tag:unitedway.nd.edu,2005:/newsUnited Way | News2017-10-17T10:00:00-04:00tag:unitedway.nd.edu,2005:News/807902017-10-17T10:00:00-04:002018-11-29T13:13:52-05:00Compassion Fund helps Notre Dame employees with financial emergencies<p style="margin-bottom:8pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify">University of Notre Dame employees who donate to the United Way of St. Joseph County also support the Employee Compassion Fund, an emergency assistance program that helps members of the Notre Dame community…</p><p style="margin-bottom:8pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify">University of Notre Dame employees who donate to the United Way of St. Joseph County also support the Employee Compassion Fund, an emergency assistance program that helps members of the Notre Dame community faced with temporary financial hardship. For every amount pledged to the United Way by a Notre Dame employee, five percent is deposited into the fund to help members of the campus community respond to financial crises resulting from unforeseen events or circumstances such as fire, natural disaster or illness. Since 2015, the fund has provided more than $41,000 in assistance to 49 employees, including more than $24,000 to 25 employees in 2016.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:8pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify">A local human services agency, the Family and Children’s Center administers the fund with help from a review committee comprised of Notre Dame employees and a representative of the United Way. Only active employees who have worked for the University for at least one year qualify for help. Assistance is limited to $1,000 per employee or family unit during a two-year period, with a lifetime limit of two grants per employee.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:8pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify">Earlier this year, an employee whose wife was involved in an automobile accident turned to the fund for help with an insurance claim. <span style="background:white">In a note to his “Notre Dame Family,” the employee wrote:</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="background:white">“Early this year my wife was involved in a car accident. I gave thanks to God that no one was hurt and that the car could be fixed, but I wondered how we would make the payment necessary for the insurance company to provide for the repairs. My wife and I both work full time to support ourselves and our daughter — then just over a year old. We have always been blessed with enough, but this situation called for a bit more than we could spare.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="background:white">“To make a long story short, I appealed to the Employee Compassion Fund for help, and our insurance deductible was covered in full. I cannot express in words how relieved we were to receive the kindness of so many. I realized then just what people mean when they speak about the Notre Dame ‘family.’</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="background:white">“From a young family doing our best, our deepest gratitude. In future we will surely share the blessings we have been given.”</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="background:white">According to the guidelines, a financial emergency is any event or combination of circumstances that justify immediate action, or any pressing need following a sudden and unexpected occurrence that is beyond an employee’s control, including but not limited to:</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="background:white">• Fire</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="background:white">• Natural disaster</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="background:white">• Property theft</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="background:white">• Loss of property</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="background:white">• Disease</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="background:white">• Extended illness/disability</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="background:white"><span style="background:white">“The Compassion Fund has helped so many employees. The stories we hear when a request is made are often heartbreaking,” said Tamara Freeman, director of human resources services for Notre Dame. “Being able to assist when people most need the help is a testament to Notre Dame and the commitment we have to our employees.”</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="background:white">For more information, visit <a href="https://unitedway.nd.edu/compassion-fund.">unitedway.nd.edu/compassion-fund.</a></span></p>Erin Blaskotag:unitedway.nd.edu,2005:News/807912017-10-17T10:00:00-04:002018-11-29T13:13:52-05:00Accessing Affordable Banking Services<p style="margin-bottom:8pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify">According to the White House Council on Economic Advisers, about 7 percent of American households lack access to a bank account, while another 20 percent have a bank account but supplement it with non-traditional…</p><p style="margin-bottom:8pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify">According to the White House Council on Economic Advisers, about 7 percent of American households lack access to a bank account, while another 20 percent have a bank account but supplement it with non-traditional financial services like check cashing or payday loans. In an effort to address the problem, the United Way of St. Joseph County recently joined with other area United Ways, 1st Source Bank, the South Shore Line and Chase to launch the Northern Indiana Bank On Alliance.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:8pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify">Among more than 60 Bank On coalitions nationwide, the alliance works to ensure that Elkhart, Lake, Porter and St. Joseph county residents of all incomes have access to safe and affordable financial products and services. Partner financial institutions, including 1st Source, First Federal Savings Bank, Woodforest National Bank, First State Bank and Centier Bank in St. Joseph County, offer no- to low-cost checking accounts, savings accounts and more. Other partners offer free in-person and online financial wellness classes on topics such as spending and saving, borrowing, money management, self-sufficiency, business planning and home ownership.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:8pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify">“We’re trying to find ways for people to be part of the banking system, but in a fair way where they’re not being taken advantage of,” said Judith Fox, a clinical professor of law at Notre Dame Law School and a member of the board of the United Way. “A lot of people don’t participate in the mainstream banking system because they can’t, and that costs them a lot of money.” Banks often charge fees for services like checking or savings if the account holder cannot maintain a minimum balance, Fox said, forcing many low-income residents to rely on expensive check cashing or payday loan businesses for their banking needs.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:8pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify">According to estimates, the check cashing industry generates $1 billion to $4 billion in annual revenue alone, Fox said, “money that could be circulating in the community in a productive manner.” Led by the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund, Bank On provides an established platform to build and grow the alliance, Fox said, including national account standards consistent with Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. guidelines.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:8pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify">“We don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” Fox said. “They have standards for what a good bank account looks like, and it’s backed up by a lot of research.”</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:8pt; margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-top:0in; text-align:justify">For more information, visit <a href="http://www.niboa.org">www.niboa.org</a>.</p>Erin Blaskotag:unitedway.nd.edu,2005:News/718722016-12-06T13:00:00-05:002018-11-29T13:13:52-05:00Employee Compassion Fund provides relief for staffer<p class="image-right"><img alt="Unitedway" src="http://news.nd.edu/assets/220163/unitedway_200.jpg" title="Unitedway" /></p>
<p>The <a href="https://unitedway.nd.edu/compassion-fund/">Employee Compassion Fund</a> is a University emergency assistance program funded entirely by Notre Dame faculty and staff contributions to the annual United Way campaign — five percent of each pledge supports the fund. The program is administered by the Family and Children’s Center, and is designed to assist employees who find themselves in temporary financial hardship. The funds are not taxable as income.</p><p class="image-right"><img alt="Unitedway" src="http://news.nd.edu/assets/220163/unitedway_300.jpg" title="Unitedway"></p>
<p>It’s that time of year when we give thanks. A time to be grateful for what we have, and to show our appreciation for what has been given to us. That’s what one University of Notre Dame employee is determined to do.</p>
<p>“Because of the generosity of my friends and colleagues on campus, I could maintain our residence and not derail my son’s excitement about being a second-grader. I could send him to school in new clothes and shoes that were comfortable and fit,” says administrative assistant Amy M., who asked that we not use her full name and department.</p>
<p>Amy received help from the University’s Employee Compassion Fund after what she calls, “crisis after crisis.” In just over a year, her household budget was first cut in half by divorce. Then her ex-husband lost his job and couldn’t make child support payments.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://unitedway.nd.edu/compassion-fund/">Employee Compassion Fund</a> is a University emergency assistance program funded entirely by Notre Dame faculty and staff contributions to the annual United Way campaign — five percent of each pledge supports the fund. The program is administered by the Family and Children’s Center, and is designed to assist employees who find themselves in temporary financial hardship. The funds are not taxable as income.</p>
<p>Amy was no stranger to financial struggle growing up, and she wanted to prevent her family from experiencing the same thing. “I grew up in a single-parent, food-insecure household and I really didn’t want that for my son. The Employee Compassion Fund let me spare my son from learning about adult problems too soon, and it allowed me to meet my obligations and relieve a bit of the guilt that I know my ex-husband feels over the long wait for disability benefits. It allowed all three of us to downshift out of constant crisis mode.”</p>
<p>Amy suggests to anyone struggling financially that they reach out to their Human Resources consultant, 631-5900. “There is no shame in needing help,” she says. The Compassion Fund is 100 percent funded by faculty and staff donations to the United Way campaign. And because of that, Amy says she will be eternally grateful for the generosity of her fellow co-workers.</p>
<p>“It is so very comforting to know we’re cared for and loved as a part of the Notre Dame family,” she says.<br>
It’s not too late to make a one-time gift or set up a donation through payroll deduction for 2017. Visit <a href="http://unitedway.nd.edu/">unitedway.nd.edu</a>.</p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Tiffany Griffin</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="http://news.nd.edu/news/employee-compassion-fund-provides-relief-to-staffer/">news.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">December 06, 2016</span>.</p>Tiffany Griffintag:unitedway.nd.edu,2005:News/712022016-11-08T09:00:00-05:002018-11-29T13:13:52-05:00Moving People from Poverty to Possibility: Solidarity with South Bend<p>Did you know that 40% of the households in our local county are struggling to afford life’s most basic needs? Matt Harrington will talk about new approaches to social change that have engaged people and organizations together, in solidarity, to address this pressing need in our community. In doing…</p><p>Did you know that 40% of the households in our local county are struggling to afford life’s most basic needs? Matt Harrington will talk about new approaches to social change that have engaged people and organizations together, in solidarity, to address this pressing need in our community. In doing so, this Poverty Initiative seeks to provide struggling families adequate supports and opportunities to move them from poverty to possibility. </p>
<p>Speaker: Matt Harrington, President & CEO United Way of St. Joseph County</p>
<p>Coffee and cookies provided. Feel free to bring a brown bag lunch.</p>
<p>Date: November 16</p>
<p>Time: 12:30 - 1:45 p.m.</p>
<p>Location: Coffeehouse, Geddes Hall</p>
<p> </p>Jessica Brookshiretag:unitedway.nd.edu,2005:News/698592016-09-19T14:00:00-04:002018-11-29T13:13:52-05:00Collaboration is key in new United Way grants<p><strong>Collaboration is key in new United Way grants</strong><br> Grants makeover offers three-year funding</p> <p><em>South Bend Tribune</em>, <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=jdits@sbtinfo.com" target="_blank">jdits@sbtinfo.com</a></p> <p>The Center for the…</p><p><strong>Collaboration is key in new United Way grants</strong><br>
Grants makeover offers three-year funding</p>
<p><em>South Bend Tribune</em>, <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=jdits@sbtinfo.com" target="_blank">jdits@sbtinfo.com</a></p>
<p>The Center for the Homeless and Hope Ministries will join forces this year on a new program where they’ll educate school employees, ambulance and emergency crews and others so they better understand trauma — like homelessness, abuse, neglect and domestic violence — and how it keeps people from making use of the help they need.</p>
<p>The program, called Building Trust, has garnered $270,000 per year from the United Way of St. Joseph County over the next three years. Several other agencies will help.</p>
<p>It marks some of the key changes in how the United Way is financing charitable efforts to fight poverty.</p>
<p>Gone are the one-year “allocations,” the old way of distributing money that came through fundraising campaigns. Now most recipients get three-year grants that started to roll out with the new fiscal year on Friday. United Way officials told the charities last year that they’d start with a “clean slate” — that the 40 volunteers who reviewed their applications wouldn’t consider what the programs had received in the past.</p>
<p>The United Way opened the grants up to any charity in the county and pushed them to collaborate, ensuring them a better shot at dollars if they did. Out of 45 programs that are receiving dollars, 18 have pledged to collaborate with other organizations. That’s in addition to eight initiatives that the United Way itself coordinates, all of which have multiple partners.</p>
<p>The idea, President and CEO Matt Harrington said, is to make better use of collective resources. He said programs fared better if they focused on the root causes of poverty — honing in on the United Way’s overall goal of erasing poverty — and if their efforts can be replicated elsewhere in the community.</p>
<p>That, Harrington said, gives the United Way a clearer, more measurable way of telling the community what it’s accomplishing. He said donors, particularly company executives, agree with the collaborative approach, having told him “it’s about time to get nonprofits to work together for the common good.”</p>
<p>As for the charities, “The process has been as transparent as possible, and I think they appreciate that,” said Sheri Niekamp, director of community impact.</p>
<p>Several programs that were financed last year did manage to win dollars under the new system. Some programs didn’t.</p>
<p>One of the collaborations is at the Early Childhood Coalition of St. Joseph County, where the United Way will spend $30,000 per year for the next two years so that, for the first time in its 2.5-year history, the coalition will have a paid staff member: a coordinator. Emily Rupchock, who started in that role in a temporary contract in March, said this will give the group more focus and leadership as its four work groups meet monthly to seek ways to improve child care and families’ awareness.</p>
<p>She also supervises early childhood programs at the Center for the Homeless, and she’s one of the 50 or so members of the coalition that include elected officials, business leaders, data experts and a lot of people who work in child care. The United Way was a founding member.</p>
<p>The Bridges Out of Poverty Initiative of St. Joseph has won $30,000 per year for the next two years to launch “investigative teams” to identify and seek solutions to local barriers that the poor face. LeRoy King, who started as Bridges’ director in March, said the program aims to eventually change community services, like improving access to transportation or medical care or any number of other results.</p>
<p>At first, it sounds just like the work that Bridges has already been doing: Bring people with resources — be it money, expertise, influence or skills — to sit and chat with people lacking resources. Get them to talk about the barriers that the poor run into and how to solve them. But that has all been very individualized, King said. The key difference with the investigative teams, King said, is that it would seek broader changes in the community.</p>
<p>“We’re not sure what may emerge,” he said.</p>
<p>King said Bridges sought a total of $600,000 from United Way over the next three years — far more than most programs typically receive — to pay for an extra full-time and part-time employee, along with stipends for participants, technology and other expenses in facilitating 160 people on the teams.</p>
<p>“We encouraged them to start small and perfect it," Harrington said of the $30,000-per-year grant. "Then they could scale it up and grow it from there.”</p>
<p>King said Bridges is now looking at doing just that, although more money still needs to be raised so that it can start up this fall. He noted that Bridges is also receiving all of the United Way aid it sought for two other programs.</p>
<p>United Way grants</p>
<p>• Total requested: $7.4 million over three years</p>
<p>• Total grants awarded: $2.28 million over three years</p>
<p>• Total for United Way’s eight initiatives: $1.4 million for one year</p>
<p>• Percent of donations used for administration, fundraising and marketing: 18.4 percent</p>
<p>• Descriptions of programs that received grants, or “Community Investments”: Find link at <a href="http://uwsjc.org/">uwsjc.org</a></p>Joe Dits, South Bend Tribunetag:unitedway.nd.edu,2005:News/607462015-09-08T10:50:00-04:002018-11-29T13:13:52-05:00United Way shifts focus for funding<p class="sub-headline" style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Allocations slanted toward programs that are 'proactive'</strong></p> <p style="margin:">…</p><p class="sub-headline" style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Allocations slanted toward programs that are 'proactive'</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Decent revenue from its annual campaign helped the United Way of St. Joseph County boost funding to local programs by 1.7 percent, or $16,845, for a total of $985,000 in the funding year that began July 1.</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">And, in an effort this year to support more proactive programs, the United Way shifted the priorities for how that sum was divvied up among local charities, said United Way CEO Matt Harrington. Out of three funding categories, the pool of dollars to allocate to Education programs grew from 30 percent of the total dollars to 40 percent, and the Income and Financial Stability category grew from 10 percent to 15 percent.</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Meanwhile, the Health and Basic Needs programs dropped from 60 percent to 45 percent of the dollars.</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">To claim their piece of the funding, programs had to prove they met the United Way's new goal of erasing poverty.</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">In all, 45 programs at 21 charities are receiving allocations.</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">La Casa de Amistad landed an extra $9,000 out of the growing Income and Financial Stability pool to help local Latinos cross the digital divide so they can secure jobs and further their education, said Director Sam Centellas. Many employers are requiring that job applicants and employees file everything online, from resumes to time cards, and Centellas said, "It really boxes a lot of people out."</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Latinos, he noted, are among those with the least access to and knowledge about computers.</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">La Casa would use the grant to add staffing to help clients one on one, but he said it will tailor the program so it doesn't duplicate new efforts by Goodwill Industries of Michiana, which isn't a United Way agency. La Casa learned just recently that Goodwill has hired a bilingual staff member for a new career center that it's opening at its Western Avenue headquarters. Goodwill CEO Debie Coble confirmed that the new center would try to ensure no duplication of efforts with La Casa.</strong></p>
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<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Even with both efforts, Centellas said, "We probably actually need more partners." In the course of a year, about 10 percent of La Casa's clients, or about 300 people, had asked for digital help.</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Meanwhile, La Casa saw funding for its five other United Way programs remain steady.</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Stone Soup Community shifted one of its programs to the declining Health and Basic Needs category, but the program still mustered $8,525 more this year than it did last year, for a total of $22,500, to help needy clients set and meet goals for self-sufficiency, including financial education and life skills classes, said Director Gina O. Robinson. In that same category, though, Stone Soup's Emergency Assistance program garnered $6,899 less this year, or a total of $16,097.</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Fifteen programs saw funding increases this year, Harrington said, and another three programs combined with other programs to show greater impact.</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Funding may have dropped in Health and Basic Needs, Harrington said, but each of the programs that applied, except for one, still got some funding, plus each of the six new programs got funding.</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">The 31 United Way volunteers who made the funding recommendations, which were then approved by United Way's board, he said, didn't consider what each program received in the prior year. They worked in three panels tagged to each of the funding categories.</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">"What's the strength of the program today?" he said. "It may have been strong three years ago, but not today."</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">The Alcohol and Addiction Resource Center, a longtime United Way agency, isn't receiving any allocations this year. Director Sharon Burden said the AARC proposed a new program this year in which it would help people who couldn't land jobs because they couldn't pass a drug test. AARC would counsel clients, who often are recreational marijuana users, and help them to address their use issues. Burden saw it as an innovative approach, but it didn't secure United Way funding.</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Along with ongoing programs, the United Way agencies proposed a total of 16 new programs this year. Four of those didn't receive funding. Often, that was because the program lacked a good plan, a track record or other lines of financial support, Harrington said. Sometimes it's a good program but just not well known, or there are plenty of other good programs like it, he said.</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Meanwhile, Burden said, the AARC's other United Way-funded program had ended last December, thanks to a change in other funding from the state. Since the program stopped, so did United Way dollars tied to it. The program had focused on preventing substance abuse among pregnant women. Burden said most of the program's funding had come from the Indiana State Department of Health, that shifted the dollars' focus from substance abuse to tobacco use. Statistics for St. Joseph County didn't show enough tobacco use among those moms to win the dollars.</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">The AARC will be OK, said Burden, a veteran of the local nonprofit scene who's used to the fickle nature of funding. She's grateful to receive strong support from a state grant for prevention efforts, up this year about $107,000.</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Harrington emphasizes that United Way funding is never intended to cover an agency's operational expenses. Agencies make stronger pitches when they show that they've lined up other support, he said — and especially when they partner with other agencies.</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Although the YWCA North Central Indiana saw a total of $102,930 in funding for three programs, it also saw a decrease of about $51,000 overall compared with last year, much of that for domestic violence services, said CEO Linda Baechle. It means that the YWCA won't be able to replace a sexual assault therapist with another full-timer — though perhaps with a part-time therapist who wouldn't be able to take on the same sized caseload: about 110 people per year, Baechle said. The therapist is leaving in an unrelated career move.</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">To make up the difference, the YWCA is exploring what reimbursement it can get through Medicaid's HIP 2.0 program. In the past, Baechle said, it always seemed that any funding from HIP 2.0 would have been eaten up by the expense of going through the right procedures.</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">The YWCA did well in yielding a total of $226,236 in the one-day Give Local campaign for 53 local charities that the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County hosted on May 5. But much of that will go to the YWCA's endowment and to daily expenses, which include mechanical issues in the building this year, Baechle said.</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">She said the YWCA programs are essentially the same as before, though the agency did try to present them with more of a focus on poverty. If you're coping with violence, she noted, you can't deal with poverty.</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">574-235-6158</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=jdits@sbtinfo.com" style="color: rgb(65, 124, 171); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">jdits@sbtinfo.com</a></strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">United Way's other impacts</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">The United Way of St. Joseph County emphasizes that it does a lot more than just allocations to local programs. It reports that it also used $902,000 in donations and grants to support the following programs over the past year:</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">• 4,059 tax returns completed through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">• 14,842 calls answered via the 211 information and referral line</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">• 12 food pantries supported through the People Gotta Eat initiative</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">• 379 households received aid with paying utilities and 356 households in home budgeting classes via the Team HEAT program</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">• 450 months of utility payments, 134 nights of weather amnesty shelter, 65 months of mortgage or rent payments and more than 60,000 meals served or provided through local charities thanks to the government's Emergency Food and Shelter grant, which the United Way administers</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">• 25 schools received some help with Project Lead the Way curriculum.</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Allocations on the Web</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em;"><strong style="color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">To read the full list of programs that are receiving funding from the United Way of St. Joseph County, find a link with this story at <a href="http://southbendtribune.com/" style="color: rgb(65, 124, 171); text-decoration: none;">southbendtribune.com</a>.</strong></p>South Bend Tribunetag:unitedway.nd.edu,2005:News/565632015-03-17T11:00:00-04:002018-11-29T13:13:52-05:00Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team selected inaugural ACC/United Way ‘Game Changers’<p class="image-right"><img alt="ACC/United Way “Game Changers"" class="noborder" src="http://news.nd.edu/assets/159163/200x/acc_unitedway_gamechangers_300.jpg" title="ACC/United Way “Game Changers"" /></p>
<p>For the past eight years, members of the University of Notre Dame <a href="http://www.und.com/sports/m-lacros/nd-m-lacros-body.html">men’s lacrosse team</a> have crawled from bed at the crack of dawn to travel to a South Bend Community School Corp. middle school to serve as mentors for 25 seventh- and eighth-grade boys in need of positive role models.</p><p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/121996496" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="800"></iframe></p>
<p>For the past eight years, members of the University of Notre Dame <a href="http://www.und.com/sports/m-lacros/nd-m-lacros-body.html">men’s lacrosse team</a> have crawled from bed at the crack of dawn to travel to a South Bend Community School Corp. middle school to serve as mentors for 25 seventh- and eighth-grade boys in need of positive role models.</p>
<p class="image-right"><img alt='ACC/United Way “Game Changers"' class="noborder" src="http://news.nd.edu/assets/159163/acc_unitedway_gamechangers_300.jpg" title='ACC/United Way “Game Changers"'></p>
<p>For this longstanding and significant work in the community, the Irish student-athletes have been selected as the inaugural Atlantic Coast Conference/United Way “Game Changers.” They will be honored at halftime of the New York Life <span class="caps">ACC</span> Tournament men’s basketball championship game Saturday night (March 14) in Greensboro, North Carolina.</p>
<p>The “Game Changers” initiative was introduced this year as part of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s partnership with United Way. It seeks to recognize and highlight specific <span class="caps">ACC</span> team involvement with local United Way chapters.</p>
<p>“As we enter the 20th year of our league’s partnership with United Way, we wanted to further recognize our member institutions’ continued community service efforts,” <span class="caps">ACC</span> Commissioner John Swofford said. “Notre Dame’s partnership is certainly game changing for the youths they work with, and I commend their dedication.”</p>
<p>The Fighting Irish most recently have partnered with <a href="https://www.edline.net/pages/dickinson_intermediate_fine_ar">Dickinson Fine Arts Academy</a> (<span class="caps">DFAA</span>), where administrators and teachers selected boys to participate with the hope that additional positive role models will improve their aspirations, resiliency and school performance.</p>
<p>One morning a week, the Notre Dame student-athletes arrive at <span class="caps">DFAA</span> at 7:30 to meet with and engage the students in activities that center on sportsmanship, critical thinking skills and self-motivation.</p>
<p>During the spring semester, the Irish welcome the <span class="caps">DFAA</span> students to the Notre Dame campus, where the students dine with the lacrosse players, observe practices and cheer on their mentors at home games.</p>
<p>Surveys among the <span class="caps">DFAA</span> youths who took part in the program indicate that they are developing higher aspirations for their collective futures. Also, improvements were demonstrated in personal and social competencies — key factors of childhood resiliency.</p>
<p>“If you live in poverty, your world is much more narrow than a middle-class family’s might be,” said Karen Sommers, vice president for community investment with the <a href="http://www.uwsjc.org/">United Way of St. Joseph County</a>. “So by showing other possibilities and for them to just have those experiences, often that is a game-changer in and of itself. This program is giving them a chance to expand their horizons, develop goals and actually achieve those goals.”</p>
<p>The Notre Dame student-athletes also benefited. The men’s lacrosse coaching staff believes the regular service activity was a significant factor in building cohesion among the team and helped the Fighting Irish to an <span class="caps">ACC</span> championship last spring, in addition to fulfilling a key pillar of undergraduate education at the University.</p>
<p>“We’re really not interested in punching the clock here and then walking out and patting ourselves on the back,” said <a href="http://www.und.com/sports/m-lacros/mtt/kevin_corrigan_34005.html">Kevin Corrigan</a>, the Irish men’s lacrosse team’s head coach. “We’re engaged in an ongoing effort, and it’s not headline-grabbing, but it’s significant to everyone involved.”</p>
<p><em><strong>Contact</strong>: John Heisler, senior associate athletics director, 574-631-7516, <a href="mailto:jheisler@nd.edu">jheisler@nd.edu</a></em></p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Dennis Brown</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="http://news.nd.edu/news/56507-notre-dame-mens-lacrosse-team-selected-inaugural-acc-united-way-game-changers/">news.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">March 14, 2015</span>.</p>Dennis Browntag:unitedway.nd.edu,2005:News/555562015-01-28T12:00:00-05:002018-11-29T13:13:52-05:00Notre Dame Exceeds United Way Fundraising Goal<p>The University of Notre Dame exceeded its goal of raising $300,000 for United Way of St. Joseph County during its 2014-2015 workplace campaign. In 2014, United Way turned 100. To celebrate its many years of community service, the nonprofit organization challenged its partners to tackle St. Joseph County’s high poverty rate and to improve the education, health, and financial status of its community members. Notre Dame’s yearlong campaign raised $311,355.41 for United Way, making it the largest single campaign contribution in the county.</p><p>The University of Notre Dame exceeded its goal of raising $300,000 for United Way of St. Joseph County during its 2014-2015 workplace campaign. In 2014, United Way turned 100. To celebrate its many years of community service, the nonprofit organization challenged its partners to tackle St. Joseph County’s high poverty rate and to improve the education, health, and financial status of its community members. Notre Dame’s yearlong campaign raised $311,355.41 for United Way, making it the largest single campaign contribution in the county.</p>
<p>“The University of Notre Dame community is a very important contributor to the overall success of our campaign” said Matt Harrington, President & CEO of the United Way of St. Joseph County. “We very much appreciate all of the individuals participating in the campaign and their willingness to invest their personal resources for the betterment of their fellow community members.”</p>
<p>Several groups on campus worked to creatively raise funds. In September, Notre Dame held a campus-wide food drive. “Fighting Irish Fighting Hunger” raised $16,210 for People Gotta Eat, a partnership of food pantries started by United Way in 2008. The Morris Inn ran a “12 Days of Christmas” fundraiser from December 19-30. The University inn allowed guests to determine the rate of their bill at checkout, and donated ten percent of the proceeds to United Way. </p>
<p>Notre Dame partners with United Way in more than solely financial terms. Members of the Notre Dame community contribute on United Way’s board and volunteer on committees that work to lower St. Joseph County’s poverty rate and to improve its residents’ quality of life.</p>
<p>St. Joseph County’s poverty rate hovers around 20%, a rate that surpasses both Indiana’s and the U.S. poverty rates. South Bend’s poverty rate is even higher than that of the surrounding county at around 26.3%. Over 16,000 children under the age of 18 in St. Joseph County live in poverty.</p>
<p>United Way focuses on improving education, ensuring financial stability, and providing for basic health needs through its partnerships with 23 local organizations. 98.5% of each dollar donated to United Way stays within St. Joseph County and helps fund community initiatives such as increasing the graduation rate, providing therapy for children who have suffered from abuse, providing job training and skills for adults, and subsidizing necessary prescription costs.</p>Catherine Aketag:unitedway.nd.edu,2005:News/536952014-11-10T08:00:00-05:002018-11-29T13:13:52-05:00Nearly half of St. Joseph county households struggling<p class="story-times dtstamp" style="font-size: 11px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; line-height: 16px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Posted originaly in the South Bend Tribune on <span class="posted" style="font-size: 11px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px;"></span>…</p><p class="story-times dtstamp" style="font-size: 11px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; line-height: 16px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Posted originaly in the South Bend Tribune on <span class="posted" style="font-size: 11px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="2014-11-10T06:00:00-05:00">Monday, November 10, 2014 6:00 am</span> | <em style="font-size: 11px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Updated: 6:46 am, Mon Nov 10, 2014.</em></p>
<p class="byline" style="font-size: 11px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; line-height: 16px; font-weight: 700; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="author vcard" style="font-size: 11px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">By Madeline Buckley South Bend Tribune</span></p>
<div class="402_hide post-details" style="font-size: 11px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; padding: 5px; text-align: right; width: 150px; float: left; clear: none; line-height: 11px; border-top-left-radius: 5px; border-top-right-radius: 5px; border-bottom-right-radius: 5px; border-bottom-left-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); overflow: hidden; z-index: 4; position: relative; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; background: none 0px 0px repeat scroll rgb(239, 239, 239);">
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<p class="post-date" style="font-size: 11px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 3px; float: left; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Posted on Nov 10, 2014</p>
<p class="post-author" style="font-size: 11px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; line-height: 11.0033006668091px; float: left;">by <a href="http://www.southbendtribune.com/users/profile/Madeline%20Buckley" style="font-size: 11px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: 11px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(69, 125, 157); font-weight: 700;">Madeline Buckley</span></a></p>
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<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0075016021729px;"><span class="first-paragraph" style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="paragraph-0" style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">A single mother supporting two children may work two part-time jobs. She does not have a car, so she is limited in where she can work. Her income falls above the federal poverty line. It puts a roof over the heads of her and her children, and usually gets food on the table. But she cannot grow a savings account. An unexpected expense could throw the family into chaos. She has to skimp on child care and health care.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;"><span class="paragraph-1" style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The hypothetical family is just one example of a segment of the population that lives above the poverty line but struggles to meet basic needs — a group that, along with those living below the poverty line, includes almost half of the households in St. Joseph County. </span></p>
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<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;">United Way in St. Joseph County partnered with other branches throughout the country and the Rutgers University-Newark School of Public Affairs to produce a study released today that shines a light on working families living in near poverty. The study uses an acronym to describe the households: ALICE, or Asset, Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;">"They live on a fragile edge trying to keep everything stable," said Bonnie Bazata, executive director of the county's Bridge Out of Poverty Initiative.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;">The struggling households can constitute a working single adult, or families headed by one or two working parents. The group is often left out of conversations about poverty that often focus on the unemployed and most destitute. </p>
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<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;">But with 25 percent of the households in the county falling in that range — and another 15 percent falling below the poverty line — advocacy groups are expanding their focus.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;">"The ALICE families are working hard, but falling short," said Karen Sommers, vice president for community investment at United Way of St. Joseph County.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;">Sommers said the county's United Way got involved with Rutgers after the university produced a similar study focused on New Jersey. United Way branches in a number of states then commissioned their own studies. </p>
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<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;">This study looks broadly at Indiana, and also breaks out county results. It determined most jobs in Indiana cannot support the cost of living needed to create a stable household.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;">In Indiana, about 20 percent of the population lives in ALICE households and another 13 percent lives below the poverty line, meaning about a third of the population lives at or below the ALICE threshold.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;">But in the South Bend city limits, 45 percent of the households lives at or below the ALICE threshold.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;">The study also examined how much it costs to survive in St. Joseph County, a number that does not include savings, cell phones, car repairs, clothes or any indulgences.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;">For a single adult, the survival budget falls around $18,077. It climbs to $46,354 for a family of four.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;">In contrast, the study says a budget that enables self-sufficiency comes to about $82,000 for a family of four in Indiana.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;">Sommers said she hopes to use the data to explore ways to better serve those families or individuals with focuses such as reliable transportation, financial education, quality and affordable child care, housing affordability and job opportunities.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;">"We need to convene all sectors of the community, the city, the county, nonprofits and the business community," Sommers said. </p>
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<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;">Bazata said Bridges Out of Poverty is currently working with United Way to come up with creative ways to solve the transportation problem many local workers have.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;">"If you don't have a car, it can be hard to impossible to get to a second or third shift," Bozata said.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;">The groups also try to help families organize finances with budgeting and financial classes.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;">"A lot of families have too much debt and no plan to reduce the debt," Bozata said.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;">Ultimately, though, community advocates said the county needs to think of the problem as a communitywide economic development issue.</p>
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<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;">"If you help families stabilize, it turns them into taxpayers, and consumers," Bozata said. "We need to frame this problem as a wider conversation about community sustainability."</p>
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<p style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;"><a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=mbuckley@sbtinfo.com" style="font-size: 12px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(69, 125, 157);" target="_blank">mbuckley@sbtinfo.com</a></p>
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<p> </p>Madeline Buckley, South Bend Tribunetag:unitedway.nd.edu,2005:News/533242014-10-24T12:30:00-04:002018-11-29T13:13:52-05:00Waldo Mikels-Carrasco: Supporting the United Way<p><strong>What are the forces that keep people in poverty?</strong></p> <p>BY CAROL C. BRADLEY, NDWorks</p> <p><strong>Waldo Mikels-Carrasco</strong> hadn’t been involved with the United Way until he was called in to provide information to the agency on health disparities in St. Joseph County.</p> <p>“They…</p><p><strong>What are the forces that keep people in poverty?</strong></p>
<p>BY CAROL C. BRADLEY, NDWorks</p>
<p><strong>Waldo Mikels-Carrasco</strong> hadn’t been involved with the United Way until he was called in to provide information to the agency on health disparities in St. Joseph County.</p>
<p>“They wanted to know what they could be funding in health,” he says. “I was impressed that the United Way was asking the question, and that they took the information and did something with it.” </p>
<p class="image-right"><img alt="waldo_living_united" src="https://unitedway.nd.edu/assets/146839/waldo_living_united.jpg" title="waldo_living_united"></p>
<p> Mikels-Carrasco is a community health program manager for ICeNSA, the University’s Interdisciplinary Center for Network Science and Applications. In 2013, ICeNSA scientists collaborated with the United Way in a project, supported by an Indiana Association of United Ways grant, to address the need in the community for improving childhood nutrition and reducing obesity. </p>
<p>The goal is large-scale social change—which is why Mikels-Carrasco is excited about the United Way’s new focus, which looks at alleviating poverty in the county by providing basic services for those in need, but also developing strategies for overcoming the structural forces that keep families in poverty.</p>
<p>The extent of those social forces became clear when he was asked to sit on a UW funding review panel, “and I actually got to see the struggle between the need, the agency proposals and what money there actually was to give. There is no fat. It’s a very lean operation.”</p>
<p>When discussing the United Way, Mikels-Carrasco sometimes hears the objection that the agency takes an administrative fee of 20 percent. But it’s not a valid criticism, he says.</p>
<p>“It’s the same at the University—a grant to the University also covers facilities and administrative costs. That allows for grants, resources and the interconnectedness of the entire research endeavor. Results don’t happen on their own.”</p>
<p>Another frequent response is that individuals prefer to give to a single organization.</p>
<p>“You can give to one organization, but with the United Way, you can leverage across all the organizations, expanding and adding value to every program. No one organization can meet all the need in the community.”</p>
<p>The 2-1-1 referral number is a great example, he notes. “If you’re desperate—if you’ve lost your job, the kids are hungry and the heat is off, 2-1-1 is the place you can go for help with all those needs.”</p>
<p>The 2-1-1 line (see fact box on page 6) can connect people to a wide variety of services, from shelter from domestic abuse, food and clothing to legal and financial assistance.</p>
<p>But the larger issue, is the “give a man a fish” problem, Mikels-Carrasco says. Basic needs for emergency food and shelter can be met, but what are the structural forces that keep people in poverty?</p>
<p>“We want to move the needle, so they’re not coming back again and again. We want to make sure good systems are in place to provide long-term help such as job training or certification, so they can make enough money to support their families. With many families in need, we find that they’re working several part-time jobs at minimum wage.</p>
<p>“People are employed, but they’re underemployed. They’re one car repair or heating bill away from disaster. The car breaks down, and they can’t go to work—it creates a cascade of problems.”</p>
<p>Leveraging dollars across programs means (for example) if a grant is given to provide flu shots, it could be combined with an opportunity to gather information so more is known about the families participating. “We could combine it with a career fair, so the investment is further enhanced—we could ask people if they’re interested in furthering their education or attending college, and provide referrals.”</p>
<p>Ultimately, the question that needs to be addressed is how to change the social structure of the community, so we don’t have another generation of children born in need.</p>
<p>“I can give my time and my talent. A donation to the United Way will mean a lot to somebody. There are many of us on campus that volunteer, who contribute and advocate. We’re organizing not just for today, but also for tomorrow. We want to help the community be as prosperous as it can be.”</p>
<p>It’s not that anyone has to give a lot, he points out. All it takes is for everyone to give a little. “These impoverished kids go to school with my kids,” he says. “You don’t want your child walking around and living in a community you don’t<br>
care about.”</p>Carol C. Bradley, NDWorkstag:unitedway.nd.edu,2005:News/533252014-10-24T12:00:00-04:002018-11-29T13:13:52-05:00Live United, a United Way-ACC partnership<p><strong>Lacrosse player mentors 6-year-old cancer patient</strong></p> <p>BY GENE STOWE, FOR NDWORKS</p> <p>When the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team was paired with Bobby Russell last fall as part of Fighting Irish Fight for Life, a Student Welfare & Development program, midfield player <strong>Katherine</strong>…</p><p><strong>Lacrosse player mentors 6-year-old cancer patient</strong></p>
<p>BY GENE STOWE, FOR NDWORKS</p>
<p>When the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team was paired with Bobby Russell last fall as part of Fighting Irish Fight for Life, a Student Welfare & Development program, midfield player <strong>Katherine McManus</strong> was immediately drawn to the 6-year-old who had been undergoing cancer treatments since he was 2.</p>
<p>“There’s something really special about that kid,” McManus says. “He’s such a sweet, sweet kid and so inspiring. He has a special light around him.” </p>
<p class="image-right"><img alt="_mg_9604" src="https://unitedway.nd.edu/assets/146838/_mg_9604.jpeg" title="_mg_9604"></p>
<p>The relationship grew so close that Bobby called McManus “my girlfriend” and she went with him to his monthly chemotherapy treatments at Memorial Hospital, where they would play Bingo and Candy Land and read books together.</p>
<p>“We became really close through that. I went to his party at Chuck E. Cheese for his sixth birthday,” she says, adding that many lacrosse team members enjoyed the connection. “We took Bobby to a lot of games this year, not just our own – basketball, soccer, volleyball. We wanted him to get excited about the other sports on campus too.</p>
<p>“It became so much more than just a community service aspect.”</p>
<p>Their inspiring story has become a video for Live United, a two-decade-old collaboration between the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and United Way Worldwide, including United Way of St. Joseph County, that will be shown on television, online, and on the Jumbotron at basketball and hockey games. </p>
<p>Fighting Irish Fight for Life pairs Notre Dame varsity teams with patients in the pediatric Hematology/Oncology unit of South Bend’s Memorial Hospital so the patients, ages 5 to 18, can experience a part of a student-athlete’s life. The connection starts at a Signing Day where children are introduced to their teammates and sign a “letter of intent” committing to the team.</p>
<p>“They’re fighting for their lives,” McManus says. “It’s great to see how well they do it and the support they have from their families. It was really fun to be a part of.”</p>
<p>In addition to the organized Fight for Life events, including a Christmas party, a visit to a lacrosse game, and participation in Notre Dame’s Relay for Life, McManus went to his monthly Thursday morning chemo treatments.</p>
<p class="image-left"><img alt="_mg_9617" src="https://unitedway.nd.edu/assets/146837/_mg_9617.jpeg" title="_mg_9617"></p>
<p>Robert Russell, Bobby’s father, says the relationship helped through the last year of chemotherapy. Bobby was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s B-cell lymphoma on Feb. 14, 2011, at age 2, and received treatment until May, when he was declared cancer-free.</p>
<p>“As these monthly visits went on, Katherine was really the regular,” he says. They really took a liking to each other.” When Bobby was honorary captain at a lacrosse game, his jersey number was 25—Katherine’s is 26—and his locker was next to hers.</p>
<p>Katherine, who had been around young cancer patients while she was growing up in Massachusetts because of her mother’s work at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, found herself thinking of ways to help Bobby’s family whenever she had a break in her schedule.</p>
<p>“These illnesses not only affect the child but they affect the family and the friends and the whole network,” she says. “I knew how deep sometimes these illnesses can cut into someone’s life. There’s something so special about Bobby. It didn’t feel like a service after the first few times I was with him.</p>
<p>“The way he attacks his cancer treatment and everything was amazing. He had this special life about him. He was so unfazed, so generous. It gave me a strong sense of perspective. I grew a lot as a person. I came to understand a lot more about myself and how the world works and the importance of perspective.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Gene Stowetag:unitedway.nd.edu,2005:News/528972014-10-01T15:00:00-04:002018-11-29T13:13:52-05:00"The Homestretch" A documentary about youth homelessness<h3 style="margin: 20px 0px 2px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(28, 48, 66); line-height: 1.1em; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; background-image: initial; background-attachment:">…</h3><h3 style="margin: 20px 0px 2px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(28, 48, 66); line-height: 1.1em; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;" title="Fri Nov 7, 2014 7:00PM - 9:00PM"><span class="dtstart" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">Fri Nov 7, 2014, 7:00PM - <span class="dtend" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">9:00PM</span></span></h3>
<h3 class="location" style="margin: 3px 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: medium none; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Browning Cinema, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center</h3>
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<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">Location:</strong> <span class="location" style="margin: 3px 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: medium none; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); background: transparent;">Browning Cinema, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center</span></p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">In partnership with the University of Notre Dame, The Youth Service Bureau of St. Joseph County is creating awareness events about youth homelessness focused around a documentary film called “The Homestretch”. This film highlights the story of three homeless teenagers in Chicago. It shines light on the reasons young people can become homeless, the dangers they face on the streets, the daily struggle for survival and the resiliency that can lead them to a better life. </p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px 1em 120px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">Friday, November 7</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px 1em 120px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">The Homestretch </em><a href="http://www.homestretchdoc.com/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 88, 207); outline: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(51, 102, 153); background: transparent;">- http://www.homestretchdoc.com</a></p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px 1em 120px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">Directed by Annd de Mare and Kristen Kelly</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px 1em 120px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">Not Rated, 89 minutes, DCP</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px 1em 120px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">FREE - Tickets required at <a href="http://performingarts.nd.edu/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 88, 207); outline: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(51, 102, 153); background: transparent;">http://performingarts.nd.edu/</a></p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><u>The Issue</u></strong></p>
<ul style="margin: 10px 0px 10px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">
<li style="margin: 3px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">With input from local law enforcement and our own client contact, YSB estimates that there are approximately 1,000 young people (ages ranging from 12-24) who experience homelessness every year in St. Joseph County.</li>
<li style="margin: 3px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">The longer youth remain homeless, physical assault, rape, human trafficking; and serious mental health risks are greatly amplified. ( Source: National Coalition for the Homeless)</li>
<li style="margin: 3px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">The population of 18-24 year olds who are homeless is growing significantly. </li>
<li style="margin: 3px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">Up to 40% of homeless youth identify as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans-gender or Questioning. (LGBTQ) (Source: True Colors Fund's Forty to None Project 2013) Many are kicked out of home by family after coming out.</li>
<li style="margin: 3px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">46% of runaway and homeless youth reported being physically abused. ( Source: National Coalition for the Homeless)</li>
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<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><u>The events</u></strong></p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">The film will be shown in its entirety on <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">Friday, November 7 at 7pm at The DeBartolo Center</strong> <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">for the Performing Arts in the Browning Cinema on the campus of Notre Dame</strong>. A brief panel discussion will immediately follow the 90 minute film; and will include one of the young people featured in The Homestretch, one of the film’s directors, The Youth Service Bureau of St. Joseph County, and representatives from The University of Notre Dame.</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">The evening screening will be the culmination of a day-long series of activities designed to engage and inform educators, key community leaders, elected officials and the general public that there is an issue of youth homelessness in St. Joseph County. </p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><u>The Impact</u></strong></p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">1) The Homestretch film will help raise awareness that youth homelessness is an issue in St. Joseph County.</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">2) Inform the community what YSB, The Center for the Homeless, the Center for Social Concerns, and other community groups are doing to help.</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">3) State the need to direct funding to areas that can have the greatest impact.</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">4) Communicate the need for more accurate data about the number of youth homeless in St. Joseph County, and engage key players to assist in the gathering of data. </p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">5) Get feedback from school officials, employers and community leaders on their needs and how addressing the problems of youth homeless can have a positive impact on the community and the local economy.</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">When we intervene and help young people in crisis situations make positive change, we can help end cycles of poverty and violence. By shedding light on this issue, we can begin to move young people to safety and improve the life of the community.</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">The Youth Service Bureau of St. Joseph County is a 501(c) (3) organization serving youth in crisis in our community since 1972. We provide street outreach, emergency shelter for youth, counseling and social development programs for children in local elementary schools, and transitional housing, support and guidance to young mothers and their children. With focused programming, YSB helps participants to increase a sense of safety, increase self-worth; gain self-sufficiency skills; and connect in positive ways with caring adults.</em></p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">Co-presented by the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, Center for Social Concerns, Department of Film, Television, and Theatre, Youth Services Bureau</p>
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<p> </p>University of Notre Dame & Youth Service Bureautag:unitedway.nd.edu,2005:News/505452014-09-19T13:30:00-04:002018-11-29T13:13:52-05:00A Laser Focus on Poverty<div> <p class="p1" style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>What were the results of the research?</strong></p> <p class="p1" style="margin: 10px 5px 15px;"></p>
…</div><div>
<p class="p1" style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>What were the results of the research?</strong></p>
<p class="p1" style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Why did the Board choose poverty as the issue?</strong> UWSJC believes that poverty (self-sufficiency and family economic security) is a serious epidemic that demands collective action. The condition of poverty is linked with quality education. Children living in poverty are more likely not to be prepared for or succeed in school, and less likely to complete or further their education. (Alliance for Excellent Education; American Graduate.)</p>
<p class="p1" style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Summary:</strong> Donor survey and key leader interview results showed that poverty/economic self-sufficiency and education are perceived as the primary social problems for our community. Interviewees endorsed the “issue focus” model. They also supported UWSJC’s role as a leader to address a key issue. Most respondents of the donor survey indicated that they would continue to donate and volunteer (or would increase their participation) if either poverty or education were selected as the focus. </p>
<p class="p1" style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>New Model:</strong> Board members decided that the community and UWSJC would not be well-served by continuing the traditional fundraising focus. To make a long-lasting impact in our community, Board members voted to adopt a “laser focus” on a key community issue.</p>
<p class="p2" style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Poverty defined:</strong> “Poverty for a family of four is demonstrated by an annual income of $23,050 or less.” (2012: The Department of Health and Human Services) “Families and their children experience poverty when they are unable to achieve a minimum, decent standard of living that allows them to participate fully in mainstream society.” (The National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University.)</p>
<p class="p1" style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>The epidemic of poverty right here at home:</strong> The poverty rate in St. Joseph County is 20%, 5% higher than the Indiana poverty rate. 53,000 children, women and men live in poverty. Nearly 20,000 children live in poverty or 1 out of every 3 children under the age of 18. In Indiana, our county has the 7th highest poverty rate, the 4th highest number of children who qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch and 4th highest number of people qualified for Food Stamps. (2011, U. S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U. S. Census Bureau, Indiana Family and Social Services, Indiana Dept. of Education, Indiana Business Research Center)</p>
<p class="p2" style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many services and programs in our community address poverty or its effects. However, in the absence of focused, collective action, the UWSJC Board is concerned that the number of people in poverty will continue to grow.</p>
<p class="p1" style="margin: 10px 5px 15px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: -0.02em; word-spacing: -0.08em; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(75, 75, 75); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Next Steps:</strong> Board members, current and new public and private partners, as well as staff will develop and implement a strategic plan. The plan will align programs and services with this issue. Measures for success and resources to address the issue will be identified and pursued. The move to an issue focus will impact UWSJC’s organizational structure, allocation investment process and initiatives/services, marketing communications, development resources and governance practices.</p>
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<p> </p>United Way of St. Joseph Countytag:unitedway.nd.edu,2005:News/505462014-09-19T13:00:00-04:002018-11-29T13:13:52-05:00United Way Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program Receives Generous Grant From First Source Bank<p style="margin-left:5px;">SOUTH BEND, Ind. – As the United Way of St. Joseph County embarks on a ten-year journey to reduce poverty by 25,000 individuals by 2025, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program or VITA, as it is often called, will play an integral role in reaching this goal. From 2013-2014…</p><p style="margin-left:5px;">SOUTH BEND, Ind. – As the United Way of St. Joseph County embarks on a ten-year journey to reduce poverty by 25,000 individuals by 2025, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program or VITA, as it is often called, will play an integral role in reaching this goal. From 2013-2014 the VITA program provided services to more than 3200 households, was responsible for bringing over $4 million of processed refunds back to St. Joseph County and helped low-income taxpayers save over $1 million in tax preparation fees.</p>
<p style="margin-left:5px;">Recently, 1<sup>st</sup> Source Foundation, the philanthropic arm of 1<sup>st</sup> Source Bank, provided a grant of nearly $25,000 in support of United Way’s VITA program. The funds will primarily be used to increase marketing and advertising efforts in an attempt to reach, and ultimately serve, as many low-income, disabled and senior taxpayers as possible.</p>
<p style="margin-left:5px;">As a key partner in the betterment of St. Joseph County, 1<sup>st</sup> Source Bank continues to be a model of what it means to “LIVE UNITED.” As United Way prepares for next year’s tax season, the organization plans to make the absolute most of the grant money and bring even more tax refund money to qualified taxpayers in St. Joseph County. At the close of the 2015 tax season Dawn Chapla, Director of Labor and Financial Stability and Rachel Bradley, Director of Mission Advancement plan to work closely with 1<sup>st</sup> Source Bank’s senior marketing staff to report record-breaking outcomes in our community.</p>United Way of St. Joseph Countytag:unitedway.nd.edu,2005:News/467762014-03-08T09:35:00-05:002018-11-29T13:13:52-05:00St. Joseph County to Participate in Regional STEM Education Initiative<p><strong>St. Joseph County to Participate in Regional STEM Education Initiative</strong><br> <em>K-12 Districts can apply for program funding</em></p> <p><strong>South Bend, Ind. (March 1, 2014) </strong>– United Way of St. Joseph County and the St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce announced that…</p><p><strong>St. Joseph County to Participate in Regional STEM Education Initiative</strong><br>
<em>K-12 Districts can apply for program funding</em></p>
<p><strong>South Bend, Ind. (March 1, 2014) </strong>– United Way of St. Joseph County and the St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce announced that all K-12 schools in St. Joseph County are eligible to participate in the regional STEM Education Initiative announced Saturday morning by Project Lead The Way (PLTW), the nation’s leading provider of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs, and the Corporate Partnership for Economic Growth (CPEG) at a STEM teacher training program held at the University of Notre Dame.</p>
<p>PLTW announced that Northern Indiana was selected to become a model region for PLTW, providing all K-12 schools, both public and private, in a five-county area with the opportunity to implement PLTW’s rigorous, world-class STEM programs in engineering, biomedical science, and computer science. The partnership creates a $4.4 million matching grant pilot program to offset startup costs associated with teacher training, participation fees, and required equipment and will be available to schools beginning with the 2014-15 school year and continuing through 2016. Schools in the five-county area of Elkhart, Fulton, Kosciusko, Marshall, and St. Joseph may begin applying for grant funds immediately. Applications for the 2014-15 academic year are due March 31, and schools will be accepted and notified in April.</p>
<p>In St. Joseph County, PLTW programs are currently being utilized at Mishawaka High School, Penn High School, Riley High School and South Bend Career Academy. In addition, Kennedy Primary Academy in South Bend is participating as a pilot site for a new program, PLTW Launch<sup>TM</sup>, during the 2013-14 school year. The leaders of these schools have voiced support for expanding PLTW and providing these learning opportunities to a greater number of students in the coming years. “The most immediate impact of PLTW will be specialized training and support for teachers and the opportunity to engage students in new ways,” says Larry Garatoni, local business leader and co-founder of The South Bend Career Academy and Magnet Investors. “The long-term impact will be a more productive, innovative and entrepreneurial workforce and a more vibrant local economy. This is an investment in our future.”</p>
<p>To be selected as a model region, each participating county had to raise a percentage of the matching funds, based on the number of schools in their county. In St. Joseph County, the United Way of St. Joseph County, with support from the St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce and community leaders, secured over $800,000 in financial commitments for St. Joseph County schools to participate. The funding to support implementation in St. Joseph County schools was generously provided by a combination of business and industry, private and community foundations, colleges and universities and individual philanthropists. “United Way of St. Joseph County is proud to play a role in bringing Project Lead The Way to our schools,” said Kay Ball, President/CEO of United Way of St. Joseph County. “Our engagement with PLTW is one component of United Way’s commitment to a comprehensive vision for sustainable, transformative education reform and equal access for all students.”</p>
<p>In addition to providing every student with access to PLTW, the regional partnership with PLTW engages the local community, business and industry and will help develop a robust talent pipeline for those businesses and industries. Jeff Rea, President and CEO of the St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce states, “Recent studies indicate that there are more than 300 vacant STEM jobs in our region and more coming in the future. These are jobs that typically produce incomes that pay and grow above the national average. Implementing PLTW programs can play a key role in helping to prepare our students for these career opportunities.” The other counties participating in this regional initiative with St. Joseph County are Elkhart, Fulton, Kosciusko and Marshall.</p>
<p>PLTW is a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Indianapolis, providing STEM programs and high-quality teacher professional development to more than 5,000 schools across the United States, including 345 schools in Indiana. PLTW’s five programs include PLTW Launch<sup>TM</sup> for grades K-5, PLTW Gateway<sup>TM</sup> for students in grades 6-8, and PLTW Engineering<sup>TM</sup>, PLTW Biomedical Science<sup>TM</sup>, and PLTW Computer Science<sup>TM</sup> for high school students. By aligning with PLTW, CPEG and its member organizations are able to offer more students access to the rigorous STEM programs that will prepare Northern Indiana students for the global economy.</p>
<p>STEM jobs are growing at a rate of 18 percent, nearly twice the rate of other fields. By 2018, the U.S. Department of Commerce estimates 1.2 million unfilled jobs in STEM fields due to a widening skills gap. In Indiana, 123,000 new STEM jobs will exist by 2018, the majority of which will be computer and mathematical scientists, engineers, and engineering technicians. STEM jobs are among the country’s highest paying jobs.</p>
<p>###</p>United Way of St. Joseph Countytag:unitedway.nd.edu,2005:News/445032013-11-20T16:00:00-05:002018-11-29T13:13:52-05:00ICeNSA, United Way tackle childhood obesity<p> Connecting children with a wellness platform</p> <p> BY CAROL C. BRADLEY, NDWORKS</p> <p> ICeNSA, the Interdisciplinary Center for Network Science and Applications, directed by Nitesh Chawla, the Frank Freimann Collegiate Associate Professor in computer science and engineering, is making transformative…</p><p>
Connecting children with a wellness platform</p>
<p>
BY CAROL C. BRADLEY, NDWORKS</p>
<p>
ICeNSA, the Interdisciplinary Center for Network Science and Applications, directed by Nitesh Chawla, the Frank Freimann Collegiate Associate Professor in computer science and engineering, is making transformative advances in personalized health care and wellness by connecting data, computing, social networks, and people.</p>
<p>
The center’s faculty, staff and students are collaborating with local, state and regional health care providers, a regional health-information exchange and community organizations such as United Way in the health and wellness research initiative—with a focus on patient-centered outcomes and wellness, says Chawla.</p>
<p>
“We aim to increase the quality and years of life in the overall population, reduce cost, and eliminate health disparities by race, ethnicity and income.”</p>
<p>
ICENSA scientists are currently collaborating on a United Way initiative in St. Joseph County on childhood obesity, nutrition and academic performance, focusing on the research and deployment of a Web-based health and wellness platform to help children set goals, eat healthy food and lose weight.</p>
<p>
The project is supported by a United Way Foundation grant, with funds earmarked to specifically address the need in the community for improving childhood nutrition and reduce obesity.</p>
<p>
It’s a component of a larger socio-ecological model, with a goal of creating large-scale social change, says Waldo Mikels-Carrasco, the community health research program manager at iCeNSA.</p>
<p>
Childhood obesity is a national issue, with approximately 17 percent (12.5 million) children and adolescents classified as obese. Nationally, one in seven low-income preschool-age children are obese. At the same time, adequate nutrition continues to be a problem. Childhood hunger and childhood obesity both have documented effects on academic performance.</p>
<p>
Within the South Bend Community School Corporation alone, SBCSC statistics indicate that the percent of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches at the primary level ranges from 64 to 96 percent; at the intermediate level from 40 to 89 percent; and at the high school level 55 to 79 percent. Students qualify for the USDA school lunch program based on household size and income eligibility.</p>
<p>
The Food Bank of Northern Indiana also reports that 41 percent of households receiving food have children under 18, with 79 percent of the households experiencing food insecurity.</p>
<p>
The current project, Creating Large-Scale Social Change in Childhood Obesity & Academic Performance: A collective impact approach for St. Joseph County, acknowledges that no single community organization can improve the health of families living at or below the poverty level.</p>
<p>
ICeNSA’s contribution to the collaboration is a Web-based health and wellness platform at the school or school system level that has the components to engage and empower healthy behaviors. The program can connect all students, allow them to set individual goals, and, ideally, encourage them to want to move to the next healthier level.</p>
<p>
Students’ BMI (body mass index) numbers will be tracked for a year. With the secured and personalized website, students will be able to set individual goals and have the support of peers—and hopefully choose to move to the next healthier level.</p>
<p>
The program will be piloted at the South Bend Career Academy, where every student has a tablet. The program, Mikels-Carrasco notes, can also connect to a Fitbit or other digital trackers.</p>
<p>
Encouraging healthy eating and exercise has dramatic impact, he says. “A principal at a South Bend elementary school raised ISTEP scores 30 percent.”</p>
<p>
Students can also be given a “Prescription to Play,” which allows them free access to fitness programs at the Kroc Center and the YMCA.</p>
<p>
With a collective impact approach, other programs such as the USDA Farm to School project (fns.usda.gov) encompassing efforts that range from school gardening, farm visits and culinary classes to bringing locally or regionally sourced foods to school cafeterias, can also become a part of the overall program.</p>
<p>
“There is also an effort to open schools after hours, to encourage classes and family fitness programs. All these are free to families. The goal is to get people to take advantage of as much as possible.”</p>
<p>
Says Nitesh Chawla, “It’s all about using ‘big data’ for the common good. This is one of many community projects for the center. How can we take collective knowledge—our research in network and data science—and use it for the collective good?”</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>
</p>
Carol C. Bradley, NDWorkstag:unitedway.nd.edu,2005:News/435082013-10-14T09:00:00-04:002018-11-29T13:13:52-05:002012-2013 ND United Way Summary<p align="center"> <strong>2012-13 ND United Way of St. Joseph County</strong></p> <p align="center"> <strong>Campaign Summary</strong></p> <p> The University of Notre Dame surpassed our goal of $300,000 raising $304,757.39 in the 2012-2013 United Way campaign.  We had 745 faculty and staff contribute…</p><p align="center">
<strong>2012-13 ND United Way of St. Joseph County</strong></p>
<p align="center">
<strong>Campaign Summary</strong></p>
<p>
The University of Notre Dame surpassed our goal of $300,000 raising $304,757.39 in the 2012-2013 United Way campaign. We had 745 faculty and staff contribute to the campaign by making an annual pledge. In addition, a number of individuals participated in a variety of fundraisers and events including, Trivia Night a Thanksgiving pie sale and nine departmental fundraisers.</p>
<p>
Below is a summary of the funds raised to benefit the community thru the United Way of St. Joseph County.</p>
<table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:480px;" width="480">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width:258px;">
<p align="center">
<strong>Activity</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width:222px;">
<p align="center">
<strong>2012-2013</strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:258px;">
<p>
Pledges</p>
</td>
<td style="width:222px;">
<p>
$286,119.68</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:258px;">
<p>
Fundraisers/Events</p>
</td>
<td style="width:222px;">
<p>
$8,040.71</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:258px;">
<p>
Congregation of Holy Cross Contribution</p>
</td>
<td style="width:222px;">
<p>
$9,000</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:258px;">
<p>
Compassion Fund</p>
</td>
<td style="width:222px;">
<p>
$1,597 (endowment interest)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:258px;">
<p align="center">
<strong>TOTAL</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width:222px;">
<p align="center">
<strong>$304,757.39</strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p align="center">
</p>
<p>
In addition to the direct funds raised, new and increased gifts also brought in an additional $58k to our community from the matching grant opportunity made available from the Indiana Association of United Ways. This funding is earmarked specifically to assist with the community need of improving childhood nutrition and obesity.</p>
<p>
The University of Notre Dame also provided assistance in 2012-13 to the United Way of St. Joseph County by assisting them with a variety of initiatives and projects, including:</p>
<p>
· Board Representation</p>
<p style="margin-left:1.0in;">
o Judy Fox, Law School</p>
<p style="margin-left:1.0in;">
o Bob McQuade, Office of Human Resources</p>
<p style="margin-left:1.0in;">
o Stephen Ponzillo, TRIO Programs</p>
<p>
· Allocation/Investment Committees</p>
<p style="margin-left:1.0in;">
o Jessica Brookshire, Public Affairs</p>
<p style="margin-left:1.0in;">
o Mike Favorite, Controller’s Group</p>
<p style="margin-left:1.0in;">
o Waldo Mikels-Carrasco, Community Health Engagement Program</p>
<p style="margin-left:1.0in;">
o Steve Ponzillo, TRIO Programs</p>
<p>
· Projects</p>
<p style="margin-left:1.0in;">
o Joe Urbany, Marketing</p>
<p style="margin-left:1.5in;">
§ Project: 211</p>
<p style="margin-left:1.0in;">
o Corey Angst, Management</p>
<p style="margin-left:1.5in;">
§ Project: Homelessness in St. Joseph County</p>
<p style="margin-left:1.0in;">
o HR’s “Leading with Impact” Faculty/Staff Class</p>
<p style="margin-left:1.5in;">
§ Project: Community Aspirations</p>
<p>
· New Partnerships</p>
<p style="margin-left:1.0in;">
o A United Way Student Club formed and participated in the campus food drive, “Holy Cross Harvest” and with tutoring at Robinson Community Learning Center and YMCA’s Innovation Delta.</p>
<p style="margin-left:1.0in;">
o A Notre Dame Student Intern, Andy Boes worked at the UWSJC office.</p>
<p>
While, the University of Notre Dame is the largest United Way campaign in St. Joseph County, in addition to funds raised, collections for food and toiletries were also held to benefit the United Way’s affiliated agencies. Used mattresses were also provided to a number of affiliated agencies as part of our campus recycling effort.</p>
<p>
</p>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="654">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width:154px;height:40px;">
<p align="center">
<strong>Item</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width:212px;height:40px;">
<p align="center">
<strong>Benefitting Organization</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width:186px;height:40px;">
<p align="center">
<strong>Dollars/Pounds</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width:102px;height:40px;">
<p align="center">
<strong># of Mattresses</strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:154px;height:40px;">
<p align="center">
<strong>Holy Cross Harvest</strong></p>
<p align="center">
<strong>Food Drive</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width:212px;height:40px;">
<p>
People Gotta Eat</p>
</td>
<td style="width:186px;height:40px;">
<p>
$4,512 (Winter 2013)</p>
</td>
<td style="width:102px;height:40px;">
<p>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:154px;height:25px;">
<p>
</p>
</td>
<td style="width:212px;height:25px;">
<p>
*Food Bank of Northern Indiana</p>
</td>
<td style="width:186px;height:25px;">
<p>
$9,804 (Winter 2013)</p>
</td>
<td style="width:102px;height:25px;">
<p>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:154px;height:29px;">
<p align="center">
</p>
</td>
<td style="width:212px;height:29px;">
<p>
People Gotta Eat</p>
</td>
<td style="width:186px;height:29px;">
<p align="center">
4,000 lbs. (Summer 2013)</p>
</td>
<td style="width:102px;height:29px;">
<p align="center">
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:154px;height:29px;">
<p align="center">
<strong>Toiletries</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width:212px;height:29px;">
<p>
People Gotta Eat</p>
</td>
<td style="width:186px;height:29px;">
<p align="center">
251 lbs. of soap</p>
<p align="center">
219 lbs. of shampoo</p>
<p align="center">
281 lbs. of toilet paper</p>
</td>
<td style="width:102px;height:29px;">
<p align="center">
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:154px;height:29px;">
<p align="center">
<strong>Mattresses Re-Use Program</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width:212px;height:29px;">
<p>
HOPE Ministries</p>
</td>
<td style="width:186px;height:29px;">
<p align="center">
</p>
</td>
<td style="width:102px;height:29px;">
<p align="center">
20</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:154px;height:23px;">
<p align="center">
</p>
</td>
<td style="width:212px;height:23px;">
<p>
YWCA</p>
</td>
<td style="width:186px;height:23px;">
<p align="center">
</p>
</td>
<td style="width:102px;height:23px;">
<p align="center">
60</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:154px;height:25px;">
<p align="center">
</p>
</td>
<td style="width:212px;height:25px;">
<p>
Church Lady & Friends Outreach Ministry</p>
</td>
<td style="width:186px;height:25px;">
<p align="center">
</p>
</td>
<td style="width:102px;height:25px;">
<p align="center">
12</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:154px;height:25px;">
<p align="center">
</p>
</td>
<td style="width:212px;height:25px;">
<p>
AIDS Ministries</p>
</td>
<td style="width:186px;height:25px;">
<p align="center">
</p>
</td>
<td style="width:102px;height:25px;">
<p align="center">
4</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:154px;height:25px;">
<p align="center">
</p>
</td>
<td style="width:212px;height:25px;">
<p>
Mishawaka Food Pantry, Inc.</p>
</td>
<td style="width:186px;height:25px;">
<p align="center">
</p>
</td>
<td style="width:102px;height:25px;">
<p align="center">
42</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:154px;height:25px;">
<p align="center">
</p>
</td>
<td style="width:212px;height:25px;">
<p>
Life Treatment Center</p>
</td>
<td style="width:186px;height:25px;">
<p align="center">
</p>
</td>
<td style="width:102px;height:25px;">
<p align="center">
12</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:154px;height:25px;">
<p align="center">
</p>
</td>
<td style="width:212px;height:25px;">
<p>
Boy Scouts of America</p>
</td>
<td style="width:186px;height:25px;">
<p align="center">
</p>
</td>
<td style="width:102px;height:25px;">
<p align="center">
7</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:154px;height:25px;">
<p align="center">
</p>
</td>
<td style="width:212px;height:25px;">
<p>
St. Vincent de Paul</p>
</td>
<td style="width:186px;height:25px;">
<p align="center">
</p>
</td>
<td style="width:102px;height:25px;">
<p align="center">
50</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:154px;height:38px;">
<p align="center">
</p>
</td>
<td style="width:212px;height:38px;">
<p align="center">
<strong>TOTAL</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width:186px;height:38px;">
<p align="center">
<strong>$14,316</strong></p>
<p align="center">
<strong>4,000 lbs. of food</strong></p>
<p align="center">
<strong>251 lbs. of soap</strong></p>
<p align="center">
<strong>219 lbs. of shampoo</strong></p>
<p align="center">
<strong>281 lbs. of toilet paper</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width:102px;height:38px;">
<p align="center">
<strong>207 mattresses</strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>
*The Food Bank of Northern Indiana is no longer a member agency of the United Way of St. Joseph County however was a member agency prior to 2012-2013. </p>
Jessica Brookshiretag:unitedway.nd.edu,2005:News/434552013-10-10T11:00:00-04:002018-11-29T13:13:52-05:00Yes, I’d like to make a difference in my community! University’s annual United Way campaign kicks off in October<p> In past years, the generosity of Notre Dame’s faculty and staff has made us St. Joseph County’s <strong>top workforce</strong> in donations to United Way, helping improve education, health and financial stability in our community.</p> <p> The goal for this year is $300,000.</p> <p> <strong>Why</strong>…</p><p>
In past years, the generosity of Notre Dame’s faculty and staff has made us St. Joseph County’s <strong>top workforce</strong> in donations to United Way, helping improve education, health and financial stability in our community.</p>
<p>
The goal for this year is $300,000.</p>
<p>
<strong>Why United Way?</strong></p>
<p>
With so many causes and charities competing for our donations, why give to United Way?</p>
<p>
Because your donations matter, to children and families right here in St. Joseph County. Your investment changes lives!</p>
<p>
Last year, our donations helped United Way agencies serve more than 90,000 people, provide 350,000 meals and help 750 families with heating assistance.</p>
<p>
<strong>Where do my United Way dollars go?</strong></p>
<p>
United way supports successful local programs that focus on basic needs and the building blocks necessary for a successful life.</p>
<p>
United Way partner agencies include <strong>The American Red Cross of St. Joseph County, El Campito, Indiana Legal Services, Jewish Federation, Literacy Council of St. Joseph County, St. Margaret’s House, the YMCA of Michiana</strong> and <strong>YWCA North Central IN.</strong></p>
<p>
Through these and other United Way programs and agencies, your dollars:</p>
<ul>
<li>
Screen children with potential hearing and speech problems</li>
<li>
Provide nutritional supplements to those battling cancer</li>
<li>
Help senior citizens acquire job skills</li>
<li>
Pay for individuals to take the GED, enabling them to get better jobs and education</li>
<li>
Help prevent child abuse with parenting skills classes for at-risk families</li>
<li>
Provide three months of support to 21 teen moms through home visitation</li>
<li>
Provide children with after-school care and tutoring</li>
</ul>
<p>
<strong>Help members of the Notre Dame family</strong></p>
<p>
Five percent of your total donation goes to the University’s <strong>Employee Compassion Fund,</strong> which helps fellow employees with catastrophic or emergency needs such as immediate expenses after a fire, or flying abroad to attend a parent’s funeral.</p>
<p>
<strong>Pledge on paper, or online</strong></p>
<p>
Pledge online at <a href="http://unitedway.nd.edu"><strong>unitedway.nd.edu</strong> </a>with the E-Pledge system. You may contribute by payroll deduction from each paycheck, make a donation to be deducted from your first paycheck in 2014, or make a one-time donation by check. All contributions are tax-deductible. Payroll deduction pledges must be completed by <strong>Friday, Dec. 13 </strong>to allow time for processing.</p>
<p>
Return pledge cards through campus mail to the Notre Dame United Way Campaign, 100 Brownson Hall.</p>
<p>
For more information on the Notre Dame United Way campaign or to pledge, visit <strong><a href="http://unitedway.nd.edu">unitedway.nd.edu</a>.</strong> For more information on United Way of St. Joseph County, visit <a href="http://uwsjc.org"><strong>uwsjc.org</strong> </a>or call 574-232-8201.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>
<strong>Why United Way?</strong></p>
<p>
<strong>The St. Joseph County high school graduation rate is only 77%.</strong></p>
<p>
But United Way is changing the statistics. Last year, United Way helped 4,211 students through tutoring, mentoring, kindergarten preparedness and literacy and language skills.</p>
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<strong>85 percent of St. Joseph County children receive free or reduced lunches.</strong></p>
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But United Way is changing the statistics and helping families prosper. Last year, United Way helped 58,368 people with food, financial and income tax (VITA) assistance.</p>
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<strong>14 percent of St. Joseph County's population is uninsured.</strong></p>
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But United Way is changing the statistics. Through the FamilyWize<sup>TM</sup> Prescription Discount Card program, St. Joseph County residents have saved over $1.5M.</p>
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<strong>2-1-1</strong> - United Way helped point 43,332 people in the right direction with 2-1-1 information and referral.</p>
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</p>
Carol C. Bradley, NDWorkstag:unitedway.nd.edu,2005:News/434572013-10-10T11:00:00-04:002018-11-29T13:13:52-05:00Letter from Fr. John<p> October 10, 2013</p> <p> Dear Members of the Notre Dame Family:</p> <p> Notre Dame has always embraced growth and change while remaining true to its core values and traditions. The University’s move into the Atlantic Coast Conference, in all sports except football and hockey, will strengthen…</p><p>
October 10, 2013</p>
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Dear Members of the Notre Dame Family:</p>
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Notre Dame has always embraced growth and change while remaining true to its core values and traditions. The University’s move into the Atlantic Coast Conference, in all sports except football and hockey, will strengthen our existing bonds with the United Way. The ACC and its member institutions have enjoyed a sixteen-year partnership that showcases the involvement of student-athletes in service to their communities through the United Way, and we are proud to further that tradition.</p>
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As the largest workforce in the county, our contributions make a positive difference in the lives of our neighbors in need. Thank you for your collective generosity to the United Way of St. Joseph County, which plays a central role in efforts to improve education, health, and financial stability in the region. Today, I ask you to support Notre Dame’s United Way campaign, which has a goal of raising $300,000 for our local community.</p>
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Thanks to your generosity last year, more than 90,000 people were helped by United Way Agency Programs. Among the many outreach initiatives in action, more than 300,000 meals were served, and over 700 families received heating bill support. United Way’s local partners are engaged in everything from increasing graduation rates and after-school tutoring to providing proactive health care. Your support will help the United Way’s local partners meet basic needs through a wide range of worthy programs. Donors can direct their contribution to one of four broad program areas or directly to one of United Way’s partners. More information can be found online at <a href="http://unitedway.nd.edu/">http://unitedway.nd.edu</a>.</p>
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One part of the United Way campaign relates more directly to our University community. Notre Dame’s Employee Compassion Fund receives five percent of your total donation and helps University colleagues who face an emergency need. </p>
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This fund has helped alleviate challenges during past employee emergencies such as providing funeral expenses and aid following a fire.</p>
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I ask you to consider contributing generously when the 2013 United Way campaign kicks off. Please join Notre Dame in helping the United Way reach new heights this year.</p>
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In Notre Dame,</p>
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Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.</p>
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President</p>
Cristin O'Connortag:unitedway.nd.edu,2005:News/434202013-10-09T16:00:00-04:002018-11-29T13:13:52-05:00Sabian<p> <em>“You don’t know me, but my name is Sabian. When I was born, I couldn’t hear very well. But, no one knew until my preschool checked my hearing for free thanks to United Way. They told my mom what I couldn’t — I am hearing impaired. Now I have tubes in my ears that</em>…</p><p>
<em>“You don’t know me, but my name is Sabian. When I was born, I couldn’t hear very well. But, no one knew until my preschool checked my hearing for free thanks to United Way. They told my mom what I couldn’t — I am hearing impaired. Now I have tubes in my ears that help me hear and specialists who help me learn how to talk. Thanks to people who gave money to United Way, I am going to be able to hear my teacher and talk to my friends when I start kindergarten!”</em></p>
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Every year, people like you lend your support to United Way of St. Joseph County, helping us make a tremendous impact on thousands of St. Joseph County residents like Sabian. Because of a United Way-funded program, Sabian received free hearing and speech screenings for the underserved. That’s when his hearing impairment was detected. After getting tubes in both of his ears, Sabian was able to receive speech therapy, giving him the tools he needed to succeed in kindergarten.</p>
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Sabian is not alone. He is just one example of the life- changing effect that United Way has had on someone’s life. Without faithful supporters like you, this simply would not be possible.</p>
United Way of St. Joseph County