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Dear Friends:
Giving children a strong start in school has a direct impact on graduation rates, college success, workforce readiness and a community's economic wellbeing. That's why United Way is committed to investing in early childhood development, with a focus on reading proficiency in the primary grades.
But don't just take our word for it. One of our national partners has developed an interactive tool that shows how education levels are linked to key economic and social conditions such as life expectancy and crime rates. It's called the Common Good Forecaster and you can it at www.unitedwaygcr.org.
Click on the image, choose your county and use the sliders to see how conditions change as education levels increase. Try selecting a high school graduation rate of 100%. Or raise the college achievement level and watch how our community improves!
It takes all of us working together to create a strong and healthy future our children. Few investments guarantee such an extraordinary return - because we all benefit from the common good that results when children have what they need to succeed in school and in life.
Your partnership is critical to United Way's work in Education, Income and Health, which are the building blocks for a good quality of life. We would be interested to know the insights you gain and conclusions you draw from using the Common Good Forecaster tool. Please share them with us. Thank you for caring and let's all continue to LIVE UNITED!
Best regards, Kathy Pelham, CEO
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See where the Community Care Fund dollars go
 We recently awarded nearly $2 million from our Community Care Fund to local non-profit programs that demonstrated their effectiveness at meeting our community's critical needs.
For a list of our funded programs for 2011-2012, visit our website.
At the same time, we continue to have conversations across our region to develop a common agenda that will result in new partnerships to achieve measurable community-wide change in the essential areas of education, income and financial stability, and health. We will have more to share about the results of these conversations in the coming months.
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 If you're 55 or over & want to volunteer, look no further! 
Volunteering is a great way to LIVE UNITED. We're happy to bring you an easy way to find the right volunteering opportunity for you. It's called Capital Region RSVP.
RSVP is America's largest volunteer network for people age 55 and over. Join RSVP and you join nearly 500,000 volunteers across the country who are tackling tough issues in their community.
RSVP offers a full range of volunteer opportunities with thousands of local and national organizations. With RSVP, you choose how and where you want to serve. You choose the amount of time you want to give. And you choose whether you want to draw on your skills or develop new ones. In short, you find the opportunity that's right for you.
When you volunteer, you're not just helping others, you're helping yourself. So get involved and join RSVP today! To learn more, contact Capital Region RSVP at (518) 442-5585 or RSVP@albany.edu.
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Love United Way? Love wine and music? Have we got a show for you!
Through a special arrangement, theater-goers/oenophiles can purchase discounted tickets to the upcoming production of "Wine Lovers - The Wine-Tasting Musical," playing at the  Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs August 9 - 21.
When you purchase tickets online using promo code unitedwaygcr, you will receive $6 off your tickets and $10 per ticket will be donated to United Way of the Greater Capital Region. Just enter the promo code before checking out to support United Way and enjoy a great night of wine and theater!
"Wine Lovers - The Wine-Tasting Musical" features Broadway favorites Kristy Cates (Wicked), Bryan McElroy (Jersey Boys) and Jamie Wax (Treme). Holly-Anne Ruggiero (Jersey Boys) directs, with musical direction by Gary Negbaur and choreography by Holly Cruz (Seussical). This unique show, in which audiences drink six glasses of wine during the 70-minute musical, has been beloved by audiences since 2007, when it premiered at the Triad Theatre in New York City.
To purchase tickets or learn more, click here . |
| Watch some of the world's most talented female golfers & get discounted admission as a United Way supporter
Mayor Gerald D. Jennings is proud to host the Price Chopper Tour Championship at the Capital Hills at Albany Golf Course. In the seven years that the LPGA FUTURES Tour has held a tournament at Capital Hills, we have seen many of the golfers who have played here go on to have tremendous success on the LPGA Tour.
The top ten money earners on the LPGA FUTURES money list will receive their 2012 LPGA Cards right here in Albany at the end of the Price Chopper Tour Championship!
Whether you are a lifelong golfer or just starting out, this event gives you and your family and friends the opportunity to see a great tournament up close. Come on out for the weekend of September 9th-11th.
Print this page and bring it to the gate at the event and receive the following discounts:
- 1-day admission pass - $5 (regularly $10)
- 3-day tournament pass - $15 (regularly $25)
- Family 4-pack / any group of four - $20 (regularly $30)
- Children under 15 are FREE!
To learn more about the tournament, including opportunities to volunteer, go to www.pricechoppertourchampionship.com
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Your Donations At Work:
Angela, Daniel and Peter
Your donations through United Way of the Greater Capital Region are at work every day, making life better for people and families in our community. This story, from our friends at Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region, a United Way-funded program, shows how your donations have made a big change in one family's life:
Angela* is a single mother who enrolled her son Daniel, in Big Brothers Big Sisters when Daniel was 13. He was matched up with Big Brother Peter. Daniel is now 18 and graduated from high school in June 2011.
Angela recently thanked Big Brother Peter with helping Daniel to become the young man he is today. "Peter has been wonderful," she says. "It was a perfect match from the first time Paul visited us. They hit it off right away. Whatever the best, positive things are about Big Brothers Big Sisters, Peter gave it to us.
"I don't have a man in the house," Angela continued, "And there was a lot of discussion that I as a woman couldn't have with Daniel. It has made Daniel a better person.
"Boys need a man to spend time with them," she says. "It has helped Daniel not miss his father as much. It has helped develop Daniel into the man that he is - and he's really a good kid.
"You gotta have faith in something," Angela concludes. "I took a chance, and the chance paid off. One of the things I like the best about you is that you check to see how things are going periodically. You didn't leave us on our own. That is really wonderful."
*All names have been changed for client confidentiality. |
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Five Second Survey
What are the most important factors in helping young kids succeed in school? Click here and tell us!
Last time, we asked: What are the biggest issues facing kids today? Click here to see what people had to say! Special thanks to all who participated.
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Support United Way during August at Price Chopper!
During August, you can support United Way at any Price Chopper store.
Just buy special $1 United Way pin-ups from any Price Chopper associate. Price Chopper will donate 100% of the price of each pin-up sold to United Way's local Community Care Fund. It's an easy way to show your support for United Way and for local people and families when they need help most.
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Young Leaders, a United Way of the Greater Capital Region program, educates, inspires and motivates professionals aged 40 and younger to become the next generation of leaders, volunteers and philanthropists.
Young Leaders encourages professionals to be educated about the community, identify opportunities for United Way activity, and lead solutions.
Click here to learn more about UWGCR's Young Leaders program.
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