Mile High United Way Community Matters, Spring 2014

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MILE HIGH UNITED WAY

SPRING 2014

Visitors toured the College View Elementary Center for Family Opportunity site.

Centers for Family Opportunity Increase Access to Resources With thousands of resources available for families and individuals in our community, finding the right services and getting to the right location can be overwhelming and time-consuming. Your investment in Mile High United Way just made it a little easier for families to get the help they need. Together with Denver Public Schools, the Mountain Resource Center in Conifer and Mile High United Way, families now have easy access to a bundle of resources to help them succeed. Through two new “Centers for Family Opportunity” families have access to free English-language and GED classes, help with tax preparation, financial coaching, legal assistance and veteran services all in one location. “We couldn’t have done this alone,” said Kyle Gamba, Principal of College View Elementary, at the February 5th grand opening. Continued on next page...


CENTERS FOR FAMILY OPPORTUNITY INCREASE ACCESS TO RESOURCES Continued from front page...

“By partnering with Mile High United Way and other service organizations, we have become a community center, and have transformed how we provide education to both students and adults. Together, we have the ability to empower our parents and ultimately work toward ending the cycle of poverty.” The two centers were designed based on a proven national model of bringing together best-in-their field resources in a centralized location. Programs and resources offered at each location are customized based on the needs of the communities they serve. College View Elementary has partnered with Emily Griffith Technical College to provide GED and ESL classes, while Mountain Resource Center is partnering with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the JeffCo Veteran’s Services to provide support for military veterans. Other partner agencies include Energy Outreach Colorado (utility assistance); Goodwill Industries (job skills training); Denver Bar Association (legal services); VITA Tax Prep and AARP Tax Aid (tax prep services); and mpowered (financial and credit coaching). To learn more about Centers for Family Opportunity, please visit unitedwaydenver.org/centers-for-family-opportunity.

CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE! Mile High United Way is proud to announce a new look and an expanded community resource with the launch of our new website at unitedwaydenver.org

MILE HIGH UNITED WAY

OUR VISION:

OUR MISSION:

A community united to create better opportunities for all.

Uniting people, ideas and resources to advance the common good.


COLORADO READING CORPS EXPANDS TO HELP MORE STUDENTS READ When you’re young, learning to read is hard and some of our youngest students in our community are really struggling.

A Colorado Reading Corps tutor works with a student in the program.

Thanks to your generous support, we couldn’t be prouder of Mile High United Way’s Colorado Reading Corps program that gives young readers the one-on-one tutoring they need to catch up to their classmates.

The Colorado Reading Corps deploys AmeriCorps members to serve as reading tutors with kindergarten through third graders in elementary schools across metro Denver. This school year, the Colorado Reading Corps expanded from 20 members working in 12 schools to 48 members in 26 schools. We are partnering with four school districts located in Jefferson, Adams, Arapahoe and Denver counties. The program was launched in 2012 and results from its inaugural year are exciting: • 82 percent of students who exited the program were reading at or exceeding their grade level expectations. • 77 percent of the third graders who graduated from the program scored proficiently on the 2013 Transitional Colorado Achievement Program (TCAP), Colorado’s statewide reading assessment. To learn more about Colorado Reading Corps, please visit unitedwaydenver.org/colorado-reading-corps.

OUR APPROACH:

LEARN MORE:

Mile High United Way lives at the intersection of the private, public, philanthropic, and nonprofit sectors.

www.UnitedWayDenver.org


UNITED WAYS OF COLORADO VISIT THE STATE CAPITOL FOR DAY ON THE HILL On March 5, nearly 50 Mile High United Way staff, community members and donors assembled at the state capitol, along with representatives from our sister United Ways of Colorado.

Mile High United Way staff and Women United members visited with state legislators and elected officials.

We were there to advocate on behalf of you and your commitment to create better opportunities for all. Our collective voice is powerful and with a network of 14 United Ways across Colorado, our knowledge of individual community needs can provide a unique

perspective at the capitol. “This was an amazing opportunity to have direct discussions with our policy makers,” said Eileen Tracy, a member of Mile High United Way’s Emerging Leaders Council. “It takes people at every level working together to help those in need, and I’m grateful to be a part of it.” We visited with our state legislators and elected officials, including Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and Colorado Lieutenant Governor Joseph Garcia, to discuss legislation pertaining to education, poverty and health care. While basic needs are necessary for immediate solutions, to truly transform our community, change needs to occur at the state and federal level as well. Day on the Hill is an annual event. To learn more about our advocacy work, please visit unitedwaydenver.org/advocate.

facebook.com/UnitedWayDenver twitter.com/UnitedWayDenver


THE MORGRIDGE CENTER FOR COMMUNITY CHANGE TAKES SHAPE For a just a moment in March, we exchanged construction hats for party hats as the new Mile High United Way - Morgridge Center for Community Change building continues taking shape. Mile High United Way staff, board members and supporters celebrated a construction milestone – the topping off of the steel structure. The final steel beam was set in place and to top it off, Mile High United Way staff members, board members, supporters and the construction crew each signed that final piece before it was placed atop the new building. We are honored to join the historic Curtis Park neighborhood where we will be closer to our community partners and have expanded training and conference space to serve the needs of our community in the future. If you are interested in more information on how you can invest in the construction of the new Mile High United Way headquarters, please contact Jennifer Stokes, Vice President of Donor Relations at (303) 5612274 or Jennifer.Stokes@unitedwaydenver.org.

To watch the real-time progress on the construction, visit

http://oxblue.com/open/pcl/mhuw

To commemorate the completion of the steel structure, Mile High United Way staff, board members and the PCL construction crew signed the final steel beam before it was placed atop the building.


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