United Way Of Allen County Inc

TO BOLDLY IMPACT CRITICAL COMMUNITY ISSUES WITH A VISION OF EFFECTIVELY TRANSFORMING OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH MEASURABLE IMPACT.

PRIORITY AREA GRANT FUNDS: UNITED WAY OF ALLEN COUNTY PROVIDES FUNDING TO 19 ORGANIZATIONS THAT PROVIDE SERVICES THAT HELP ACHIEVE COMMUNITY GOALS AROUND FOOD SECURITY, HOUSING STABILITY, AND MENTAL HEALTH ACCESS. ADDITIONALLY, UNITED WAY INVESTS IN VARIOUS COMMUNITY COLLABORATIONS (KINDERGARTEN COUNTDOWN, VITA, PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF, ETC.) THROUGHOUT ALLEN COUNTY.

COMMUNITY COLLABORATIONS: UNITED WAY OF ALLEN COUNTY INVESTS IN NUMEROUS COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS THAT CONVENE MULTIPLE PARTNERS TO ADDRESS CONCERNS IN THE COMMUNITY IN A TWO-GENERATIONAL APPROACH THROUGH OUR PRIORITY AREAS OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, FOOD SECURITY, HOUSING STABILITY, AND MENTAL HEALTH ACCESS THROUGH COMMUNITY-BASED SOLUTIONS. --VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT AND DAY OF CARING: OUR TOTAL VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT COORDINATED OVER 1,749 VOLUNTEERS FOR OVER 10,400 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE WHICH EQUALS OVER 314,290 WORTH OF SERVICE INVESTED BACK IN TO ALLEN COUNTY. WE WORK WITH CORPORATE PARTNERS TO CONNECT THEIR EMPLOYEES TO VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE COMMUNITY. WE COORDINATE KIT BUILDS FOR THEM TO COMPLETE OR COMPANIES PARTICIPATE IN OUR LARGEST VOLUNTEER EVENT, DAY OF CARING. OUR 30TH ANNUAL UNITED WAY DAY OF CARING CONTINUED TO REBOUND IN TERMS OF VOLUNTEER NUMBERS. IN AUGUST 2022, OVER 1,200 VOLUNTEERS CONTRIBUTED OVER 6,000 VOLUNTEER HOURS, AND COMPLETED 68 PROJECTS. PROJECTS SUBMITTED FOR DAY OF CARING ARE COMPLETED IN ONE DAY AND TYPICALLY CONSIST OF CLEANING, LANDSCAPING, PAINTING AND OTHER GENERAL MAINTENANCE. PROJECTS TAKE PLACE AT NON-PROFIT AGENCIES, SCHOOLS OR PRIVATE RESIDENCES COORDINATED BY NEIGHBORLINK. UNITED WAY WORKS TOGETHER WITH CORPORATE PARTNERS, NON-PROFIT AGENCIES AND VOLUNTEERS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY, MAKING ALLEN COUNTY A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE AND WORK. --KINDERGARTEN COUNTDOWN: KINDERGARTEN COUNTDOWN COMPLETED ITS NINTH YEAR WHERE 114 CHILDREN ATTENDED CLASSES IN THE SCHOOLS THEY WILL BE ATTENDING IN THE FALL. THE PROGRAM OPERATES IN TWO PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND EMPHASIZES CLASSROOM SKILLS LIKE RAISING HANDS AND LINING UP QUIETLY AS WELL AS STRENGTHENING THE LITERACY SKILLS THAT ARE NECESSARY TO LEARN TO READ. THIS YEAR'S STUDENTS SHOWED A 18 PERCENT INCREASE IN BASIC LITERACY SKILLS AND A 25 PERCENT INCREASE IN SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SCORES FROM THE ASSESSMENTS COMPLETED AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF THE FOUR-WEEK PROGRAM. THERE WAS A 48 PERCENT INCREASE IN THE NUMBER STUDENTS ABLE TO WRITE THEIR NAMES. --VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE (VITA): DURING THE 2023 VITA SEASON, TAX PREPARATION WAS OFFERED AT ONE SITE IN ALLEN COUNTY AND FOUR SITES IN DEKALB, NOBLE AND STEUBEN COUNTIES. THIS YEAR, OVER 40 VOLUNTEERS DONATED OVER 2,500 HOURS TO THIS EFFORT. NEARLY 2.5 MILLION WERE RETURNED TO OVER 2,600 RESIDENTS.

PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF: PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF (PPO) IS A NEW INITIATIVE OF UNITED WAY THAT WAS LAUNCHED IN APRIL 2021. THE GOAL OF THE INITIATIVE IS TO GET MORE STUDENTS TO COMPLETE THEIR COLLEGE DEGREE OR CERTIFICATE BY HELPING ELIMINATE SOME OF THE BARRIERS THAT STUDENTS ARE FACING. WE PARTNER WITH THE TRIO OFFICES AT IVY TECH COMMUNITY COLLEGE FORT WAYNE AND PURDUE FORT WAYNE ALONG WITH LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES TO PROVIDE STUDENTS EDUCATIONAL GOAL ATTAINMENT, CASE MANAGEMENT, LIFE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AND FINANCIAL LITERACY COACHING. IN ACADEMIC YEAR 21-22, OVER 90 STUDENTS RECEIVED SERVICES AND 88% OF THE STUDENTS EITHER RETURNED FOR CLASSES FOR THE NEXT ACADEMIC SEMESTER, COMPLETED THEIR CERTIFICATION, OR GRADUATED WITH THEIR ASSOCIATE OR BACHELOR'S DEGREE. ACADEMIC YEAR 22-23 RESULTS WERE NOT YET AVAILABLE FOR THIS NARRATIVE.

DONOR DESIGNATIONS: UNITED WAY OF ALLEN COUNTY (UWAC) DIRECTS DESIGNATED CONTRIBUTIONS (50 OR MORE) TO A SPECIFIC UWAC PRIORITY AREA(S), INITIATIVE(S), OR TO LOCAL UNITED WAYS IN OTHER COMMUNITIES. UWAC RETAINS 15% OF DESIGNATED GIFTS TO UNITED WAYS/FUNDS THAT ARE PART OF THE NORTHEAST INDIANA CONSORTIUM AND 15.1% ON GIFTS TO OTHER UNITED WAYS. NO OTHER FEES OR PERCENTAGES ARE CHARGED AGAINST THESE GIFTS.