 In this issue:
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Newly Funded Programs Take the Initiative to Get Area Children Ready
On April 16th, United Way of Central Virginia announced the recipients of its Education Readiness Initiative Grants to programs that plan to significant affect the readiness of area children and to help UWCV achieve its goal of 90% third grade reading proficiency in Central Virginia by 2025. Over $2.7 million in funds were requested, and for the first year of these exceptional programs, the following was awarded: $21,600 to Appomattox Literacy Intervention Project, $23,466 to Campbell County Public Library Foundation (CCPLF), and $121,600 to HumanKind.
Appomattox Literacy Intervention Project will purchase books for their book buses (Spot and Dot) that visit preschool age children; initiate new programs that will support parents in their most important role, parenting - including funds for the highly-ranked, evidence-based program, The Incredible Years; and support local child care centers to improve by becoming a part of the Virginia Star Quality Initiative (VSQI), as well as additional materials for programs already rated to further enhance the preschool centers and training of the educators.
The Campbell County Public Library Foundation (CCPLF) proposes to expand its current successful early literacy programs in the most impoverished areas of Campbell County (primarily the Brookneal and Altavista communities) through extended and mobile programming and wifi connectivity. Programs to be funded include 1000 Books by Kindergarten; expansion of their Lunch@YourLibrary, a summer feeding program; BookMates, aCCPLF-exclusive program that will provide education materials to be kept by families (a collection of books for the home as well as parenting materials); lunches and dinners are provided at these workshops, as well as speakers and child care, and Gus the Bus/Mobile Outreach services where a literacy bus will be equipped with a mobile hot spot so that technology may be utilized while visiting locations to provide services and also to serve as a bookmobile delivery and check out service for these communities.
In collaboration with Lynchburg City Schools, HumanKind will offer, "Bridging the Achievement Gap: Connecting Families to Schools through Home Visiting", where HumanKind home visitors will be paired with families of pre-K students identified by LCS as at risk for not meeting kindergarten readiness standards. Currently, there is no other home visiting program in the Central Virginia region that enrolls pre-school aged children.
All programs are slated to begin July 2015 and proposed to be renewed for funding for two additional years. Congratulations to these wonderful programs!
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DOC is Only 14 Days Away!
| Join us on May 20th for Central Virginia's largest volunteer event, Day of Caring. This year we have 100 teams compiled of 40 local businesses joining together to complete over 100 projects for 40 local non-profits. This amounts to over 4,000 total volunteer hours in a single day! We still have over 50 projects that have not been taken, so sign your company up today!
 Volunteers this year will not only get lunch and a t-shirt, but will automatically be entered to win great prizes like Fitbits and Ipads, courtesy of Centra Health Rehabilitation Center and Beacon Credit Union. During the stadium lunch which is generously provided by Sodexo, we will have great entertainment... so please join us for this wonderful event that serves the community of Central Virginia!
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Red Nose Day
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Red Nose Day is a campaign dedicated to raising money for children and young people living in poverty by simply having fun and making people laugh. Created by Comic Relief, Inc., Red Nose Day has been Britain's #1 fundraising telethon for 30 years, and on May 21st, 2015, the United States will have its first ever Red Nose Day. People across the country will come together to have fun and raise funds and awareness and the day's events will culminate in a three-hour entertainment TV special on NBC featuring the country's favorite comedians, musicians and Hollywood stars - it's a show not to be missed!
The proceeds will benefit 12 nonprofit organizations around the world dedicated to helping children in poverty, and United Way Worldwide is honored to be one of these beneficiaries. Most of the funds for United Way are designated to support Grade Level Reading and are to be released through a request for proposal process. United Way of Central Virginia has applied for this grant to be a possible recipient for its Education Readiness Initiative. Show your support for us and Red Nose Day by wearing your red noses (official Red Nose for the event are available  at Walgreens) and sending us a photo here! For more information or to donate to this wonderful organization, visit
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TED Talks
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Saturday, May 9, 2015
8:00am-9:00am
The White Hart Cafe
Jane Fonda: Life's Third Act
Within this generation, an extra 30 years have been added to our life expectancy--and these years aren't just a footnote or a pathology. In this talk, actor and activist Jane Fonda asks how we can think about this new phase of our lives.
TED is a nonprofit organization that features internationally-renowned speakers discussing topics in the areas of Technology, Entertainment, and Design. TED Talks are short video recordings of these discussions.
New TED Talk topics will be chosen each month and moderated by United Way staff or other members of the community. Round table discussion follows.
These talks are free and open to the public. Participants are welcome to purchase the White Hart Cafe's delicious beverages and breakfast items at the Saturday morning sessions.
Registration is not required, but appreciated. For more information, contact Tabitha Abbott or like us on Facebook.
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What a Relief!
| It was a great night at Phase 2 on a rainy April day! Over 500 hungry people showed up to sample great cuisine from over 40 local restaurants at this year's 24th Annual Lynchburg Cooks for Hunger Relief. Benefiting agencies Bedford Christian Ministries, Lynchburg Daily Bread and Central Virginia Alliance for Community Living (CVACL) will be sharing the $16,100 raised this year at the event.
We'd like to thank all of our sponsors: County Waste, Campbell Insurance, PFG-Virginia Food Service, Phase 2, RRS Food Service, Sysco Food Service, US Food Service and WSET/ ABC-13. This event takes the work of many- with over 75 volunteers this year! Stay tuned for our 25th Annual event next year! Be sure to check out our Facebook page for more photos!
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Here Comes Peter Cottontail
|  Who's that hoppin' down the bunny trail? It's Tabitha Abbott, UWCV Director of Marketing & Special Events! She showed up in costume for the Community Easter Egg Hunt for the Challenged on Good Friday, April 3rd, at Altavista's English Park. This annual event is held for people with intellectual and physical challenges of any age and from anywhere. The Easter Bunny made sure to stop and give a hug or a piece of candy to all the smiling faces, and as you can see, she even gave out high fives!
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This month's newsletter issponsored by one of our 
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United Way Initiatives
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Need a referral? Have a question about services in your area? Call 2-1-1. It's the non-emergency answer to 9-1-1.
Get Connected is an easy-to-use web-based platform that matches the right donors, advocates, and volunteers with the right opportunities in our neighborhoods. Use Get Connected to find ways to give your unused materials and household items to agencies in need of donations, advocate for causes that require your passionate voice, and volunteer your time in ways that make a real difference. Sign up HERE.
Is your passion working to improve the quality of care and education for children from birth until kindergarten? That's the Smart Beginnings mission, and they do it well!
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Stay up-to-date with all the great things happening in our community and share photos and stories of your United Way fun!
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Young Leaders Society
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Join the YLS!
Visit our website
to learn more about how you can join forces with your peers to make a difference in our community!
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