Henderson County United Way Inc

IMPROVE THE LIVES OF HENDERSON COUNTY RESIDENTS.

UNITED WAY OF HENDERSON COUNTY (UWHC) IS IN THE NINTH YEAR OF HENDERSON COUNTY 2025, A TEN-YEAR PLAN TO 1) INCREASE KINDERGARTEN READINESS AND SUPPORT SCHOOL SUCCESS FOR UNDERSERVED CHILDREN; 2) IMPROVE ECONOMIC SELF- SUFFICIENCY AND INCREASE ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING; 3) IMPROVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND NUTRITION AMONG RESIDENTS, AND ENCOURAGE HEALTHY YOUTH BEHAVIORS. THE GOAL IS TO MAKE STEADY ADVANCES BY CREATING SOLUTIONS THAT LEAD TO LASTING CHANGE. UWHC'S CASH INVESTMENT TO ASSIST THE COMMUNITY DURING THE 2022-23 FISCAL YEAR IS OVER 1.28 MILLION. IT NOT ONLY INCLUDES ALLOCATIONS TO 20 LOCAL PARTNER AGENCIES, BUT ALSO DIRECT-PAY DESIGNATIONS FROM DONORS TO COMMUNITY AGENCIES, STRATEGIC INITIATIVES, VOLUNTEER INITIATIVES, UNITED WAY COMMUNITY IMPACT WORK AND SPONSORED PROGRAMS SUCH AS 2-1-1, WOMEN UNITED, SMALL BUSINESS LEAGUE AND RISING LEADERS. HOWEVER, UNITED WAY ALSO LEVERAGES ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY SUPPORT IN THE FORM OF OTHER COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE AND SAVINGS (PEOPLE RECEIVING ASSISTANCE FROM THE EMERGENCY FOOD AND SHELTER PROGRAM, PRESCRIPTION SAVINGS THROUGH SINGLECARE (FORMERLY FAMILYWIZE), AND THE VALUE OF VOLUNTEER HOURS IN STRATEGIC INITIATIVES, ETC.) ADDING THE VALUE OF THIS ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY SUPPORT PUTS UNITED WAY'S TOTAL COMMUNITY IMPACT AT OVER 1.73 MILLION. THIS MEANS WE PUT OVER A DOLLAR OF IMPACT VALUE BACK OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY FOR EVERY DOLLAR WE RAISE. SEE DETAILS IN THE PARAGRAPHS BELOW. AS MENTIONED ABOVE, UWHC ALSO PROVIDED HIGH-IMPACT SERVICES AND SAVINGS TO PEOPLE IN HENDERSON COUNTY. SINGLECARE PRESCRIPTION DISCOUNT CARDS HELPED LOCAL RESIDENTS SAVE A TOTAL OF 179,222 IN PRESCRIPTION COSTS. NC 2-1- 1, UNITED WAY'S INFORMATION AND REFERRAL HELPLINE, WAS A CRITICALLY IMPORTANT RESOURCE AND MADE 1,469 REFERRALS LAST YEAR TO HENDERSON COUNTY RESIDENTS, DIRECTING THEM TO RESOURCES INCLUDING FOOD, SHELTER, HEALTH CARE OR HELP PAYING MORTGAGE, RENT OR UTILITY BILLS. VOLUNTEERS ARE ALSO A TREMENDOUS NON-CASH ASSET. UWHC HAD THE HELP OF OVER 1,300 VOLUNTEERS, PROVIDING OVER 6,400 VOLUNTEER HOURS, VALUED AT OVER 190,000 DURING 2022-23 TO HELP IMPROVE THE COMMUNITY. UWHC HOSTED TWO COMMUNITY-WIDE VOLUNTEER EVENTS, DAYS OF ACTION IN AUGUST 2022, AND DAYS OF CARING DURING THE SPRING OF 2023. MORE THAN 550 COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS CAME TOGETHER TO WORK ON 31 SERVICE PROJECTS AT 23 HENDERSON COUNTY SCHOOLS AS PART OF DAYS OF ACTION 2022. DAYS OF CARING 2023 BROUGHT MORE THAN 370 VOLUNTEERS OUT TO COMPLETE 36 PROJECTS AT 24 NONPROFIT AGENCIES, INCLUDING ASSISTING WITH THE NALC LETTER CARRIERS FOOD DRIVE, WHICH COLLECTED OVER 16,000 POUNDS OF FOOD FOR LOCAL FOOD PANTRIES. WOMEN UNITED, A LEADERSHIP GIVING AFFINITY GROUP, HAD A BUSY SEVENTH YEAR. DURING THE 2022-2023 YEAR, THERE WERE 91 MEMBERS. THESE WOMEN CONTINUED TO SUPPORT GIRLS EMPOWERED (GEM), AN AFTER-SCHOOL OPPORTUNITY THAT SERVED 48 AT-RISK FIFTH GRADE GIRLS AT UPWARD AND HILLANDALE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND 8TH GRADE GIRLS AT HENDERSONVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL. THE GEM PROGRAM PROVIDED THE PARTICIPATING GIRLS WITH SESSIONS ON CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND SELF- ESTEEM. WU MEMBERS SERVED AS GUEST SPEAKERS, VOLUNTEERS, MENTORS, AND CHAPERONES. THE GEM GIRLS RECEIVED EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATIONS FROM A VARIETY OF WOMEN PROFESSIONALS, ENJOYED TOURS OF DOWNTOWN WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES, AND RECEIVED SELF-CARE KITS AND BACKPACKS FILLED WITH SCHOOL SUPPLIES. WOMEN UNITED MEMBERS ALSO DONATED DIAPERS AND BABY SUPPLIES WORTH 430 TO CHILDREN AND FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER, EMERGENCY CLOTHING ITEMS VALUED AT 1,709 TO LOCAL SCHOOLS, AND COLLECTED BOOKS WORTH 1,524 FOR FOSTER CARE FAMILIES, AND TOYS AND CLOTHING FOR 50 CHILDREN DURING THE HOLIDAYS VALUED AT 8,750. THE UNITED WAY BOARD OF DIRECTORS WORKED WITH A CONSULTANT DURING THE PAST YEAR TO CREATE A NEW FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN. THE PLAN FOCUSES ON 4 BOLD GOALS RELATING TO COMMUNITY IMPACT, RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND EDUCATION, AND ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY, WHILE ENSURING THAT WE BUILD CAPACITY AND EMBED EQUITY THROUGHOUT OUR ORGANIZATION. UNITED WAY OF HENDERSON COUNTY ALSO LAUNCHED A FUNDRAISER TO SUPPORT THE EFFORTS OF 13 LOCAL FOOD PANTRIES AND DISTRIBUTION SITES ACROSS THE COUNTY AND RAISED OVER 50,000 TO HELP FIGHT HUNGER IN OUR COMMUNITY. SMALL BUSINESSES PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN MAINTAINING OUR THRIVING LOCAL ECONOMY AND ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR WORK. OUR SMALL BUSINESS LEAGUE IS COMPRISED OF 14 LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS WHO GIVE BACK TO THEIR COMMUNITY THROUGH UNITED WAY AND A SPECIAL LEAGUE VOTED INITIATIVE EACH YEAR. IN 2022 THE LEAGUE DIRECTED THIS FUNDING TO SUPPORT THE FUNDRAISER FOR LOCAL FOOD PANTRIES TO HELP MEET THE GROWING NEED FOR FOOD ASSISTANCE. UWHC RECEIVED AND USED GIFTS IN-KIND VALUED AT OVER 343,217. THIS COVERED DONATED ITEMS, PRINTING, SUPPLIES, AND VARIOUS MEDIA RESOURCES SUCH AS NEWSPAPER AND RADIO. ADDITIONALLY, UWHC SECURED CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS TOTALING OVER 77,000 WHICH HELP COVER THE COST OF CAMPAIGN, EVENTS AND OPERATIONAL ITEMS. THIS MEANS THAT MORE DOLLARS FROM DONORS GO DIRECTLY TO PROGRAMS AND SERVICES TO THOSE IN NEED. WE NOT ONLY PROVIDED OVER 445,000 IN GRANTS TO LOCAL NONPROFIT AGENCIES, BUT WE ALSO RAISED AN ADDITIONAL 157,000 IN DONOR DESIGNATIONS THAT PASSED DIRECTLY TO THE RECIPIENT AGENCIES CHOSEN BY THOSE DONORS. UNITED WAY WORKS HARD TO LEVERAGE ALL TYPES OF SUPPORT- FINANCIAL, IN-KIND, AND VOLUNTEER- TO ENSURE THAT OUR COMMUNITY RECEIVES THE MAXIMUM BENEFIT. OUR CORE MISSION SUPPORT COVERING OUR MANAGEMENT AND GENERAL EXPENSES HAS A 3-YEAR AVERAGE OF AROUND 9 %. WHEN ACCOUNTING FOR CASH, PLUS NON-CASH VALUE OF IN-KIND AND VOLUNTEER HOURS, UWHC PUTS OVER A DOLLAR OF VALUE BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY FOR EVERY DOLLAR RAISED. NOW IN ITS 13TH YEAR, THE RISING LEADERS INITIATIVE IS A UWHC PROGRAM DESIGNED TO DEVELOP THE NEXT GENERATION OF COMMUNITY LEADERS AND BOARD MEMBERS FOR HENDERSON COUNTY NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. IN 2022-23, TWENTY-ONE RISING LEADERS COMPLETED THE PROGRAM, AND MANY HAVE BEEN RECRUITED TO SERVE ON LOCAL BOARDS. BORN LEARNING TRAIL IS AN EDUCATION ACTIVITY PROGRAM. IT PROMOTES LEARNING IN A FUN AND INTERACTIVE WAY WHILE BOOSTING LANGUAGE, READING, PROBLEM SOLVING AND CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS. IT OFFERS FAMILIES A PLACE TO BE ACTIVE, ELEVATE AWARENESS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND BE A VISIBLE SYMBOL OF THE COMMUNITY'S COMMITMENT TO YOUNG CHILDREN. UWHC SUPPORTS TWO BORN LEARNING TRAILS, ONE ON THE OCHLAWAHA GREENWAY, A POPULAR WALKING AND BICYCLING TRAIL FOR LOCAL FAMILIES, AND OUR ORIGINAL BORN LEARNING TRAIL AT MILLS RIVER PARK. UWHC ALSO CONVENES COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS ON IMPORTANT ISSUES. IN 2022-23, WE PROVIDED FREE EQUITY TRAINING FOR 80 UNITED WAY VOLUNTEERS, DONORS, AND BOARD MEMBERS, AND AN EXTENDED FOUR-PART SERIES OF EQUITY TRAINING FOR 30 LOCAL NONPROFIT LEADERS. UNITED WAY ALSO WORKS WITH PARTNERS AND AREA-WIDE COLLABORATIONS SUCH AS THE NONPROFIT FORUM, NONPROFIT CEO FORUM, HENDERSON COUNTY PARTNERSHIP FOR HEALTH, EMERGENCY FOOD AND SHELTER PROGRAM (EFSP) SECURING OVER 16,000 IN GRANTS, HENDERSON COUNTY HOMELESS COALITION, HENDERSONVILLE CONNECTION CENTER, HENDERSON COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT ACTION TEAMS (PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND NUTRITION, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING), HENDERSON COUNTY COMMITTEE FOR ACTIVITY AND NUTRITION, AND THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SUMMIT. THESE ITEMS ARE AN OVERVIEW OF THE VARIOUS OUTREACH AND NON-TANGIBLE ITEMS THAT HENDERSON COUNTY UNITED WAY OFFERS TO THE COMMUNITY IN CONJUNCTION WITH, AND IN ADDITION TO FUNDS PROVIDED TO PROGRAMS, INITIATIVES AND AGENCIES TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF HENDERSON COUNTY RESIDENTS.