Community Impact

Read some Success Stories

OUR WORK
Advancing the Common Good:
Creating Opportunities for a Better Life for All

Everyone deserves opportunities to have a good life: a quality education that leads to a stable job, enough income to support a family through retirement, and good health.
That’s why United Way’s work is focused on the building blocks for a good life:

Education – Helping Children and Adults Achieve Their Potential
Income – Promoting Financial Stability and Independence
Health – Improving People’s Health

Advancing the common good is less about helping one person at a time and more about changing systems to help all of us. We are all connected and interdependent. We all win when a child succeeds in school, when families are financially stable, when people are healthy.

United Way’s goal is to create long-lasting changes by addressing the underlying causes of these problems. Living united means being a part of the change. It takes everyone in our community working together to create a brighter future.

UNITED WAY IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE
In addition to our annual fundraising campaign, United Way is busy year-round with projects and services that support this vision for the future of Summit County.
Follow the links to learn more.

Finding Solutions to Community Problems

Ensure that children are ready to succeed in school and are on track to become productive adults.

Build an environment where individuals, seniors and families are provided the means to live independently and productively, and to achieve financial stability.

Ensure that individuals, seniors and families have access to temporary emergency services.

Promote the overall mental and physical wellness of individuals and families in our communities.

Mobilizing Community Assets to Improve Lives

Help Affiliated Agencies do more of what they do and do it better
Annual Campaign raises over $11 Million
Community Investment Process distributes funds effectively
Development Fund for new programs meets emerging needs
Federal Emergency Food & Shelter Fund Distribution
Community Impact Priorities fund basic needs
Gifts In Kind program distributes surplus items to non-profits
Program Evaluation and feedback to funded agencies

Developing Community Initiatives

Born Learning gives parents tools to be first teachers
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library provides books to families in their homes
Healthy Connections – Access to Care provides primary care
Neighborhood Leadership Institute trains neighborhood leaders
Offender Re-entry Program decreases recidivism
Student United Way established at The University of Akron
United Way Youth Initiative engages elementary, middle and high school students
Anti-Bullying Policy for Organizations - developed by United Way of Summit County's Children & Families Impact Council

Championing Volunteerism

Corporate Volunteer Council enhances workplace volunteerism
Day of Action connects over 1,200 volunteers with non-profit agency projects
Done in a Day Projects projects connect volunteers year-round
Project Blueprint trains minority volunteer for leadership positions
Recruit and Refer Volunteers throughout Summit County
Annual Volunteer Celebration recognizes Summit County volunteers
Volunteer Management Training provided to local non-profit agencies

Public Policy/Advocacy

United Way Public Policy Committee mobilizes legislative effort
Issue Endorsements as appropriate
Partner with Ohio United Way to advance legislative agenda

Expertise on Community Needs and Assets

Summit County 2010 Project Implementation and Alignment
Thriving Communities Needs and Assets Assessment
Union Community Activist Network Training
Brown Bag Seminars on timely subjects for workplace groups

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