United Way of Greater Cincinnati

🌟 What an evening! Thank you to everyone who joined us for the second Tocqueville Leaders Exchange, which featured an inspiring conversation with Jeff Berding, President & Co-CEO of FC Cincinnati and President of FCC Enterprise!

Moira Weir, United Way President & CEO, kicked off the evening, followed by an insightful conversation with Jeff. He recounted his journey with FC Cincinnati, his deep community roots as a fifth-generation Cincinnatian and the team’s values-centered approach to success through its three core values: a family-friendly team, a winning product and making an impact in the community by giving back. Above all, Jeff emphasized the importance of embracing change, growth and the call to “be more, together.”

A big thank you to our sponsor, UC Health, and a special thanks to Katrina English for the welcome remarks! Your support makes these events possible.

🥂 Cheers to continued conversations and collaborations! And thank you to all who contributed to the evening’s success.

| ⚾ Throughout July, United Way & RCC honored organizations fighting poverty and hunger across Greater Cincinnati. We were proud to spotlight two amazing organizations at the July 31 Cincinnati Reds vs. Cubs game!

Matthew 25 Ministries 🌍 provides basic necessities, nutritional supplements, educational materials, microenterprise supplies and disaster relief across the US and globally. Learn more at m25m.org.

Whole Again 🍽️ partners with organizations to provide meals and enrichment programs for youth facing challenges. Learn more at whole-again.org.

A portion of the proceeds from the game helped reduce childhood hunger in Cincinnati. Thank you to everyone who participated and supported these vital organizations.

United we thrive! ❤️

🎤✨ Meet Jori An Cotton! From sharing her poetry at The Greenwich jazz club to starting Voices of Healing Workshops, Jori's journey is about empowering women and girls to find their voices.

Thanks to a mini-grant, she's expanding her creative wellness workshops for self-care and self-expression.

Read the full story: https://bit.ly/bew-mini-fb

📢 Hailey Barr, UWGC’s Public Policy and Advocacy Manager, recently attended United Way Worldwide’s and in Washington, D.C.

United Way colleagues from across the nation convened to present our organization’s critical legislative needs to Congress: supporting the HELP Act, reauthorizing the Farm Bill, and expanding the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit.

Read the full recap here: https://bit.ly/uww-hb

Cultivating Collaboration: United Way Worldwide’s 2024 Advocacy Forum & Capitol Hill Day UWGC Public Policy and Advocacy Manager recounts recent trip to D.C. for United Way Worldwide's 2024 Advocacy Forum.

You Can Help Families on the Path to Financial Stability - Cincinnati Magazine Donate to United Way of Greater Cincinnati to support programs like Project LIFT.

🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Meet LeAmber and her children, EmaLynn and Lillian. Thanks to generous donors, their family found success through early education programs. With COVID-19 lowering kindergarten readiness by 23%, your support is crucial!

Donate today to support programs such as Success By 6® and help change that statistic: https://bit.ly/edsuccess2024

Thanks to one of our longstanding faith-based partners, Legacy Pointe Church, we distributed over 500 backpacks and 100 dental kits this past Saturday at Silverton Elementary School. The community event was a fantastic success, featuring Kona Ice, health screenings, bounce houses for the kids AND a DJ to keep the energy high. 🎶

Seeing these smiling faces reminds us why we do what we do – thanks to the support of many!

| Announcing grantees from the GE Aerospace Foundation Future of Manufacturing Fund:

- 🦺 AMIP's Manufacturing Education Expansion Initiative: Engaging future manufacturing workers in high schools and expanding career development in Clermont County.

- 🚧 Cincinnati Youth Collaborative’s Advanced Manufacturing Career Pathway Program: Enhancing program reach with more enrollments, graduates and job placements.

- ⚙️ Great Oaks Career Campuses Adult Education’s Operation CNC and Advanced Manufacturing: Raising awareness about CNC and advanced manufacturing careers.

- 🧰 LEAD Training’s Manufacturing Workforce Initiative: Expanding programs to local schools, offering career coaching and presenting STEM workshops.

- 🧱 Learning Grove’s NaviGo College and Career Prep: Scaling programs to support youth in exploring manufacturing careers.

We were thrilled to convene with the grantees and continue to build on this work. The Future of Manufacturing Fund, funded by the GE Aerospace Foundation, supports organizational efforts to replicate successful practices, forge partnerships to test and scale proven solutions, and inject capacity and rigor into the Greater Cincinnati ecosystem.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/ge-unitedway

📸: Tasha Pinelo Photography

🎉 United Way is proud to announce our 2024-2025 funded community partners! View the full list here: https://bit.ly/partners2425

These 81 amazing organizations help drive economic well-being across our region. With a nearly $11.3 million investment, we're supporting work that leads to positive change in the crucial areas of educational success, financial empowerment and housing security.

"These trusted community partners play a pivotal role in our transformational work," says Moira Weir, UWGC President and CEO. "Their insights help families build foundations that last for generations."

Join us in celebrating this incredible network of changemakers. For more partnership opportunities, subscribe to our newsletter and check out our nonprofit portal: https://bit.ly/np-portal

Social service needs have surged since the pandemic. Urge Congress to Support the : https://bit.ly/mustr-help

The HELP Act strengthens 211 and 988 to connect people to vital resources. This legislation is critical to securing funding for .

🌟 Use your voice—it takes just seconds!

Thanks to the dedication of our corporate partner First Commonwealth Bank, a true difference has been made in the lives of local children and pets in need in our community!

Through their recent day of service, we achieved the following results:

🐶👧 300 children and 75 pets impacted
👏 14 volunteers
⏳ 28 hours

At United Way, we work to make positive changes in our community so that everyone can thrive – but we couldn’t do it without volunteers. The day’s efforts put books in the hands of local children through the Queen City Book Bank and helped local pets remain calm and socialized while waiting for their forever home with Cincinnati Animal CARE.

Become a volunteer today: https://www.uwgc.org/get-involved

📣 Campaign Jumpstart #2 is in the books! This year’s campaign co-chair, Steve Davis, President and CEO of Cincinnati Children's, inspired business leaders to gear up for the Community Campaign.

💡 Key takeaways:
- : Your participation fuels transformative change.
- : Together, we are building a stronger, more vibrant region.

His insights highlighted the crucial role we all play in enhancing community health and vitality. Special thanks to Dr. Davis and fellow co-chair Debbie Hayes for their leadership and dedication. And thank you to all our corporate partners for being ambassadors of action!

🚀 Ready to take your campaign to the next level? Join us for Campaign Momentum at TQL stadium Aug. 22: https://bit.ly/uwgc-tql

Elevate your efforts by learning about best campaign practices + snag some fantastic campaign incentives!

🎒 Back-to-school shopping is an exciting time for young students, but it can be a financial strain for many families. That's why United Way is proud to partner with amazing community supporters like Kroger to help ease the burden.

This year, Kroger Health generously donated 169 backpacks to , continuing their tradition of support. We had the pleasure of welcoming Kroger Health team members Chase Dye, Rachel DiVincenzo, Meggen Brown and Doug Cornelius for the drop-off!

Thanks to the generous contributions of many, we've reached our goal of 2,500 backpacks! We're now close to meeting our supplies goal and need your help to finish strong. Donate today: https://bit.ly/B4S2024

Thank you for ensuring families have the resources needed to thrive!

⚾ This July, Cincinnati Reds Country Cares is spotlighting organizations fighting poverty and hunger across Greater Cincinnati. We were proud to honor St. Vincent de Paul - Cincinnati and Freestore Foodbank at the July 10 game!

🏥 SVDP: For more than 150 years, St. Vincent de Paul has been helping our neighbors throughout the region. It is a network of neighbors building a better world. The organization operates 11 neighborhood-based food pantries, a pharmacy that provides free medication, an outreach center dedicated to preventing homelessness and more.

🍎 FSFB: Freestore Foodbank’s mission is to improve lives by eliminating hunger. To achieve this vision, the organization aims to provide nutritious food, connect community to support services and offer a pathway from crisis to stability.

🥫 Special thanks to Jamie Carr, Foundation Program Manager at Kroger, for joining the on-field recognition. United, we can !

Reminder: 📢 Complete the survey for a chance to win a $50 gift card!

United Way, in partnership with LISC Greater Cincinnati, is conducting a survey to understand your community priorities and changes over time.

🗓️ Deadline to participate: August 31. Take the survey here: https://bit.ly/UWGCsurvey

📍 If you live, work and/or own a business in our nine-county service area, we want to hear from you:

- Hamilton, Brown, and Clermont counties in Southwest Ohio
- Boone, Campbell, Grant, and Kenton counties in Northern Kentucky
- Dearborn and Ohio counties in Southeast Indiana

Your feedback is crucial in shaping our efforts and investments. Thank you!

🎒 July Update: We've reached our goal of 2,500 backpacks thanks to our amazing partners and volunteers – but we're not done yet! We still need these supplies to fill the backpacks:

🖍️ Crayons
✂️ Glue sticks
✏️ Index cards

Can you help? Visit https://bit.ly/B4S2024 to donate.

🚙 🛣️ We were thrilled to host Groundwork Ohio’s Southwest stop on the !

Our community came together to discuss critical issues in early childhood education + maternal and infant health. A special thank you to Moira Weir, our President and CEO, for the warm welcome and to everyone who participated.

This event underscored our community’s shared commitment to ensuring individuals and families in Greater Cincinnati thrive. UWGC is dedicated to advocating for high-quality, affordable and accessible child care.

Visit https://bit.ly/SB6-UWGC to learn about our ® initiative.

Jim Scott was a Cincinnati legend, known for his voice and his heart. On and off the air, he was a constant advocate for our community, reminding us to make it a caring place. As a long-time United Way board member and volunteer, he pushed us to be better and help more people.

Jim used his radio show to publicize community events and was often seen volunteering and emceeing United Way fundraisers. He believed deeply in the importance of building community.

We honor Jim's legacy and his unwavering commitment to making Greater Cincinnati a better place for all.

📣 We’re thrilled to announce that United Way is partnering with 211 LA County to launch new and improved technology to better respond to the 55,000+ requests for help we receive each year!

“The 211 team is excited to unite on an innovative platform to improve call handling and community service,” said Amy Story, UWGC Director of Community Connections. “Our adaptable, compassionate staff now have nimble technology to support our direct service efforts and growth!”

The transition to CareSuite will replace our current 211 system, allowing us to implement both existing and new programs on a unified, efficient platform. This partnership marks a first for Los Angeles County’s 211 system and supports new opportunities for UWGC revenue streams, including the expansion of our 211 footprint.

As one of the largest information and referral services in the nation, 211 LA assists about 500,000 individuals and families annually and is renowned for its leadership. We were honored to have their talented team on-site for the implementation and rollout! 🌟

: 🎨 Cincinnati was recently crowned No. 1 on USA TODAY's 2024 list of Top 10 Cities for Best Street Art! ArtsWave is the primary way Cincy funds its award-winning creativity.

UWGC is incredibly proud to call this vibrant region home. During United Way’s ArtsWave campaign last week, our team raised more than $13,000 to !

🧑‍🎨 Encouraging creative expression fosters a thriving community.

You Can Help United Way Support Students Now - Cincinnati Magazine The Backpacks for Success program ensures Greater Cincinnati kids are ready to learn by giving them the supplies they need.

⚾🎗️ To close out , we were honored to recognize the The Dragonfly Foundation as part of the Cincinnati Reds Country Cares Program.

The Dragonfly Foundation provides heartfelt support and comfort services to cancer patients and their families. By offering a sense of community, they ensure no one feels alone during their cancer journey. Learn more at dragonfly.org.

United, we can fight to !

We were honored to be part of the recent Juneteenth Panel Discussion hosted by Findlay Market! This event featured four Black community leaders who shared their personal experiences and insights on what this important holiday means to them.

The panel, moderated by Kai Stoudemire-Williams, Founder of Black Is Excellence and former UWGC Black Empowerment Works grantee, offered a deep dive into the cultural and historical impact of Juneteenth. Guests engaged in guided discussions with the panelists, fostering a rich exchange of ideas and perspectives.

Special shout-out to the distinguished panelists:

✨ Jeremiah Pennebaker - Sr. Associate for Black-Led Social Change at United Way
✨ Jena Bradley - Director of Community Partnerships for bi3 (and United Way alum!)
✨ David Oxner III - Founder of EightTwenty Media, Regional Sales Manager for BSN Sports
✨ Brittani Gray - Founder & CEO of Girls Health Period

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to the meaningful conversations!

💡 We kicked off our brand-new Tocqueville event series, Leaders Exchange, with a terrific conversation featuring Tim Spence, Chairman, President and CEO of Fifth Third Bank, and Moira Weir, President and CEO of United Way of Greater Cincinnati.

Tim shared his insights on fostering community relationships and the importance of philanthropy and corporate social responsibility. He highlighted how partnering with organizations like UWGC helps Fifth Third break down barriers in banking to promote financial inclusion. And he pointed out the importance of bringing critical services directly to the communities that need them the most and approaching challenges holistically.

As one of our top , Fifth Third is a longtime supporter of Greater Cincinnati and remains committed to making a positive community impact across the region; in Tim’s words, “doing well by doing good.”

Thank you to everyone who attended and made the evening a success! Learn more at uwgc.org/tocqueville.

🎉 Don't miss out! The application for closes Sunday!

Join United Way's one-year leadership program empowering Black community leaders to create impactful solutions in Greater Cincinnati.

Ready to make a difference?

📅 Apply: uwgc.org/champions
📱 Text “Champion” to 51555 to apply via mobile
📧 Email: [email protected]
📞 Call: Andraya Mays at 513-762-7118

A special thank you to Fidelity Investments for its sponsorship!

Continuously inspired by our team! 👏 Nice work, Jeremiah.

This past weekend, we were lucky to host Jeremiah Pennebaker at our Juneteenth Panel and Group Discussion. He currently serves on the Black Led Social Change team at United Way of Greater Cincinnati focusing on uplifting the Black community and marginalized groups. Passionate about fighting corruption and promoting equity, Jeremiah is driven by the belief that everyone deserves a fair chance to thrive. Support Jeremiah’s work by supporting United Way of Greater Cincinnati and their ongoing work surrounding housing security, financial empowerment, and educational success.

https://www.uwgc.org/

🎒 Update: Thanks to our generous partners and volunteers, we're so close to our goal! 🙌 However, our greatest need is now school supplies. ✏️ Can you help us fill the backpacks?

Visit https://bit.ly/B4S2024 to donate.

Share how you feel about your community! UWGC has partnered with LISC Greater Cincinnati to conduct a survey to better understand your priorities and how the community has changed over time.

📢 Complete the survey and enter a drawing to win a $50 gift card! Winners will be notified monthly from June-August.

🗓️ Take the survey before Aug. 31: https://bit.ly/UWGCsurvey (disponible en Español)

📍 If you live, work, or own a business in our nine-county service area, we want to hear from you:

- Hamilton, Brown, and Clermont counties in Southwest Ohio
- Boone, Campbell, Grant, and Kenton counties in Northern Kentucky
- Dearborn and Ohio counties in Southeast Indiana

Your feedback helps drive our work and investments. Thank you!

Happy , Cincinnati! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️