United Way of Portage County

Community Impact Programs: United Way of Portage County will focus on three key areas of Community Impact: Education, Financial Stability and Health. The United Way Vision of these focus areas include: Education - From prenatal through young adulthood, (cradle to career), education provides the basis for individual development, advances an inclusive and culturally diverse mindset, supports transition to family-sustaining employment, and builds a strong community. Financial Stability - Financial security and capability is vital to supporting individual and family life, maintaining employment, achieving career aspirations, and building assets for the future. Health - Good mental and physical health is fundamental to an individual's capacity to enjoy their lives, provide for their families, contribute to society, and realize their dreams. A healthy community is built upon a foundation of health equity that fosters safe, stable, and nurturing relationships for all community members. In order to fulfill these visions, United Way of Portage County supports 28 local nonprofit organization programs and initiatives, including its own Learn for Life Program. A collaboration between United Way of Portage County and Portage County schools, the program is designed to help increase reading achievement in the community. In addition, United Way of Portage County supports three investment teams that identify specific priorities in each area and devise strategies to affect community change. Included in Community Impact is the United Way of Portage County's In-A-Fix and Diaper Drive Programs. The In-A-Fix program provides monetary assistance for car repairs and/or tire repair and replacement for income eligible individuals who are employed and living in Portage County. Assistance is limited to $500 per calendar year while funds last. The Diaper Drive program fills a need many local agencies identified as a top issue facing struggling families-not being able to provide their children with diapers. This can often result in health issues for infants and toddlers whose diapers are not changed as frequently as they should.

Learn for Life. : In this program, United Way matches trained volunteer tutors with third grade students in need of help with their reading skills. They work together on the student's reading proficiency for a minimum of 30 minutes per week during the school year. The program is in place in nearly all Portage County schools. During the summer school session in the Stevens Point School District, students going into third grade and students going into fourth grade who need help with their reading proficiency are served in the program for the duration of the six week summer school session. The program puts United Way one step closer to its goal of helping children succeed.

Volunteer Center: United Way of Portage County's Volunteer Center matched 594 people to volunteer opportunities in 2013, providing more than $50,000 worth of volunteer service. Through its VolunteersRock.org website, the Volunteer Center connected people to hundreds of local volunteer opportunities, including those with Project Fresh Start and Make a Difference Day. Research shows that when more people volunteer, the benefits and impact on the community are measureable. In 2023, the Volunteer Center continues to offer Strategic Volunteer Opportunities at area employer businesses. The Volunteer Center works with local businesses to help them promote employees using their Volunteer Time Off.

2-1-1 Program: By providing one central easy-to-remember phone number (2-1-1), United Way's 2-1-1 program connects individuals with the most appropriate community-based health and human service resources for their specific situations. These individuals are often unaware of these programs, so by asking questions that arise in everyday situations or during hard times, they can become connected to any of the more than 600 programs listed in the Portage County 2-1-1 directory. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, this free and confidential service is available to all Portage County residents. In addition, the service helps reduce misdirected calls to other organizations such as health and human services, police department, library, and city hall. By reducing non-crisis calls to police dispatch, 2-1-1 helps reserve these resources for emergency calls.