Category: Press Mentions
November 13, 2023: United Way Fundraising Push for Housing in Honor of National Homelessness Awareness Month
United Way fundraising push for housing in honor of National Homelessness Awareness Month
October 19, 2023: United Way of Dane County Announces 211 Wisconsin App
United Way of Dane County launches 211 Wisconsin app
United Way of Dane County has announced the launch of its new 211 Wisconsin mobile application.
The 211 24/7 hotline already helps connect Dane County residents with available health and human services based on their individual needs. This new app will expand the program further by reaching a wider audience.
211 helps residents find resources for food insecurity, paying rent, addiction treatment, older adult services and other various challenges. The hope is that the 211 app will provide an easy and intuitive way to provide the same support to more people.
Users can browse the application anonymously, or register and bookmark community resources for later use. There is also a mapping feature to display nearby resources in relation to the user’s location.
October 17, 2023: New United Way App Connects Communities to Help, Resources
New United Way app connects communities to help, resources
Sep 19, 2023: United Way kicks off $18.1 million Community Campaign at Breese Stevens Field
Sep 19, 2023: United Way of Dane County kicks off 2023 campaign
September 18, 2023: United Way campaign focuses on education, income, health
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United Way campaign focuses on education, income, health
The chief executive officer for United Way of Dane County explains its mission in simple terms. The organization, CEO Renee Moe said, “tries to frame up how the community can solve big problems like homelessness and getting more kids to graduate from high school.”
“The fundraising that we do is really a communications campaign to help more people … understand what’s going on in our community, and then asking them to help make the community stronger by giving, advocating and volunteering,” Moe said.
United Way kicked off its 2023 community fundraising campaign Monday afternoon with an event at Breese Stevens Field, seeking $18.1 million to support goals related to early childhood, education, income and health.
To achieve these goals, United Way is collaborating with organizations that are already engaged in those areas. “It’s about solving a particular issue and getting the right partners around the table to solve the problems,” Moe said.
“To work in education, you need to have great connectivity with school districts and agencies doing after-school care, and we do some programs directly in the schools through our AmeriCorps program, for example.”
According to a report from United Way, educational support programs the organization invests in, such as the community mentorship program offered by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County, helped all participating students in 2022 graduate high school. Of the participants, 95% improved their academic performance and 86% of previously “disengaged students” experienced improved belonging, leadership and academic success, the report said.
“One of the key strategies for higher graduation rates is early childhood home visitation, so helping parents be their child’s first teachers and then helping support with tutors and mentors to focus on key milestones,” Moe said.