United Way of Central Florida

COMMUNITY IMPACT: UWCF'S PREMIER COMMUNITY INVESTMENT PROCESS MOBILIZES MORE THAN 100 VOLUNTEERS ON 16 TEAMS AROUND FOCUS AREAS OF EDUCATION, INCOME, HEALTH, AND SAFETY NET. THESE VOLUNTEERS VISIT PROGRAM SITES, REVIEW PREVIOUS INVESTMENTS, PROGRAM GOALS AND OUTCOMES, AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO MEET CRITICAL COMMUNITY NEEDS. EDUCATION: The Early Literacy Initiative helps at-risk children develop the language skills they need to succeed in school. Given the right start, children learn to read, succeed academically and are more likely to graduate from high school. The Academic Achievement Initiative helps children in grades K-12 pass achievement tests at grade level and graduate on time. FINANCIAL STABILITY/INCOME: The Financial Stability Initiative helps families improve financial stability with GED and job training, credit and budgeting classes, money coaches, financial education and savings match programs. Improved credit scores, increases in emergency savings accounts, increases in job related credentials and/or increases in family income measure success. HEALTH: The Health Initiative helps people of all ages to improve or maintain good health. United Way improves access and utilization of health services and increases knowledge and personal responsibility about health issues that lead to improved blood pressure, weight control and other specific health indicators. United Way also works to reduce avoidable hospitalizations and incarcerations with prevention services and treatment for those with addiction. SAFETY NET: The Safety Net Initiative provides relatively short-term, crisis intervention services that vary widely, but meet one or more of the following: 1) Must verify that the service helped to stabilize a crisis, 2) Must refer clients to sources of on-going support (counseling, health clinic etc.) as needed, 3) Must verify quality of services using approved indicators selected by experts on a Safety Net Steering Team, 4) Crisis includes but is not limited to: health emergency, domestic violence, rape, child abuse, fire, teenaged runaways, hospice care, hunger & homelessness. END HUNGER INITIATIVE: The End Hunger Initiative helps to eliminate hunger and food insecurity by increasing the access to food and helps families to find financial stability. In 2020-22 our food distributions were able to provide food to over 650,000 visitors in Polk, Highlands and Hardee Counties. Over 5,000,000 meals were provided to communities in need. COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP SCHOOL INITIATIVE: The Community Partnership School Initiative helps to provide a full-service health clinic, financial education and academic support for Polk's first Community Partnership School. In 2020, Crystal Lake Elementary, a community partnership school, began operations under guidance from the University of Central Florida. Five core partners of this project are Southeastern University, Heartland for Children, Central Florida Health Care, Polk County Public Schools, and United Way of Central Florida.

2-1-1: provides information and referrals to families/individuals and community groups concerning local services and resources. 2-1-1 also identifies gaps in services; assists in creating remedies to meet local needs; connects individuals/families to resources; and advocates for access to resources. It also works to provide better service, accessibility and information to the hispanic community.

Family fundamentals: an outreach of success by 6 - is a "one-stop" parent resource center which mobilizes partnerships with more than 42 human service organizations providing parents and family members with activities, classes, reading, tutoring and other programs designed to strengthen the development of our children and family relationships.

OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES: SUCCESS BY 6 (SB6): MOBILIZES VOLUNTEERS FROM LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS, BUSINESSES, GOVERNMENT, CHURCHES, CIVIC GROUPS, EDUCATORS AND HUMAN SERVICES TO ENSURE THAT ALL CHILDREN, BY THE AGE OF SIX, HAVE THE PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL AND MENTAL FOUNDATION TO SUCCEED IN SCHOOL AND IN LIFE. SINCE 1995, UWCF'S SB6 HAS FOCUSED ON EARLY LITERACY TO HELP CHILDREN ENTER SCHOOL READY TO SUCCEED. MORE THAN 134 PARENT LENDING LIBRARIES WERE IN CHILDCARE CENTERS SERVING LOW-INCOME FAMILIES; WITH AN AVERAGE OF 26,182 BOOKS CHECKED OUT ANNUALLY. THE BORN LEARNING CAMPAIGN INCREASES AWARENESS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND PROVIDED MORE THAN 300,000 MESSAGES TO CITIZENS. 220,000 PARENT RESOURCE GUIDES, WHICH INCLUDE CONTACT INFORMATION FOR CHILDREN AND PARENT SERVICES, WERE DISTRIBUTED DURING THE FISCAL YEAR. Dolly Parton Imagination Library mails a book each month to the homes of preschool children. LET'S GROW: An SB6 INITIATIVE THAT FOCUSES ON IMPROVING LANGUAGE SKILLS OF CHILDREN AT-RISK OF SCHOOL FAILURE. LANGUAGE SKILLS PREDICT THE ABILITY OF CHILDREN TO LEARN TO READ. OF MIDDLE/HIGH INCOME CHILDREN, 8 OF 10 ENTER SCHOOL WITH THE SKILLS THEY NEED. HOWEVER, ONLY 2 OF 10 LOW INCOME CHILDREN HAVE SUFFICIENT SKILLS. CHILDREN WHO ENTER SCHOOL READY TO SUCCEED, LEARN TO READ AND GRADUATE ON TIME. LET'S GROW PARTNERS PROVIDE EARLY LITERACY INTERVENTIONS IMPROVING VOCABULARY SCORES BY AN AVERAGE OF 5 MONTHS FOR EVERY 1 MONTH OF EXPOSURE TO THE INTERVENTIONS. MASTER TEACHER: AN OUTREACH OF SUCCESS BY 6 SCHOOL READINESS - THE EXPANDED MASTER TEACHER INITIATIVE TARGETS NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE CHILDREN CONSIDERED AT-RISK FOR SCHOOL FAILURE RESIDE. IT PROVIDES AN INTERNSHIP FOR CHILDCARE INSTRUCTORS USING FOUR MASTER TEACHERS, ALONG WITH PARENT EDUCATION CLASSES, TO HELP INSTRUCTORS AND PARENTS PREPARE CHILDREN TO ENTER KINDERGARTEN READY TO SUCCEED. READINESS SKILLS FOR CHILDREN IN CLASSES WITH TEACHERS TRAINED BY A MASTER TEACHER IMPROVED AN AVERAGE OF 3 MONTHS FOR EVERY 1 MONTH WITH THE NEWLY TRAINED CAREGIVER. WOMEN UNITED - READINGPALS : IN SPRING 2012, UWCF RECEIVED A FIRST YEAR GRANT TO BEGIN READING PALS. PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION INCLUDED COLLABORATION WITH POLK AND HIGHLANDS COUNTY SCHOOLS, THE EARLY COALITION OF POLK AND LEARNING RESOURCE CENTER. FROM 2012-2020, CAROL AND BARNEY BARNETT INVESTED OVER $8,500,000 IN 17 REGIONS THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF FLORIDA TO IMPROVE EARLY LITERACY. READINGPALS FOCUSES ON ENGAGING, TRAINING, AND DEPLOYING VOLUNTEER TUTORS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS READING AT GRADE LEVEL BY THE END OF 3RD GRADE. IT IS IMPORTANT TO OUR COMMUNITY, TO THE BARNETTS, TO ALL BUSINESSES AND FAMILIES IN FLORIDA THAT WE MAKE A UNITED EFFORT TO REDUCE THE CLOSE TO 50% OF CHILDREN WHO ARE NOT READING AT GRADE LEVEL. A TOTAL OF 236 READING PALS WERE TRAINED TO OFFER TUTORING SESSIONS IN 58 CLASSROOMS IN THE 2020/21 SCHOOL YEAR. READINGPALS TRADITIONAL IN PERSON PROGRAM TRANSITIONED TO VIRTUAL ON A LIMITED BASIS IN 2020. IN 2021 the in-person program was scaled back to 6 schools and less than 50 volunteers. For the 2022 school year our goal is to return the program to the full 14 schools and 59 classrooms. DISASTER RELIEF: PROVIDES IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE AND LONG-TERM RECOVERY SUPPORT IN THE EVENT OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS URGENT DISASTER RELIEF. UWCF DEVELOPS PARTNERSHIPS TO ADDRESS THE MANY CHALLENGES AND/OR EMERGENCIES THAT OUR COMMUNITY FACES. UWCF MEETS WITH PARTNERS TO COORDINATE THE EFFORTS OF GOVERNMENT, NON-PROFIT, AND FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED IN DISASTER RESPONSE