United Way Of Acadiana Inc

UNITED WAY OF ACADIANA IS WORKING TO BUILD A STRONG ACADIANA AND ADVANCE THE COMMON GOOD BY MOBILIZING OUR COMMUNITIES TO IMPROVE PEOPLE'S LIVES THROUGH THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF A GOOD LIFE: ESSENTIALS, EDUCATION, AND EARNINGS.

THROUGH A FEDERAL GRANT AWARDED BY THE ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, DEPARTMENT OF HEAD START, THE UNITED WAY OF ACADIANA OPERATES AN EARLY HEAD START PROGRAM SERVING 103 CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. THE CENTER-BASED PROGRAM SERVES CHILDREN 6 WEEKS TO THREE YEARS OLD AND THE HOME-BASED PROGRAM SERVES PREGNANT WOMEN AND CHILDREN UP TO 3 YEARS OLD. THE PROGRAM OPERATES TWO (2) EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CENTERS; ONE IN ABBEVILLE SERVING VERMILION PARISH AND THE OTHER IN LAFAYETTE SERVING FAMILIES IN THE 70501, 70503, 70506 AND 70507 ZIP CODE AREAS. THE PROGRAM PROVIDES HIGH-QUALITY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SERVICES TO ENSURE ALL CHILDREN ENTER SCHOOL READY TO LEARN. ADDITIONALLY, WE HELP EVERY FAMILY BY CONNECTING THEM TO RESOURCES TO OVERCOME CHALLENGES AND ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS FOR EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT, AND HOUSING. THIS APPROACH PLAYS A TRANSFORMATIVE ROLE ACROSS GENERATIONS. EVERY CHILD COMPLETING A COMPLETE PROGRAM YEAR EXCEEDED THE SCHOOL READINESS GOALS BY 85% IN OVERALL GROWTH IN AREAS OF SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT, LITERACY, MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE AND COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT. CHILDREN ARE SELECTED INTO OUR PROGRAM THROUGH A RATING SYSTEM THAT GIVES PRIORITY TO CHILDREN WHO HAVE A DISABILITY, WHO ARE HOMELESS OR THOSE IN FOSTER CARE. IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19, UWA EHS DEVELOPED A PLAN OF ACTION THAT OUTLINED SPECIFIC STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT OVERALL SAFETY AND WELLNESS OF OUR CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND STAFF. OUR TOP PRIORITIES WERE THE ONGOING EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT NEEDED AS PARENTS WERE ENGAGING WITH THEIR CHILDREN AT HOME, ALONG WITH THE COMMITMENT TO HELPING FAMILIES MEET THEIR BASIC NEED FOR FOOD DURING THESE CHALLENGING TIMES. DURING CENTER CLOSURES, UWA EHS PROVIDED ALL CHILDREN, CENTER-BASED AND HOME BASED WITH A WEEK'S WORTH OF FROZEN, PRE-PACKED HEALTHY MEALS TO INCLUDE BREAKFAST, SNACK, AND LUNCH. THE STAFF CREATED DAILY LESSON PLANS THAT WERE EASY, EFFECTIVE AND ENGAGING, ALLOWING LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT TO CONTINUE WITHIN THE HOME. THE TEAM PROVIDED SUPPLIES NEEDED TO COMPLETE ACTIVITIES IN THE LESSON PLAN AND BOOKS TO HELP BUILD HOME LIBRARIES. THE EHS LEADERSHIP TEAM IDENTIFIED RESOURCES TO EDUCATE OUR PARENTS ON THE PANDEMIC AND HELPED THEM UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF REMINAING SAFE AND HEALTHY.

IN 2020, UNITED WAY OF ACADIANA GRANTED $610,000 TO SUPPORT A TOTAL OF 28 COMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES IN THE FORM OF PACT GRANTS AND OTHER GRANTS THAT FOCUS ON EDUCATION, EARNINGS, AND ESSENTIAL FOCUS AREAS. UNITED WAY OF ACADIANA TARGETS ITS GRANTMAKING TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL ON TIME; TO HELP HARD WORKING, LOW-INCOME FAMILIES BECOME MORE FINANCIALLY STABLE BY BUILDING AND SUSTAINING APPRECIATING ASSETS; AND TO HELP RESIDENTS MEET THEIR BASIC NEEDS AFTER TEMPORARY FINANCIAL SETBACKS OR WIDE-SCALE DISASTER. DOLLY PARTONS IMAGINATION LIBRARY (DPIL) PROVIDES A FREE, NEW, AGE-APPROPRIATE BOOK EACH MONTH TO ENROLLED CHILDREN FROM BIRTH UP TO 5 YEARS OF AGE. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THE BEST WAY TO HELP CHILDREN LEARN TO READ IS TO READ TO THEM; YET MOST HOMES IN POVERTY HAVE ONLY 4 OR FEWER BOOKS. DPIL HELPS FAMILIES GIVE THEIR CHILDREN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT IS RICH IN EDUCATION EXPERIENCES AND ENCOURAGES PARENTS TO SPEND TIME READING WITH THEIR CHILDREN. AS OF AUGUST 2020 MORE THAN 21,000 CHILDREN HAVE BEEN SERVED THROUGH DPIL. IN 2020, THE TOTAL COST OF BOOKS FOR THIS PROGRAM WAS $34,821.UNITED WAY OF ACADIANA IS HELPING TO IMPLEMENT FRANKLIN COVEYS THE LEADER IN ME IN ALL INTERESTED SCHOOLS IN OUR SERVICE AREA. BASED ON STEVEN COVEYS THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE, THE LEADER IN ME IS A SCHOOL-WIDE PROCESS THAT TRANSFORMS THE CULTURE OF THE SCHOOL AND INSTILLS STUDENTS WITH THE KEY SKILLS THAT BUSINESSES AND EDUCATORS HAVE IDENTIFIED AS VITAL FOR SUCCESS IN THE 21ST CENTURY. AS OF SCHOOL YEAR 2019-20, THE LEADER IN ME REACHED STUDENTS IN 67 SCHOOLS IN THE ACADIANA REGION. STUDIES HAVE PROVEN THAT IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LEADER IN ME, EVEN IN HIGH-POVERTY SCHOOLS LEADS TO INCREASED STUDENT ATTENDANCE AND DECREASED DISCIPLINE ISSUES, WITH THE END RESULT BEING HIGHER ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE.UNITED WAY OF ACADIANA FOCUSES ON FOCUSES ON INCREASING AWARENESS OF THE EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT (EITC) AND INCREASING ACCESS TO FREE VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE (VITA). IN 2019, THE VITA SITES MANAGED BY UNITED WAY OF ACADIANA 2,628 PEOPLE CLAIM OVER $1.7 MILLION IN EITC. DONORS TO UWA MAY DESIGNATE THAT THEIR GIFT BE DIRECTED TO A UNITED WAY SERVING ANOTHER COMMUNITY IN LOUISIANA OR ANOTHER STATE OR TO ANY 501(C)3 ORGANIZATION PROVIDED THAT ORGANIZATION MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE USA PATRIOT ACT OF 2011. UWA FORWARDED $767,827 TO OTHER NOT-FOR-PROFITS INCLUDING OTHER UNITED WAYS PER THESE DONOR DESIGNATIONS.

UNITED WAY OF ACADIANAS VISION IS FOR AN EDUCATED, PROSPEROUS AND SAFE ACADIANA WHERE ALL INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES ACHIEVE THEIR POTENTIAL. UNITED WAY OF ACADIANAS MISSION IS TO UNITE PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS WITH PASSION, EXPERTISE AND RESOURCES TO CREATE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR A BETTER LIFE. UWA'S VOLUNTEER CENTER MAINTAINS A BASE OF VOLUNTEERS WHO ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN ACTIVITIES THAT SUPPORT EDUCATION, EARNINGS, AND ESSENTIALS. IN 2020, UNITED WAY OF ACADIANA (IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARISH PROUD) LAUNCHED A VIRTUAL PLATFORM FOR VOLUNTEERING, AND 1,493 PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN DIRECT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES, PROVIDING APPROXIMATELY 7,866 HOURS OF SERVICES. OUR MULTI-TENANT FACILITY ALSO MADE AVAILABLE AT NO CHARGE FOR MEETINGS BY OTHER NON-PROFITS AND IS USED FOR STORAGE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR FOR ITEMS USED IN COLLABORATION WITH OTHER PARTNERS FOR DISASTER RECOVERY, EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS, AND BUILDING SUPPLIES. IT ALLOWS NON-PROFITS TO DEVELOP THEIR OWN CAPACITY TO WORK WITHIN OUR MAIN FOCUS AREA OF EDUCATION, EARNINGS, AND ESSENTIALS THROUGH OCCUPANCY SUPPORT AT BELOW MARKET RATES. IN 2020, UWA TENANTS WERE LAFAYETTE PARISH PUBLIC LIBRARY, AMERICAN RED CROSS, CASA OF SOLA, AND SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK OF GREATER NEW ORLEANS AND ACADIANA.