As part of our ongoing goal to ensure that everyone is prepared for disaster – made even more urgent considering the recent events in Chile – we encourage people to do just one thing each month to prepare yourself and your family. The idea is to prepare enough to be able to sustain yourself and your [...]
Fighting for Children’s Health
February 16, 2010 By
Jenny Li of San Francisco lost her health insurance and her job as a line supervisor at a Bay Area electronics manufacturer because the company relocated to Mexico in 2007. The loss of insurance would have had devastating effects. Jenny’s teenage son is challenged by mental-health issues that require two types of medication and regular [...]
Seven Ways to Boost Your Child's Reading
February 9, 2010 By
The first few years of a child’s life are so important, and it has been said that 90% of the brain’s growth occurs from ages zero to five. With the help of partners across the Bay Area, United Way is working both directly with children to boost their reading skills and learning potential; as well [...]
Thinking Outside the Classroom to Help Children Achieve
February 8, 2010 By
One of our long-standing focuses has been on raising student achievement across the Bay Area. One of the ways we’ve done this is through our Community School model which integrates multiple support services like mentoring and parenting programs, with school activities in low-income neighborhoods. This has yielded significant results for students including reduced violence, better [...]
Will You Be Mine?
February 2, 2010 By
Send a Valentine’s Day Card to your honey and help United Way earn some money! Target, a long time United Way supporter has created Super Love Sender which lets you send a quirky Valentine’s Day, football-inspired video card to friends and family all while raising funds for United Way. For each card the online community [...]
2010 Bay Area Volunteer Awards
January 29, 2010 By
Do you know someone who’s making a difference by volunteering in your community? As part of their celebration of National Volunteer Week, United Way partners the Volunteer Center recognizes outstanding volunteers, nonprofits and businesses. The nominations are currently being accepted until March 9th, and cover six areas from favorite nonprofits to outstanding efforts by a [...]
Earn It! Keep It! Save It! Kicks Off This Week
January 26, 2010 By
In a time of layoffs and foreclosures, there’s some good news for low-income taxpayers in the Bay Area: instead of spending up to $360 on commercial tax preparation services, households that earned less than $52,000 in 2009 can have their taxes prepared for free by Earn It! Keep It! Save It!, the Bay Area’s largest [...]
I Am Not a Stereotype
January 25, 2010 By
RYSE Center, a United Way grantee, is a safe and welcoming place for West Contra Costa County youth, that is building and empowering the next generation. They have a number of programs based around social justice, harm reduction, and youth leadership. The organization was born out of the community response to a particularly violent incident [...]
Shaping and Improving Communities
January 25, 2010 By
Volunteering is an excellent way to connect with community and is of course an excellent opportunity to give back. As part of our ongoing commitment to increasing volunteerism in the Bay Area we’ve been profiling our staff members and others in the community about their experiences with volunteering. Leslie Brown, MPA, is the Program Coordinator [...]
Be Extraordinary For Haiti's Earthquake Victims
January 19, 2010 By
The pictures of the devastation in Haiti, have caused an incredible outpouring of support from business and individuals around the world. Along with the usual organizations that are on the frontlines when disasters strike, there are a number of technology organizations (from Google to Ushahidi to Frontline SMS), working around the clock with the State [...]
