United Way Transitioning to a Community Impact Model
Within the United Way system, Community Impact means mobilizing communities to create lasting changes in community conditions that improve lives.
Community Impact
- Is not just about improving lives of clients of United Way-funded programs.
- It is about improving lives of people affected by pressing community issues.
- It is not about relying only on the health and human services sector.
- It is about mobilizing all of the sectors, systems, networks, groups, and environments that can play a role in improving lives in our communities.
United Way of the Greenbrier Valley is making the move to a community impact model. A strategic planning committee was formed in the spring of 2009 and spent nine months putting together a plan to transition to communtiy impact. The plan was presented and adopted by the United Way board of directors on January 23, 2010.
From October 2010 through May 2011, Ad Hoc Committees in the areas of Health, Income and Education met to determine the three most critical issues in their focus area. The results were presented to the United Way board for adoption September 6, 2011. United Way's application for funding was revised to address impact funding. Partner agencies were educated about the change in November 2011. The firs year of impact funding will begin in 2012.
In line with a community impact model, United Way of the Greenbrier Valley has adopted the following mission, vision and Value statements:
Our mission:
To improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of the communities in Pocahontas, Greenbrier, and Monroe.
Our Vision:
LEADING our communities to FOCUS on issues and BUILD solutions that IMPROVE lives. AIM H.I.E.
Our Core Values: ALIVE:
Accountability - We act with integrity and maintain the highest standards of ethics and accountability. Leadership - We provide leadership for community building. Inclusiveness - We respect the dignity, uniqueness and worth of all individuals and value the diversity of the community we serve. Volunteerism - We promote a 'spirit of volunteerism' and volunteer leadership. Excellence - We provide the highest quality in all we do.
Advancing the Common Good
United Way of America's Advancing the Common Good focuses clearly on both the lives they aim to benefit and the community conditions they must change in order to improve lives. In order to advance the common good, we must create opportunities for a good life for all through education, income, and health.
Our Goals and Critical Issues
Health - Increase the number of citizens in the Greenbrier Valley who are healthy and avoid risky behaviors.
- There is a significantly high rate of obesity, chronic disease, substance abuse, and related behaviors among children and adutls.
- A significant number of families experience violence, neglect and abuse.
- Many older adults experience a reduced quality of life.
Income - Increase the number of income opportunities in the Greenbrier Valley that offer a livable wage.
- There are insufficient income opportunities available to earn a livable wage to sustain a family.
- There is a lack of an entrepreneurial culture significant enough to provide jobs.
- There is a lack of communication among stakeholders, investors, and job creators.
Education - Increase the Greenbrier Valley completion rate.
- Many at-risk students are not academically and developmentally on track.
- Often adult literacy levels are inadequate to support the educational needs of their children and suceed in their daily lives.
Basic Needs - Assist families in crisis and in meeting their daily needs of food, clothing and shelter.
- A significant number of individuals and families in our community are chronically dependent upon community agencies and resources to meet their most basic needs..
Community Resources
211 is a free, easy to remember telephone number that connects people with important community services and disaster information 24 hours a day, seven days a week. More information can be found at the 211 web site at www.wv211.org
Impact Initiatives
Warming Hands & Hearts is an emergency assistance initiative that began in 2006 to help low-income families who are struggling with the high cost of heating. Each County collaborative represents service providers, faith based organizations, the Department of Health & Human Resources, and United Way. With everyone at the table, emergency assistance dollars can be pooled to stretch as far as possible.
Data collected through 2009 show that 1,564 amilies (2,726 adults and 1,869 children) in Greenbrier, Monroe and Pocahontas Counties have been helped by Warming Hands and Heart, and over $104,948 has come from United Way.
Born Learning Trails
Born Learning Trails are a fun, easy way for parents, grandparents and caregivers to use outings to build learning critical for school readiness.
About the Trails
The Born Learning Trails promote fun and games - important components of early childhood learning. Research tells us children are literally 'born learning'. That means five years of education take place before they ever enter kindergarten. We know that what happens in a child's early years matters - for success in life and for school readiness. And we want to help parents, grandparents and caregivers use everyday outings - including trips to the Trails - to support that learning. There are three sets of stencils for children to play on - hopscotch with numbers, shapes, and ABCs. Nine signs along the Trail encourage interactive learning. Here are just a few:
- Watch! Stop! Learn! Play! encourages the caregiver to follow the child's lead, building the child's curiosity and confidence.
- See! Say! Point! Pretend! encourages playfulness with letters and sounds, building preliteracy skills.
- Jump! Clap! Skip! Move! encourages physical activity and gross motor skills, which are important for kindergarten.
- Look! Listen! Touch! Think! encourages exploration of nature, building a child's problem-solving skills.
FamilyWize Free Prescription Drug Discount Card
IT'S FREE: This is a free resource from the FamilyWize community service partnership. Use this FamilyWize card to start saving money on your prescription drugs today. It is valid for anyone without health insurance or prescription drug coverage, or for any medicine not covered by insurance,...
