United Way of Central Florida

Thank you to Duke Energy for their donation, helping us feed the residents of Avon Park and to the volunteers from Hands for Homeless Inc. at our Union Church healthy food pantry for making this food distribution possible!

Join us every first and third Thursday at 9:30 a.m. (106 N. Butler Ave., Avon Park) or check uwcf.org/food for one of our other 19 locations around Polk, Highlands and Hardee Counties.

Today, we mourn the loss of Sarah McKay, a cherished member of our United Way family and an unwavering champion for our community for over eight decades, serving on the United Way board of directors and as an Alexis de Tocqueville Leadership Giving Association member.

Sarah's legacy of generosity and commitment to building a stronger community will forever inspire us. From her early days canvassing neighborhoods to her trailblazing leadership roles, she truly lived a life dedicated to service, making a difference in the lives of others and shattering glass ceilings along the way. View our full tribute to the ‘Great Floridian’, Sarah McKay: https://uwcf.org/sarah_mckay/

Thank you, Sarah McKay, for showing us what it means to . ❤️

Thank you, Heart of Florida United Way for hosting us at the Orlando Pride game last week! What a fun night to share with all of our United Way friends in the area and be reminded of the incredible impact we have on our state!

Transforming lives through the power of horses! 🐎

At United Way of Central Florida, we're proud to support services at Heartland Horses Equine Activities & Learning, Inc. Their incredible horse therapy programs are making a real difference for children and adults in with mental, physical, emotional, or developmental disabilities. ❤️

Learn more about our health initiative services at uwcf.org/health

Volunteers needed at The Carol Jenkins Barnett United Way Children's Resource Center for the VITA program!

On September 12, United Way of Central Florida held it's annual Highlands County Celebration hosted by Alan & Crystal at the home of Alan Jay Wildstein.

UWCF acknowledged top supporters, pacesetters, partner agencies and donors and awarded Campaign Coordinator of the Year (Melisa Crews), Volunteer of the Year (Chad Warrick) and Citizen of the Year (Dr. David E. Willey).

Thanks to the event, we were able to raise nearly $3,000, closing the funding gap for End Hunger in Highlands County and ensuring all three healthy food pantries receive the support they need.

There is incredible work being done in Highlands County!

Mulberry Community Service Center's Personal Finance Center administers the UWCF's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program and they need greeters and preparers for the upcoming tax season! Training is provided free of charge, so you will be confident and competent in your ability to prepare simple tax returns.

In early October tax preparation sites and schedules are created. Volunteers commit one day (about five hours) a week for 11 weeks during tax season. There is two 4-hour trainings in Nov/Dec and sites open for tax season the last week of January 2025 through the first week of April 2025.

If you are interested in volunteering please email Bobby Ramkarran at [email protected].

We love seeing the impact being made in Highlands County! Thank you Highlands News-Sun for this great article on the UWCF-funded services available in Highlands County.

https://www.midfloridanewspapers.com/highlands_sun/united-way-programs-make-a-positive-impact-on-highlands-county/article_6c019212-5ebc-11ef-92a7-a3d576b1a2c0.html

🧡 Our team is all in for Hunger Action Month! We're committed to fighting hunger and ensuring everyone in our community has access to nutritious food.

You can help! Volunteer and spread the word. Help raise awareness by wearing orange and using the hashtag on social media Saturday, September 14. Or get involved by volunteering at one of the twenty local healthy food pantries! https://ow.ly/scv150Tl9jJ

Together, we can make a difference!

We love our ReadingPals volunteers! Learn more about the program at uwcf.org/readingpals 💚

With a strong program to support them, ReadingPals volunteers at United Way of Central Florida are confident when going into the classroom!

Make an impact in a child’s life by volunteering too. Visit the link below for more details.

🌐: bit.ly/readingpalsf

On Saturday, Sept 7, Highlands County cut the ribbon on their new United Way Born Learning trail. The trail was sponsored by Leadership Highlands and done in partnership with Champion for Children Foundation of Highlands County, Inc. and Sun 'n Lake of Sebring Recreation Complex to honor community member, Tim Lind, who passed away in February 2024.

Born Learning trails consists of signs and activities out in nature to help children and their caregivers engage with each other and their surroundings.

Thank you, Highlands News-Sun, for your article on the trail: https://www.midfloridanewspapers.com/highlands_news-sun/born-learning-trail-opens-in-sun-n-lake-named-after-tim-lind/article_bf7347c8-6c5a-11ef-bfb2-6fd93e934828.html

9/8 marks the inaugural 988 Day! This annual event is dedicated to spreading awareness of the 988 Su***de & Crisis Lifeline and emphasizing the importance of mental health support.

The 988 Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States.

Use to share how the is about “No Judgment. Just Help.”

***dePreventionMonth

Please join us in extending warm birthday wishes to State Attorney Brian Haas, the esteemed Chair of our Board of Directors at United Way of Central Florida! 🎉

Brian, who also serves as the State Attorney for the State Attorney's Office, 10th Judicial Circuit, has been an integral part of our organization since 2017. His leadership on our Governance Committee, as well as his role as Board Secretary, have been instrumental in guiding our mission.

In 2022, Brian and his wife were honored as our Philanthropists of the Year, a testament to their unwavering dedication to creating positive change in our community.

Brian, we are incredibly grateful for your tireless commitment and leadership. Your contributions to United Way of Central Florida have been invaluable. Wishing you a happy birthday filled with joy and continued success! 🎂

Join us in wishing Brian Norris, a valued member of our Highlands County Advisory Board and UWCF Board of Directors, a very happy birthday! Brian's commitment to our Leadership Giving Association and his passion for making a difference are truly inspiring.

We're so glad to have you on the team. 🎉

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." - Dr. Seuss

Be the one to open up a world of possibilities for a child in Fort Meade or Haines City. Become a ReadingPal today! Learn more at uwcf.org/readingpals

🎉 Join us for a night of celebration in Highlands County! 🎉

Mark your calendars for Thursday, September 12th, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., as we gather to recognize the incredible impact of our community partners and kick off the 2024 campaign!

✨ Enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres and valet parking at the beautiful home of Alan Jay Wildstein.

RSVP by September 5th as space is limited! 👉 uwcf.org/hcc

✨Meet Alex*, an 11 year old student in Highlands County!

As with many students, Alex experienced a loss of learning through the months of the 2020 global pandemic school shutdowns. Alex's math learning and subsequent test grades showed ups and downs, as evidenced by the metrics that are collected from quarterly report cards. He was placed in a math tutoring group with Miss Hipps, one of the team of enrichment paraprofessionals at the Boys & Girls Club of Highlands County. The intervention strategy worked, resulting in improved learning and a big change in his math scores and academics, overall.

"Because of my tutor, Miss Bree, and the Project Learn time I can spend with her, I feel better about my
grades and better about being with my friends at school and at Boys & Girls Club. My teacher was
proud of me bringing up my math grade, and that made me feel that I can do anything I want to." -Alex

*Likeness changed to protect identity.

Like grandmother, like granddaughter! ❤️ Back in 2006, Janet Deal was leading our Parent Lending Library program. Today, her granddaughter Makenna is carrying on the tradition, working with the same program! 📚 This is what looks like - generations coming together to make a difference in our community!

🎉 We're kicking off the 2024 United Way Campaign! 🎉

Friday morning's Campaign Celebration Breakfast was a huge success! Over 100 business leaders and campaign coordinators joined us to set our sights on raising $13,393,014.87 for our community! 🚀

Big thanks to our amazing guest panel: John Williams (City of Lakeland, FL - Government), Jeanette Crowley (Polk County Public Schools), and Megan Donley (Citizens Bank & Trust) for sharing their insights on running a workplace campaign! 👏

And a HUGE congratulations to our 2023 award winners:

🏆 Outstanding Campaigns: Rodda Construction, Itw Professional Automotive Products and Polk County Clerk of Courts
🏆 Campaign Coordinator of the Year: Virginia Bermeo (Talbot House Ministries of Lakeland)
🏆 Spirit of Central Florida: Saddle Creek Logistics Services (led by Valerie Rodriguez)

Let's make this the best campaign yet!

📣 HUGE shoutout to Citizens Bank & Trust for being a top supporter of United Way of Central Florida! 🙌 We had a blast spreading the good vibes with some positive picketing at their location on Tuesday. Your commitment as a is truly making a difference in our community! 💙

✨ We're honored to have been a finalist for 501c3 of the Year at last week's Highlands News-Sun Highlander Awards! 🎉 Huge congratulations to Heartland Coalition for The Homeless on their well-deserved win! 👏

We're proud to be part of such a vibrant and impactful nonprofit community in Highlands County.

1,522 reasons to celebrate! 🎉 That's how many children in Highlands County were impacted by United Way of Central Florida's $97,688 investment in education programs last year.

Learn more about our Highlands County partners and UWCF-funded services at https://uwcf.org/highland-county-services/partners/

Thank you ABC Action News - WFTS - Tampa Bay for sharing a story about the need for ReadingPals volunteers! https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-polk/reading-volunteers-needed-to-help-students-read-at-grade-level-in-polk-county

Are you interested in becoming a ReadingPal? Learn more at uwcf.org/ReadingPals

Reading volunteers needed to help students read at grade level in Polk County ReadingPals is an early literacy initiative by United Way of Central Florida that provides volunteer mentors for students who are struggling.