story.
- United Way makes it easy for donors to support local nonprofits. We ensure that those organizations are fiscally sound so that donors don’t have to and we enable donors to give small amounts over time that make a BIG impact in the community.
- We help companies that want to give back to the community by matching them with nonprofits. Our annual Day of Caring is one example of how we help business leaders and their employees support their local communities. This year, more than 116 companies and groups participated in the day contributing more than 4,206 volunteer hours!
Why do YOU give to United Way?
Happy New Year!
If you are like me, New Year’s Day is a day of reflection and a day to make big plans for the coming year. At our United Way we celebrate New Year’s Day twice a year: on January 1st, the official New Year’s Day, and on July 1st when our new fiscal year begins.
As I reflect on our work over this past year, I am thankful to you– our donors, volunteers, advocates and ambassadors—for your steadfast and generous support. Thanks to you, more than 690 kids in our STAR Readers project are on the path to reading at grade level. Thanks to you, 3,371 kids are learning how to be Fit Kids by adopting a healthy lifestyle and reducing their risk of childhood obesity. Thanks to you, 495 families were able to complete their tax returns this year at no cost and receive refunds that will help them on their path to financial stability. Thanks to you, 90% of foster youth in our $en$e-Ability project have better money management skills and a safety net as they emancipate out of the system into adulthood and independence. Thanks to you, the Toilet Paper drive received more than 161,000 rolls of toilet paper to be distributed to our nonprofit partners, which will represent real savings that they can invest in programs and services.
Now I will admit that like most folks, I have a tough time keeping those New Year’s resolutions. At our United Way, we resolve that over this next year, we will continue creating pathways to success for individuals and families in this region to realize their potential through education, financial stability and healthy lifestyles. With your support, that is one resolution we will keep. Who’s with me?
Stephanie McLemore Bray is the President & CEO of United Way California Capital Region.