Upcoming Events

Madison Mallards Community Connection Night

Madison Mallards

Featuring United Way of Dane County

The Duck Pond
2920 N Sherman Ave
Madison, WI 53704
Saturday, August 10, 2013
First pitch (6:05PM)
Madison Mallards vs. Lakeshore Chinooks

Mark August 10 on your calendars and join other United Way supporters as they cheer on the Madison Mallards. Enjoy a brat, a cold beverage and help promote United Way and our 2013 Campaign simply by purchasing a ticket in advance by July 27 and attending the game.

The Madison Mallards will be featuring United Way as their sole organization for their “Community Connection Baseball Night” that evening and offer fantastic perks including a $2 donation for every ticket our group sells, half of the winnings to a 50/50 raffle, wonderful coverage on the web, radio and the big screen and other perks promoting United Way and our Campaign!

Help us meet our ticket sale goal by purchasing your tickets and letting your friends and family know they should attend and join in on the fun! The more tickets that are sold, the more United Way receives in donations from the Mallards. We are also looking for a few staff members willing to help out with a few small duties the night of the event. Please contact Maggie Molter if you are interested!

Purchasing your tickets is easy!
Go to www.mallardsgroups.com
Group Portal Login password: “unitedway”
Pick the seats you want!

  • Duck Blind w/ beer and unlimited food/soda/water ($33)
  • Duck Blind w/o beer + unlimited food/soda/water ($28)
  • Field Box Seats ($10)

Contact Ben Stiemsma if there are not enough tickets available to accommodate you or your group on the portal. He can ask the Mallards to make more seats available.
bstiemsma@uwdc.org
(608) 246-4378

Contact Maggie Molter if you are a United Way of Dane County staff member or volunteer who would be interested in helping out the night of the game with some small, but important duties!
mmolter@uwdc.org
(608) 246-4375

Posted in Events |

Parades RSVP

Parade Crew

Take action, Change lives!

Join team Live United and promote our 2013 campaign in parades and events.

Posted in Events |

United Way Digs into the Issue of Attendance

African American Girls TogetherUnited Way and Madison Metropolitan School District bring together leaders of local communities of color to formulate strategies on how to improve school attendance

United Way and the Madison Metropolitan Schools District are bringing together leaders of local communities of color and faith-based organizations throughout Madison to look at the issues related to attendance in Dane County.

“Missing just 10 percent of the school year in the early grades can leave many students struggling throughout elementary school, “ says Enis Ragland, 100 Black Men and Co-Chair of the HERE! Advisory Council. “By sixth grade, missing only that much school is strongly linked to course failure and even eventually dropping out of high school.  That’s just 18 days of the school year—or two to three days per month.”

Over the next six months, these leaders will develop strategies on how to increase attendance. These strategies will be part of an awareness campaign called “HERE! Every student, Every Day” slotted to launch later this year.

In the Madison schools, chronic absenteeism starts in kindergarten, improves in elementary and middle school and escalates again in high school.  Across all grades, students of color have the highest rates of absence. The impact of missing schools is the greatest on low-income students who lack the resources to make up for the lost time in the Attendance Infographicclassroom.

“School attendance is essential to academic success, but too often students, parents and schools don’t realize how quickly absences, excused or unexcused, can add up to academic trouble. Chronic absence— missing just 18 days per school year— can lead to third graders unable to master reading, sixth graders failing courses and ninth graders dropping out of high school,” says Ragland.

United Way’s commitment to ensuring all students graduate, regardless of race is long one. And one that started 16 years ago with their Schools of Hope work which connects students with trained volunteer tutors who work in concert with the teacher’s curriculum. Additional strategies include Parent Engagement sessions which help parents and students navigate the transition between middle and high school, which is a particularly vulnerable time for students and dropping out of school. CBITS (Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools) and FACE-Kids are behavioral health resources that are reducing absenteeism by giving students tools to manage and/or minimize the social-emotional concerns that keep them out of the classroom.

Ragland says the HERE Advisory Council has high hopes on how these strategies could help raise graduation rates in Madison. “Regular school attendance is one of the factors that students, families, and schools have the ability to directly impact and is directly correlated to graduation.”

To learn more about the HERE! Advisory Council or to get involved in the upcoming awareness campaign contact Angela Jones at angelajones@uwdc.org.

Posted in News, Newsletter |

United Way Helps on Humanitarian Mission to Moore, OK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 25, 2013

United Way of Dane county is providing $1,000 dollars’ worth of debit and gas cards to help buy gas for a group from the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County.  The group leaves today to help their Boys and Girls Club family in tornado-ravaged Moore, Oklahoma.

“We are committed to changing the human condition in our community whether that community is near or far we are here,” says Leslies Ann Howard, President and CEO of United Way of Dane County. “We are honored to be able to provided assistance to Boys and Girls Club to reach our neighbors in Oklahoma. Our hearts and blessing are with the Boys and Girls Club and the citizens of Moore.”

The team will travel 850 miles to bring supplies and other assistance to the many children who are homeless in Moore following the massive tornado there earlier this week.

An estimated 95 percent of the children from the Moore Boys and Girls Club are now homeless.  Preventing homelessness, increasing community safety and agency partnership are part of our community’s Agenda for Change.

To give to the United Way Disaster Tornado Relief Fund

Log onto www.unitedway.org/rebuild or Text REBUILD to 52000 to donate $10.00. For more information about this fund visit http://www.unitedway.org/pages/oklahoma-tornado-relief-concert

Our Community’s Agenda for Change

EDUCATION

  • Students succeed academically and graduate from high school, regardless of race.
  • Children are cared for and have fun as they become prepared for school.

 SAFETY

  • There is a decrease in family homelessness.
  • There is a reduction in violence toward individuals and families.

 HEALTH

  • People’s health issues are identified and treated early.
  • Seniors and people with disabilities are able to stay in their homes.

United Way engages our community mobilizes volunteers and strengthens local nonprofits to achieve measurable results and change lives.

About United Way of Dane County

United Way of Dane County is addressing the underlying causes of community issues through our community’s Agenda for Change—seven goals focused on three priority areas of Education, Safety and Health that our community identified as most critical to changing lives and strengthening Dane County. Through strategic partnerships and collaborative work, we are achieving measurable results toward making our community better educated, safer, and healthier. United Way provides organizations and individuals the opportunity to give, advocate, and volunteer to change the human condition in Dane County.

Posted in Home News, News, Newsletter, NewsReleases |

United Way Announces 2013 Foundation Board of Trustees

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 16, 2013

Two community members have been named new United Way of Dane County Foundation Trustees. The Foundation Board is comprised of lead volunteers who guide the organization in advancing the mission of United Way of Dane County, investing in our community’s Agenda for Change and providing opportunities for individuals to extend their own legacy of effective, local philanthropy.

New Trustees of the 2013 United Way of Dane County Foundation Board include: Frederick Schwartz, Sub-Zero Group, Inc.; and Chief Noble Wray, Madison Police Department. Madelyn Leopold, retired partner from Boardman & Clark LLP, was elected to serve as the Foundation’s Chair. Other individuals elected to positions include: Vice Chair- Jay Sekelsky, Madison Investment Advisors, and Secretary/Treasurer- Mark Koehl, Wipfli LLP.

Marv Conney, Community Leader, was named an Honorary Trustee. Michael Victorson, M3 Insurance, will serve this year as Ex Officio Trustee as he chairs the United Way of Dane County Board of Directors. Conney was an original donor to the Foundation which was incorporated in 1993.

“Our 2013 Foundation Board of Trustees is committed to continuing the Foundation’s growth, sustainability and impact. The Trustees have approved an aspirational five-year plan to realize $10 million in Foundation net assets and $10 million in expectancies by year’s end in 2015.” said Madelyn Leopold, Chair, United Way of Dane County Foundation. “This type of growth could transform lives through our community’s Agenda for Change. We invite everyone in the community to be a part of this work.”

Retiring Foundation Trustees include Gary Steinhauer, Steinhauer & Company LLC, and Gary Wolter, Madison Gas & Electric, who served as Ex Officio.

How to Give to the Foundation

Support of the Foundation is an investment in our community’s future. There are many options to give whether you are a long-time supporter or a new contributor to help the Foundation affect positive change today and tomorrow. For more information, please contact Kristi Shepard, Senior Director of Major & Planned Giving, at (608) 246-4399 or foundation@uwdc.org or visit http://www.unitedwaydanecounty.org/united-way-foundation/.

2013 United Way of Dane County Foundation, Inc. Board of Trustees

Madelyn Leopold Chair Retired, Boardman & Clark LLP
Jay Sekelsky Vice Chair Madison Investment Advisors
Mark Koehl Secretary/Treasurer Wipfli LLP
Darrell Behnke Trustee U.S. Bank
Holly Cremer Berkenstadt Trustee Community Leader
Jim Blanchard Trustee Community Leader
John Bolz Trustee Community Leader
Londa Dewey Trustee The QTI Group
Barbara Finley Trustee Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Clayton Frink Trustee The Capital Times
Leslie Ann Howard Ex Officio United Way of Dane County
Sherri Kliczak Trustee Retired, National Guardian Life
Norma Madsen Trustee Community Leader
Jim Riordan Trustee Retired, WPS Health Insurance
Frederick Schwartz Trustee Sub-Zero Group, Inc.
Michael Victorson Ex Officio M3 Insurance
Chief Noble Wray Trustee Madison Police Department
John Zimdars Trustee The Zimdars Company

Honorary Trustees
Don Anderson Marv Conney Jerry Hiegel
Jean Manchester Dale Mathwich Loren Mortenson
Thomas G. Ragatz

*New Trustees bolded

Our Community’s Agenda for Change

EDUCATION

  • Students succeed academically and graduate from high school, regardless of race.
  • Children are cared for and have fun as they become prepared for school.

 SAFETY

  • There is a decrease in family homelessness.
  • There is a reduction in violence toward individuals and families.

 HEALTH

  • People’s health issues are identified and treated early.
  • Seniors and people with disabilities are able to stay in their homes.

United Way engages our community mobilizes volunteers and strengthens local nonprofits to achieve measurable results and change lives.

About United Way of Dane County

United Way of Dane County is addressing the underlying causes of community issues through our community’s Agenda for Change—seven goals focused on three priority areas of Education, Safety and Health that our community identified as most critical to changing lives and strengthening Dane County. Through strategic partnerships and collaborative work, we are achieving measurable results toward making our community better educated, safer, and healthier. United Way provides organizations and individuals the opportunity to give, advocate, and volunteer to change the human condition in Dane County.

Posted in Home News, News, NewsReleases |

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