As the nation’s housing and job markets show encouraging signs of recovery, there are still far too many families who are on the brink of becoming homeless or have fallen into our shelter system.” – Shaun Donovan, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development From the USA Today article, “Families in homeless [...]
Low-income Families Lack Financial Safety Nets
June 15, 2010 By
United Way partner EARN has released findings from a a new national poll,which indicates that low-income families have no financial safety net. More than one third of low-income households said they were unprepared to meet their basic financial needs for more than a month if their income was disrupted. In addition, just 8% low-income participants are [...]
Volunteer Center of Solano County Opens Today
June 14, 2010 By
Starting this week, Solano County residents can find local volunteer opportunities at www.VolunteerSolano.org. More than 125 nonprofit organizations have already posted 375 volunteer positions on the site, and the number of volunteer opportunities is growing daily. Individuals, families and groups who want to volunteer can also call 707-422-2232 to find volunteer opportunities in Solano County that meet [...]
United Way Celebrates New Children's Health Clinic
June 9, 2010 By
In May, United Way gathered with community leaders from the North Vallejo Health Collaborative to celebrate the grand opening of a children’s health center at Vallejo’s Elsa Widenmann Elementary School. United Way provided a $100,000 grant to support the clinic. The grant is one of our many investments in Community Schools, which bring essential services to families and students on [...]
Reject Budget Cuts to Children's Health Care
June 7, 2010 By
One of the ”muscles” that United Way flexes in our community impact work is advocating for sound public policy. Below is a recent letter to the editor from United Way CEO Anne Wilson, written in response to the Governor’s recently proposed budget revisions, which could put health care out of reach for thousands of our state’s poorest children. The letter appeared in [...]
FREE Summer Meals for Bay Area Kids
June 4, 2010 By
Communities throughout the Bay Area will begin free summer meal programs for children this month, serving meals on weekdays throughout the summer at summer-school and community sites. All children 18 years old and younger are eligible, regardless of their families’ income. Families are encouraged to dial 2-1-1 for free meal information in more than 150 [...]
United Way Helps Marin Nonprofits Prepare for Disaster
June 3, 2010 By
United Way of the Bay Area, the American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter, and Marin Interagency Disaster Coalition will host our annual Marin Disaster Readiness Conference on June 8 in Novato. More than 180 people, representing a variety of agencies and organizations, have already registered for the conference, which is now at full capacity. The event [...]
Teens Test New Skills During Playground Makeover
June 2, 2010 By
Solano Community College is now more welcoming to young families thanks to a recent playground makeover by a group of teens from Dreamcatchers, a United Way grantee that provides troubled youth with employment training. United Way supports Dreamcatchers as part of our strategy to empower the next generation for success. The makeover provided youth the opportunity to test [...]
Schwab Volunteers Spruce Up Community Center
May 20, 2010 By
Last week, a team of volunteers from Charles Schwab helped spruce up a community center at the Lion Creek Crossings Complex, which is home to United Way’s SparkPoint Oakland Center. In addition to cleaning and painting, Schwab volunteers purchased and assembled a small table and stools to create a new reading nook. “The Schwab team [...]
Recession Far from Over for Bay Area Nonprofits
May 13, 2010 By
Despite reports that the economy may finally be recovering, Bay Area nonprofit organizations – and the clients they serve – are still reeling from the recession, according to United Way’s eighth annual Bay Area Nonprofit Pulse Survey. The financial well-being of the Bay Area nonprofit sector continued to erode in 2009. Fifty-one percent of survey [...]
