San Leandro resident Thomas R. came to United Way’s SparkPoint Oakland Center because his family was struggling to adapt to changes in their economic situation.  Job loss, and subsequent re-employment at a lower salary, meant that they were struggling to make mortgage and credit card payments, and were having a hard time getting used to spending less each month.

SparkPoint coach Elaine DeNault was there to listen and help. Elaine is an employee of Operation HOPE, one of five partner organizations that collaborate to serve clients at United Way’s SparkPoint Oakland Center.  Every SparkPoint member is assigned a personal coach, who helps create a step-by-step plan to address financial challenges and set long-term goals. Because lasting changes do not happen overnight, SparkPoint coaches commit to working with clients for as long as it takes to achieve their goals – for many, that is two or three years.

As a first step, Elaine helped Thomas address his credit card debt, which had ballooned to several thousand dollars. She helped Thomas negotiate with one card company to lower his interest rate from 24.99% to 0% for five years and cut his monthly payment in half.  She spoke with another creditor and convinced it to change Thomas’ monthly payment date so that his two credit cards would not be due at the same time.

Elaine also taught Thomas and his family how to track expenses and  create a budget.  She is currently working with Thomas on a mortgage-loan modification.  

“One of the most important things about SparkPoint is they know how to talk to you, and they know how to listen,” said Thomas. “Just being able to talk with Elaine was a big relief. She listened and knew just how to help.”

Thomas is so pleased with his experience at SparkPoint, that he has referred several family members, including his son, father-in-law and sister-in-law. He continues to meet with Elaine to improve his finances and plan for a better financial future.

“How our clients arrived at their current situation is not important,” says Elaine.  “We meet them where they are and, through coaching, change behavior patterns which allows our clients to  ‘make new history’ for themselves and their families.”

Thomas’ story was featured recently on MSN Money’s “Living With Less” column -  scroll down to the “I used to contribute” section.

United Way’s SparkPoint Oakland Center recently served its 300th client.  To celebrate their success, SparkPoint staff, volunteers and clients gathered at the Center for an evening of food and fun.  Click below to see a photo slide show from the celebration.

This exclusive event was especially for SparkPoint members – clients who have utilized at least two services at the Center.  For all clients, SparkPoint strongly encourages taking advantage of multiple services, since clients who use at least two services are three times more likely to achieve a financial goal than clients who use only one.

SparkPoint also provides all members with a personal coach to help clients set and achieve long-term financial goals.  The coaches serve as financial advisors, providing a personalized connection to services, as well as the guidance and support members need to achieve long-term goals.

Learn more about SparkPoint here.

Recently, SparkPoint American Canyon Center was profiled in the Contra Costa Times. The article highlights some of the services offered, including job search assistance, credit counseling, and helping people becoming financially literate so they can take control of their finances and their lives.

SparkPoint American Canyon Center is currently in its pilot phase, and is one of seven centers that United Way plans to launch with our partners around the Bay Area.   SparkPoint Oakland Center has been serving people since March 30.

Read more about SparkPoint America Canyon Center in the Contra Costa Times here.

In the video above, SparkPoint Oakland Center client Fatou tells how an Individual Development Account, which is a matched savings account, is making a  huge difference in her life.

United Way’s Raising A Reader is a proven early literacy program that strives to break the cycle of poverty by empowering low-income families to create book-sharing routines. Research shows that sharing books with young children, age 0-5, promotes early brain development, stimulates social and emotional growth, and inspires a life-long love of learning and books.

Recently EdcuationMatters.tv, a show that profiles Bay Area education programs, featured Sara Levine, director of Raising A Reader Alameda County, and the teachers, children and families of Martin Luther King Child Development Center in West Oakland.

“When there’s a tough situation, I’m not afraid to tell my friends to think differently about their response. I’ve got the tools to help them out.”

Two years ago, Jasmin Huntsberry was playing tag on the front lawn of her grandmother’s East Oakland home, when gunshots rang out nearby. She snatched up her younger cousins and ran into the house to safety.

Convinced that “kids can make a difference,” Jasmin, a student at Castlemon High School in East Oakland, has since become a peer educator for Teens on Target, a violence prevention program supported by United Way’s Bay Area Community Fund. “Teens on Target helps students understand root causes of violence and employs leadership development to help them teach their peers how to respond in safe, non-violent ways,” said United Way Safe Communities Program Officer Jordan Klein.

During the 2005-2006 school year, Teens on Target participants received training and conducted more than 60 workshops focused on schools in East Oakland neighborhoods with the highest levels of violence. They addressed the kinds of violence most prevalent in the students’ lives—gangs, family and dating violence, guns, and drug- and alcohol-related violence.

Teens on Target Director Tamara Dukes stated, “The anti-violence message resonates with younger students because it’s delivered by peer role models who live in the same neighborhoods and share the same experiences.”

Last year, the program’s peer educators also led violence prevention assemblies for more than 2,000 middle and high school students.