United Way of the Capital Region Blog

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.

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.

Finding My Place…Through Volunteering

Law school can be a very distant and cold environment... until you meet the right people. Sometimes those people come out of the least expected places: like a room full of people interested in taxes.

In late 2008, I was encouraged by a close friend to attend an informational session about the Widener Law Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Clinic, which is a part of the Money In Your Pocket Campaign. I quickly discovered I had a found a niche worth pursuing. It was at this meeting that I was first mentored by Professor Michael Hussey. He showed a room full of students, alumni, and community members what a compassionate attorney should be. I immediately knew that I wanted to be a part of his team.

Three years later, we are getting geared up for the upcoming tax year at the Clinic. I look forward to serving a small, but vital, role as part of the team that is capable of so much good. We service a broad range of persons representing many aspects of our community; our clients are united in a need for expertise without judgement.