Leading the Way - Summer 2011

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID

Permit No. 545 Baton Rouge, LA

Capital Area United Way

Capital Area United Way

700 Laurel Street Baton Rouge, LA 70802

A quarterly newsletter for the Tocqueville Society of the Louisiana Capital Area & Gottlieb Association of Leadership Givers

Leading the Way

(225) 383-2643 CAUW.org

Save the Dates:

Summer 2011

Jambalaya Jam October 6th

United Way launches 10 year commitment

to Early Childhood Education

Shaken or Stirred October 13th details coming soon

Capital Area United Way understands the urgency of addressing development in the first fives years of life and is making a 10-year commitment to early childhood education. United Way’s Impact Cabinet is developing a plan to achieve our goal: children enter school ready to learn. As a result, we expect to see improved early literacy, higher graduation rates, a developed workforce, a decrease in crime, and a stronger future. It will take the whole community: businesses, government, non-profits, healthcare, and educational systems will need to collaborate to give, advocate, and volunteer for lasting change.

Thank You for

LIVING UNITED! Capital Area United Way salutes our 5 Star Award Recipients:

ExxonMobil & Turner Industries

Leadership Access Cards are now available!

Look for it to arrive in the mail or via your campaign coordinator.

Great benefits for Leadership donors in our community. visit

CAUW.org/LAC for a list of benefits.

Card valid: 7/1/11 - 7/31/12

To GIVE, ADVOCATE, VOLUNTEER visit CAUW.org

Mission: Helping People - Improving Communities

Last year board member Christy Reeves and I committed to visiting with 100 CEOs in our areas to find what issues are most important to them. The message from this group was loud and clear, reflecting exactly what countless donors had shared with us, education is the most important area we could use our resources to impact.

This July, Capital Area United Way announced a 10 year commitment to education through a focus on Early Childhood Development. A commitment for collaboration in this area from business, government, non-profits, and donors like you mean we could make a measurable change in children’s school readiness. A child arriving in the school system healthy and ready to learn is not only more likely to graduate but also to go on to better earnings, a longer life, and better stability.

It is a result that will benefit our entire community.

Louisiana has already made great strides to create a framework from which we can work. Our state is one of the few that offers a star rating system for day care centers and tax incentives for businesses willing to help them improve. There are other great examples from around the country on how quality day care, involved parents, and support early in pregnancy can benefit an at risk population. Thanks to the Academic Distinction Fund and Blue Cross Blue Shield, Rob Grunewald an Economist and Federal Reserve Banker recently spoke in Baton Rouge sharing research that shows every dollar invested in early childhood generates a 10 – 18 percent return on investment.

Please let us know if you would like to be involved in this exciting effort at United Way. It will take our full community to make this a successful journey and we would love to include you. Please call (225) 383-2643 if you would like more information on this project and how to get involved.

Karen J. Profita, President & CEO

Tobie Craig

Capital Area United Way Women’s Leadership

Inaugural Council

Member of Women’s Leadership Council, Leadership Giver since 2001, CAUW Board Chair Company: Turner Industries

Mission:

Title: Vice President - Marketing Hometown: Boulder, Colorado

United Way Women’s Leadership Council mobilizes the power of women to advance the common good in our communities.

College Alma Mater: University of Maryland

$700 million raised by 50,000 women in 120 WLC communities with a goal of $1 billion by 2012.

How long have you lived in Baton Rouge? 14 years

What was your first job? Very first job was Soda Fountain at Katz & Besthoff Drug Store in New Orleans. My first professional job was Administrative Assistant to Government Affairs rep – Kaiser Aluminum – Washington, D.C.

Favorite food? A really good hamburger!

When did you start giving to United Way? In 2001 when I was asked to chair the Turner Industries corporate campaign.

Why at the Leadership Level? United Way has been the corporate philanthropy since the company began in 1961. Our founder, Bert Turner, firmly believed that you cannot be successful in a community that is falling down around you; that each of us who is blessed with a job has a responsibility to help those less fortunate; and that United Way is the most efficient vehicle to get the most resources to the most people everywhere that Turner Industries works.

LIVE UNITED Moments: Give. Advocate. VOLUNTEER. T

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Message from the CEO

One of the many faces of LEADERSHIP:

his is an exciting time for CAUW and the “leading” women in our area. To be an integral part of this newly formed Women’s Leadership Council is a dream coming to fruition for me. With the economic, social and cultural changes occurring in our own area, and because we know that women’s concerns are aimed at building community, this new “working committee” approach will be both broad and focused.

Ruthie Golden, Realtor

Send us your LIVE UNITED photos today to melissap@cauw.org.

Leading the Way - Summer 2011 Newsletter

Nationally:

Members: Madeline Ahlgren Barbara Anne Beckmann Angelle Bertrand Karen J. Blackemore Tammy Brice Joy Bruce Tricia Bruno Denise Burcham Stephanie Cargile Meg Casper Tobie Craig Barbara Anne Eaton Susan M. Eaton Elizabeth Eaton Mary Frey Eaton Carrie Fager Lisa Freeman Barabara Freiberg Wendy Couvillion French Becky Froedge Ruthie Golden Katherine Grier Chelsea Harris Courtney Hart Fran Harvey Beliota Parquet Hawkins Marielle Land Howard Kelly Hurtado Christa Hutchins Joy Irwin Ivy Jack Dr. Martis Jones Kimberly Kochurka Bebe Landry Beki Lawrence Liesl Leopard Linda Lightfoot Susan McCarter Elissa McKenzie Alice Miller Bebbie Miller Charlene Montelaro Nicole Naquin Ina Navarre Amy E. Nesbit Joanie Netterville Melissa Parmelee Nelsene Peters Cathy Pottschmidt Karen Profita Chisty Reeves Michele Robinson Jeanne Marie Savoy Kathy Screen Lois Smyth Caress Threadgill Sharon Tinker Christa Tonic Lana Sonnier Venable Lamarr Walker Robyn White Tara Wicker Angela Zeringue

Created and led by women, the Women’s Leadership Council (WLC) is an integral part of United Way. Research has revealed that women’s number one philanthropic motivation is “connection to a cause,” a point well understood by United Way Women’s Leadership Councils’ 50,000 members. Grounded in the idea that addressing the most critical local needs lifts the community as a whole and creates a better life for us all, members stand-up, unite, and take action on issues that hit closest to home by giving, volunteering, and advocating.

What sets WLC apart is that members engage hands-on in driving change in our community. Beyond an annual financial contribution, members can invest their time, professional expertise, and talent to advance causes we care passionately about.

The corporate community also has taken note of the local impact the United Way Women’s Leadership Council is having in its 120 communities. UPS, Best Buy, Macy’s, Merrill Lynch, and Wells Fargo are just some of the companies that have jumped aboard to partner locally and nationally and help further the cause with funding and other resources.

Get involved in the way that is right for you:

● Make an annual contribution

● Volunteer your time, professional expertise, and talent

● Advocate at the local, state, or national level For more information on joining the Women’s Leadership Council or sponsoring an event, please contact: Melissa Parmelee, Director of Major Gifts, melissap@cauw.org or (225) 346-5818.

WLC Members (left to right): Caress Threadgill (Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Inc.) Kelly Hurtado (Louisiana Business Inc.) Lynn Mosely (Chef John Folse & Co.) Michele Robinson (CAUW) , Councilwoman Tara Wicker, Karen Profita (CAUW)

On July 27th, women leaders gathered at Louisiana Business Inc. for a discussion on the Women’s Leadership Council. Kelly Hurtado hosted a diverse group of women which will help shape the group’s identity moving forward.

Education became the focus after talking about what the council can impact once it is formed.

visit CAUW.org/WLC to learn more about the Women’s Leadership Council

Your Dollars at Work:

1 Donation, 120 Programs, 1,000s impacted

Capital Area United Way’s funding model is based on high-impact, high performing, and effective programs with measurable results in Education, Income, Health, and Basic Needs. This year, 160 Community Volunteers spent more than 3,500 hours reviewing agency programs and outcomes to ensure the highest level of accountability for our donors. Below you will see a few illustrations depicting projected outcomes related to education in our community.

Capital Area United Way funds 35 programs supporting education in our community, for a full listing of programs and projected results please visit CAUW.org/programs.

1,977

students served

The Salvation Army ● Corps Community Center: a safe after-school program offering mentor services, academic support, and recreational activities

The case for

Early Childhood Education

Education = Economic Development ●

As Baby Boomers retire, fewer well-educated workers are stepping in to sustain competitiveness. The gap is growing: the U.S. economy will add fewer educated workers in the next 20 years compared to the last 20.

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20% of today’s workforce is functionally illiterate: emergences of new technology raises the stakes even more.

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Lack of care leading to employee absences cost U.S. employers $3 billion a year.

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Early learning is part of our economic infrastructure and is as critical as good schools, roads, water, and other investments.

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Early childhood education supports the bottom line - workers need peace of mind that their child is in a quality, safe place.

Did you know?

903 847 9,201 students,

&

A brain develops the most from age 0-5, but only 5% of public investment in children happens during that time.

Reading Friend Volunteers,

reading sessions

Volunteers in Public Schools● Everybody Reads: provides mentors for reading

1,490

individuals served

YWCA Greater Baton Rouge ● Center for Family Empowerment: promotes family financial literacy, helps children find the right path to success in school and beyond, and saves lives of youth and teens through prevention, detection, and early treatment of HIV/AIDS

130

Public Spending vs. Brain Development:

adults served

Adult Literacy Advocates ● GED/Pre-GED:

increases the education level of clients to better equip them with basic skills requirements on the job

visit CAUW.org/programs for a full listing of funded programs

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Differences in language development between children exposed to high and low quality vocabularies appear as early as sixteen months. By the time they enter school, the gap only increases in the absence of early intervention.

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There are 310,716 children under the age of five in Louisiana, and 74.2% are growing up in parishes with Moderate-High or High risk of entering school already behind.

Health. EDUCATION. Income. Basic Needs.

Partners & Timeline:

How you and your business can help:

Capital Area United Way is proud to collaborate with a range of individuals and groups to achieve our goal of children entering school ready to learn. We have been fortunate to gather an outstanding team for our Impact Cabinet.

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Purchase Louisiana School Readiness Tax Credits, a dollar for dollar refundable credit of up to $5,000.

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Host a meeting with your employees and fellow business partners to educate them on the importance of investing in the early years of life.

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Employers who purchase quality child care provided for children of employees may claim up to $50,000 in expenses. Employees may also receive an increase in their individual tax credits.

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Join our Corporate Volunteer Council and learn best practices in engaging employees in volunteerism.

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Showcase your support! Announce your commitment to the capital region’s business community in a special discounted advertising campaign in the Baton Rouge Business Report.

Dr. Geoff Nagle, Advisor, is the director of the Tulane University Institute of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Tulane University School of Medicine. He also is a Policy Fellow at the Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs at Louisiana State University and serves as the state director of BrightStart, Louisiana’s Early Childhood Advisory Council. Dr. Nagle works closely with state government leaders to enhance Louisiana’s early childhood system and to increase the opportunities to provide high quality early care and education, and has agreed to advise our Impact Cabinet.

Dr. Stewart Gordon, Chair, practices at LSU Health Sciences Center’s Earl K. Long Medical Center Pediatric Clinic in Baton Rouge and has been a pediatrician for over 20 years. Very involved in children’s causes, Dr. Gordon has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations advocating for children. Formerly a “Top 40 Under 40” for the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, Dr. Gordon was recently honored by the Children’s Coalition of Greater Baton Rouge for outstanding service to children.

July 2011

Adell Brown Southern University Ag Center / 100 Black Men

Impact goal announced

Laurinda Calongne Robert Rose Consulting

Indicators for each outcome established

Ruthie Golden Realtor

Initial partners named

Verni Howard Hancock Bank

Measurements developed

Sheila Sterling Volunteers of America

July 2012 Initial pilot implemented

Paul Stratford ExxonMobil Michael Tipton Teach for America

s one of the state’s largest employers, Turner Industries depends on our workforce for success. Having always been a leader in workforce development, we are now learning about the major role that early childhood education plays in preparing children to be successful in school, work, and in life. Understanding that investment in this area will pay huge dividends in the future for employees and employers alike, Turner Industries has been an enthusiastic supporter of initiatives like United Way’s partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, and its 10 year commitment to early childhood education. We want to do more than be a Band-Aid – we want our contributions to actually go towards solving some problems and to have far reaching and lasting effects.

December 2011

Michele Crosby Jones Walker

“ A

Community outcomes identified

Assess, assess, and reassess Changes and adjustments made as needed

Tobie Craig, United Way Board Chair - Turner Industries

The Journey has begun: Quality Start Child Care Rating System: Louisiana is one of only a few states with a quality child care rating system.

Ranging from one to five stars, these scores are tied to state reimbursement rates, tax credits, and more.

Tax Credits: School Readiness Tax Credits are available for businesses, providers, directors and teachers, as well as families. These refundable credits are tied to the Quality Start Child Care Rating System.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library: Registers children 5 and under to receive an age appropriate book each month into their homes. United Way has launched this in three area parishes thanks to funding

by Turner Industries, Entergy River Bend Station, BASF Corporation, DOW-Amerchol, and the City of Greensburg.

visit CAUW.org/ece to learn more about our commitment to Early Childhood Education

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Timeline

Bob Barton Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips

Early Childhood Education ROI:

Volunteers of America Partnerships in Child Care: United Way proudly funds the region’s only state resource and referral agency. This program provides training to child care providers to improve their quality of services.

Corporate Philanthropic Strategies: Many of our corporate partners are committed to strengthening education and currently give, advocate, and volunteer in this focus area.

Knock Knock Museum: United Way is proud to be a founding member of an emerging children’s museum with a focus on early literacy.

Health. EDUCATION. Income. Basic Needs.

Funded Programs: United Way recognizes the importance of protecting the community’s investment in early childhood education.

We currently fund 35 programs that educate people of all ages.