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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.