Salina Area United Way

Issue 8

August 2015

THANKS, SALINA!

...for voting Salina Area United Way as a Salina Journal Reader's Choice Finalist!

Back To School Fair

The Annual Saline County Back To School Fair was held July 31 at Lakewood Middle School. Thank you to the volunteers and organizations who participated!

Check It Out!

Curious about the effects of poverty on a child? Read this article. Looking for some literary resources to get your child ready for school again? Click here. Interested in learning or creating awareness about human trafficking? See what United Way Worldwide is doing to combat this form of slavery.

Click here to see what's been happening at SAUW!

RAWR Summer 2015 Summary

For 8 weeks this summer SAUW staff and volunteers met up at 3 local elementary schools to interact, read with, and give books to local youth, ranging in age from birth to 18. We had a fantastic time getting to know volunteers and kids alike. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make Raising Active, Wild Readers a RAWR-ing success!

Final numbers from the program...

147 volunteer slots were filled by 51 volunteers who spent a collective 73.5 hours reading to local kids. On days SAUW was at the schools, adults were given a free meal as well, totaling 332 free lunches for parents and caregivers. Finally, after the kids were read to and ate lunch, they got to take home a free book, with 1,292 free books being given out in total.

See you next summer!

Want to try something new this fall? Flip through the Salina Public Library's CLASS catalog online!

Spotlight on Education in Kansas

State-by-state, Kansas looks to fare well when it comes to education. As of 2015, Kansas ranks as number 12 out of the 50 United States. What does that mean, exactly? Our state is in the top quarter when it comes to a compilation of high school graduation rates, 4th grade reading proficiency, children attending preschool, and 8th grade math proficiency. (current KIDS COUNT data.)
This is all sounds great but when you look at the numbers for Kansas, 56% of eligible children are not attending preschool. 11% of all high school students are not graduating on time. 60% of 8th graders are not proficient in math, and 62% of 4th graders are not proficient in reading. That being said, what can we as individuals, businesses, parents and community members do to change these numbers? There is no wrong answer to this question. How about mentoring a local youth through Big Brothers Big Sisters? Or volunteering with the closest elementary school? Even reading just 15 minutes a day with a child has been proven to affect their performance in and out of school. Take action today and improve our numbers.

Not Goodbye, Just 'See ya Later'

I write this passage on my last day here at Salina Area United Way. I have decided to further pursue my education at Wichita State University, which I will be attending in August. For over 2 years I have been #blessed with being able to grow my professional self in this position. It has truly been a pleasure to work with the Salina community. Getting to know how different organizations and businesses work, and meeting people of all different backgrounds has been a fantastic experience. Thank you for making my time here so great- I leave with a smile because of all the wonderful volunteers, donors, advocates and friends I now know! Keep "Strengthening Our Community"- I know I will be!
All The Best, Ruth Vernon

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