United Way of the Capital Region Blog

UWCR Sponsors Second Annual Fatherhood and Family Celebration

Want to enjoy a fun-filled day with your children? Join us for the Second Annual Fatherhood and Family Celebration on Saturday, June 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg.

This FREE event focuses on helping fathers share, learn and grow their family skills, while providing a great day for the entire family. The featured speaker is Kofi Asante, executive director of the National Fatherhood Center, based in Philadelphia. The event includes panel discussions on topics such as parenting through conflict and entertainment for the whole family including games, activities, music, African dance classes, poetry, vendors and more.

This year the celebration will also feature a film festival. The House of Reconciliation, from Philadelphia will provide a TV documentary and scenes from their stage play “Baby Mama Drama.”  The YWCA of Greater Harrisburg will show the video “Boys and Men healing,” which deals with child sexual abuse of boys. Tonia Grady will be on hand to show and discuss her award winning film “Man Up:  Exploration of a Fatherless Nation” and Kofi Asante will air his award winning documentary, which was nominated for an Academy Award. 

Addressing Emerging Needs in Our Community

Most people know that United Way of the Capital Region (UWCR) funds more than 80 programs and services through our Community Improvement (or general) Fund. But did you know that UWCR also funds other programs in the Capital Region that address new, emerging, or critical needs in our community? We do this through our Community Response Fund.

Each year, UWCR’s Board of Directors sets aside money to fund programs that address specifically identified needs in the community. Community Response Fund grants are open to any non-profit 501(c) (3) organization that serves the residents of Eastern Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry counties that needs funding for programs that address one of UWCR’s identified priorities. We identify priority issues by conducting research and soliciting input from experts in our community who work with us through our Focus Care Councils. 

We just completed our Community Response Fund process for 2012/2013 and 11 programs were selected that address our identified priorities of basic needs and access to health care. UWCR will distribute a total of $200,000 to the following programs:

The Ultimate Spring Cleaning

This year marks United Way of the Capital Region’s (UWCR) 10^th Annual Youth Day of Caring. Like our Annual Day of Caring in September, non-profit organizations benefit from the hard work and goodwill of area volunteers. As you might expect, Youth Day of Caring, engages local high school students with clean up and beautification projects at non-profit organizations throughout the Capital Region.

Youth Day of Caring coincides with Global Youth Service Day, the largest service event that celebrates the leadership of youth in the world. What makes our event even more unique is the partnership with our Bridges Society members. UWCR’s Bridges Society includes donors age 46 and younger who contribute a minimum of $500 or more annually to our United Way. Bridges volunteers serve as mentors and work hand-in-hand with the students throughout the day.

Last year, nearly 400 people including high school students, teachers, volunteer chaperones and agency staff worked on projects in Harrisburg’s South Allison Hill.

At the end of the day, 550 bags of trash were collected, 300 plants found homes in the ground and in flower boxes and 15 gallons of paint covered graffiti. Most importantly, the students felt a real sense of pride and accomplishment. They showed us all what it means to LIVE UNITED.

For our upcoming 2012 event, we will continue our work in South Allison Hill. In addition we will partner with the City of Harrisburg to work in Reservoir Park to get it ready for spring and summer activities. 

Here at UWCR we encourage everyone to get in the spirit of spring cleaning and volunteer to help make our community a better place to live. For more information on how you can make difference, contact The Volunteer Center at 732.0700, or visit us online at uwcr.org.

 PHOTO CAPTION: Students help beautify Harrisburg during last year's Youth Day of Caring.

UWCR Offers Cultural Awareness Workshops

Over the past few decades the Capital Region has become a vibrant and ethnically diverse area. The U.S. Census continues to document significant changes in our region’s demographics across ethnic, racial and religious demographics. 

Recognizing the challenges in understanding, respecting and embracing these different cultures, United Way of the Capital Region (UWCR) created a series of Cultural Awareness Workshops several years ago. Workshops for 2012 will take place over the next several months.

Geared toward health and human service providers, the workshops were designed to offer a snapshot of various cultures.  This year, the workshops will focus on Japanese, Thai and Caribbean Island cultures.

If your profession gives you the opportunity to work with people from other cultures, or if this is simply an area of interest, UWCR encourages you to check out these workshops. You might be surprised by how much information you’ll walk away with!

For more information, contact Heidi Neuhaus at hneuhaus@uwcr.org.

 

Tax Preparation Program Gives Local Man Peace of Mind

For Jeff Myers, the Money In Your Pocket (MIYP) program is more than a transaction to complete his taxes. The program is a life line at a critical time in his life. A resident of Steelton, Jeff was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1992. The disease has made it difficult for him to remember and process information. The free tax preparation services offered through the MIYP program gives him the security of knowing his taxes are completed correctly. 

 

For the last five years, Jeff has gone to Widener University School of Law in Harrisburg where trained local volunteers and students of Professor Michael Hussey, who teaches federal income taxation, prepare taxes every Saturday morning during tax season. The volunteers prepare and file state, local and federal returns, using an online program for the state and federal returns. Since Jeff doesn’t own a computer, he is very grateful to have this service.

 

UWCR Offers Adolescent Mental Health Workshops

All children and adolescents have difficult days, but sometimes these days stretch into weeks, months or even years. These problems may not just be “growing pains,” but signs of mental health issues.

Studies now show that approximately 20 percent of adolescents have a diagnosable mental health disorder. We may never know if more children are affected now as opposed to 20 or 30 years ago, or if improved diagnostic practices have helped us to identify disorders earlier. We do know that around one in five children is affected by some sort of diagnosable mental health disorder and that for every affected child affected there is a parent, family, or caregiver who is impacted as well.

Getting treatment is essential and early intervention works best. It’s important to remember that treatment and recovery take time. If you suspect your child may need mental health treatment, please don’t hesitate to seek help. There are a variety of service providers in Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry counties who are available to help, including some who offer services on a sliding fee scale. 

Volunteers Help United Way Distribute Funds

Each fall, United Way of the Capital Region (UWCR) asks residents of Eastern Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry counties to make a contribution to help us provide a variety of services to our community. We fund services for the economically disadvantaged and those challenged by an illness or a disability; we help house the homeless, feed the hungry, and help people survive many of life’s challenges.  Through UWCR, youth have a safe place to go after school, get homework assistance, and find mentors to provide positive role models.

Many people wonder how UWCR decides where contributions will go and how much funding programs will receive. Its people just like you that make our fund distribution process work.

Every February, more than 150 volunteers come together to decide how gifts to UWCR’s Community Improvement Fund will be distributed. Volunteers from all walks of life are recruited through an open process. They receive training, visit program sites, review funding requests, meet with agency staff and board members, and evaluate programs. They make sure programs are needed, evaluate their success, and make sure agencies applying for funding meet our accountability standards. Volunteers review audits and other financial reports and consider an agency’s financial health in the decision-making process. When needed, these volunteers will also meet with agencies that are facing challenges throughout year to provide oversight and technical assistance.

As you can see, volunteers are essential to the fund distribution process here at UWCR. We invite you to join us for next year’s process. For more information, contact Susan Wokulich at swokulich@uwcr.org.

Program Provides Free Tax Prep for Low- to Moderate-Income Families

Many of us continue to feel the impact of our troubled economy. Tax time can provide an opportunity for many working families to take advantage of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC). Millions of dollars in tax credits go unclaimed each year, a fact we’re working very hard to change.

During the week of January 30, the Money in Your Pocket (MIYP) campaign will be opening multiple sites throughout Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry Counties to provide free income tax preparation for low- to moderate-income families. The sites are staffed by trained, certified volunteers who will prepare and electronically file taxes for area families.

This is the tenth year that MIYP will be operating free tax sites for qualified families. We are committed to helping as many families as we can, and this requires that we keep expanding to meet the ever growing demand.

UWCR Exceeds Its 2011 Fundraising Goal Thanks to Community Help

Despite an on-going challenging economic environment and a local natural disaster, United Way of the Capital Region (UWCR) has exceeded its campaign goal by raising $11,280,527, topping the amount raised last year by 4.7 percent, or more than $510,000, and this year’s goal by $280,527, or 2.5 percent. This marks the 15^th consecutive year UWCR has exceeded its campaign goal.

To not only reach, but surpass our goal during these tough times speaks to the generosity of our community and the hard work of our volunteers and staff. As these challenging times continue, more and more people need the safety net of programs and services supported by our United Way. We shared this message with the community throughout the campaign and people responded with extraordinary goodwill.

I couldn’t be more proud of our United Way this year. For an organization to exceed its goal 15 years in a row speaks to the compassion and character of our organization and the generosity of our community.

Pennsylvania Budget Cuts Dampen Holidays for Many

For me, Gov. Tom Corbett set the moral tone for the last budget process by stating that providing a helping hand to those in need was a “core function of government.” But I also remember the term “waste, fraud and abuse” being used as a rallying cry by those who felt significant reductions could be made in state funding without compromising services to people in need and the charitable organizations that provide those services.

In central Pennsylvania, state funding cuts are having a detrimental impact on the ability of local non-profits to serve people. For example, The Arc of Cumberland and Perry Counties is projecting a $650,000 deficit this year because reimbursement rates from the state have been reduced. This is in addition to a similar-size loss the agency experienced last year.

The YWCA of Greater Harrisburg faces an analogous situation. It will receive more than $100,000 less this year as a result of cuts in state funding. This means the YWCA will serve 120 fewer individuals who are unemployed or underemployed or in need of child care.