Put your Spanish-language skills to work for our community as a SparkPoint San Francisco volunteer! United Way needs Spanish-speaking volunteers to greet clients at our SparkPoint Center at Plaza Adelante in San Francisco’s Mission District. Volunteers will help introduce clients to the wide variety of services available at SparkPoint, including: Free tax preparation Job training [...]
Free Tax Prep Can be First Step for Financial Success
January 30, 2012 by
It’s hard to believe, but there is a benefit to filing your taxes – even if you don’t get a refund! That’s because getting free tax preparation at an Earn It! Keep It! Save It! site can open the door to hundreds of local programs that can help you improve your finances. For example, Yolanda [...]
Earn It! Keep It! Save It! Kicks Off 10th Year Today
January 27, 2012 by
Our free tax sites open the door to programs that empower people to improve their finances. In addition to saving families hundreds of dollars on tax preparation, our sites connect low-income families with programs that can help them start saving, go back to school, get a good job, buy a first home or start a new [...]
Women’s Leadership Council Wraps Up Great First Year
December 14, 2011 by
Yesterday, members of United Way’s Women’s Leadership Council (WLC) spent the afternoon wrapping books as holiday gifts to give to students at John Muir Elementary School, a community school supported by United Way. The WLC has chosen to partner with John Muir Elementary School as part of its efforts to improve educational opportunities for children [...]
Kissing Unemployment Goodbye
November 29, 2011 by
Tamiko’s story is like many Bay Area residents’ during this slow economic recovery. The single mom from Richmond lost her job three years ago. Like so many others struggling with unemployment during the recession, Tamiko fell deeper and deeper into debt. Fortunately, with the help of United Way’s SparkPoint program, she recently landed a job doing [...]
Take Action to Fight Poverty: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
November 22, 2011 by
Here’s an article that approaches poverty reduction, job creation, and economic growth from a different perspective—More Jobs, Less Pollution: Growing the Recycling Economy in the U.S. The article, prepared by the Tellus Institute, suggests that if we all recycle and compost more, we will not only reduce pollution and its unhealthy consequences, but also create [...]
Too Busy to Volunteer this Holiday Season? Try Micro-volunteering with MAKE IT BE
November 14, 2011 by
Don’t let the do-gooder in you get stymied by a busy holiday schedule. With MAKE IT BE micro-volunteering, you can help out a local charity in as little as 15 minutes! Whether you’ve got some down time on the bus, a break during lunch, or just want something productive to do during TV commercials, United [...]
Call 211 to Get or Give Holiday Help
November 11, 2011 by
The holidays are right around the corner, and United Way wants Bay Area residents to get connected! GET HELP: Call the 211 helpline today to see if you are eligible for holiday assistance programs, such as free holiday meals, food, and toys. Resources are limited and demand for holiday help continues to be extremely high, so it is important to [...]
Quote of the Day
October 31, 2011 by
During this time of increasingly scarce resources, helping people achieve financial stability requires unique partnerships and focus. In establishing SparkPoint East Contra Costa, twelve county agencies and local nonprofits have banded together, offering a full range of financial services, all under one roof. Creating SparkPoint is a real opportunity to work together more effectively to [...]
Hometown Huddle Brings Smiles to Oakland Students
October 20, 2011 by
This past Tuesday (Oct. 18) United Way, the Oakland Raiders and UPS teamed up for Hometown Huddle at Oakland’s Garfield Elementary School. Oakland Raiders Rock Cartwright and De Marcus Van Dyke joined UPS volunteers to promote active and healthy living among Garfield students. Rock and De Marcus lead the students in a series of fun [...]
