Valley of the Sun United Way, Phoenix, AZ Videos

Happy National Read a Book Day! 📚✨ Reading is fundamental to a child's success in school and in life. Our partners Make Way for Books make it easy to incorporate reading everyday in your child's life with the Story School Program. Together, we are working together to close opportunity gaps to increase 3rd grade reading proficiency by 25%.

International Literacy Day
📙 Valley of the Sun United Way is proud to celebrate #InternationalLiteracyDay! Reading is the foundation to success! We're fighting to increase 3rd grade reading proficiency by 25% in Maricopa County. Learn more about our strategies and how you can get involved at vsuw.org/mightychange 💪

Stories of Mighty Change: Monique's Story
🎥 Child care is one of the biggest expenses families face. In 2022, Valley of the Sun United Way, First Things First, and the City of Phoenix, AZ USA came together to launch the City of Phoenix Airport Workers Child Care Scholarship Program. The program helps offset early child care costs while allowing employees to select any facility in Maricopa County that has met or exceeded the standards of First Things First's Quality First program (3-5 stars). ✨ Hear from Monique on how the program lifted the burden of finding high-quality child care while still being able to provide for her family. 🔗 To learn more about the scholarship program, and to see if you qualify, head to vsuw.org/PHXSkyHarbor

#DoTheFAFSA
Your future begins with FAFSA. 🎓 It is not too late to receive financial aid for the 2024-2025 academic year! Head to studentaid.gov/fafsa and let FAFSA help you reach your future. ✨ #DoTheFAFSA

We are so excited to welcome our newest cohort of Grassroots partners! 🎉Our Grassroots and Small Non-profits partners address critical needs in our community through a DEAI lens. The work we do together ensures unique populations receive critical, life-changing resources.We’re looking forward to an impactful year ahead! 💪#mightychange #MC2026

Pathways to Economic Opportunity
🌟 Transforming lives and building impactful relationships – that is the power of mentorship! Pathways to Economic Opportunity for Black and Latina Women is currently seeking Black and Latina professional mentors to help guide the next generation of the workforce. Hear from our last class of mentors and mentees on how the community they’ve built has helped set each other up for success. To become a mentor, submit an interest form at vsuw.org/pathways. Our first orientation will be held in September. 📅

☀️ On any given day, over 9000 people experience homelessness in the Valley. With the summer heat comes an increased need for access to water for those experiencing homelessness. 💧We’re teaming up with MuscletopiaUSA to get water to our neighbors in need, and help you jump-start your fitness journey! 💪 Join us at MuscletopiaUSA for a water bottle drive Saturday, August 17th. Donate 10 or more cases to be entered into a drawing for a 1-month free membership to MuscletopiaUSA. Maximum of 10 winners will be selected. 📍3302 N. 24th St. Phoenix, AZ 85016

Creating Mighty Change with notMYkid
📹 As part of the MC2026 5-Year Plan for #MightyChange, Valley of the Sun United Way is working with community partners like notMYkid to improve our community’s health. Together, we will increase access to affordable healthcare by 100,000 individuals! For more than 20 years, notMYkid has been providing youth, families, schools, and community partners with high impact prevention education and early intervention programs. 22 years later, the organization has successfully served over 3 million individuals and continues to reach over 100,000 youth and adults each year.

Stuff the Buss 2024 🚌
Our hearts are full from #StuffTheBus 🚌❤️Thanks to the support of our community, more than 4000 kids received school supplies during the 2024 Stuff the Bus drive! 🎉 Thank you to everyone who donated or volunteered to make this year a huge success! And a special thank you to CW7 Arizona and Desert Financial Credit Union for your partnership in ensuring our students have a successful start to the school year! 🎒🚨Time is running out to donate and help even more students! Head to cw7az.com/stuffthebus to make an impact today! 🔗

☑️ The Arizona Primary Election is here! The Arizona Primary Election will determine the candidates for the upcoming General Election for Federal, State, and Legislative positions including the U.S. Senator of Arizona and U.S. Representatives in Congress. ⏰ Polling locations will be open until 7 p.m. For a complete guide to voting, visit vsuw.org/vote

#DoTheFAFSA
🏫 It’s not too late to fill out your financial aid application and find the college that’s right for you. 🔗 #DotheFAFSA now at https://bit.ly/DoTheFAFSA

Get ready to vote!
☑️ Early voting for the Arizona Primary Election is in full swing! 📣 Today is the final day to request an early ballot. Early ballots can be mailed back by July 23rd, or dropped off at any voting location on Election Day, July 30th. 🔗 For a complete voter resource guide, visit vsuw.org/vote #VoteUnited

Pathways to Economic Opportunity
🎥 "I have a barrier I want to break, and there are people who want to help me break it." 💪 Pathways to Economic Opportunity for Black and Latina Women provides early employment opportunities for black and Latina women to help close the wealth gap. Our Pathways mentors and mentees sat down to discuss the importance of seeing themselves in the workplace and how the community they've built sets their future up for success. 🌟 To learn more about Pathways to Economic Opportunity, head to vsuw.org/pathways

Happy 4th of July!
🎆 Happy 4th of July from all of us at Valley of the Sun United Way! We hope you have a happy and safe day celebrating!

📽️ With the end of her Section 8 housing lease drawing near, Diamond and her children found themselves with no options, nowhere to go and on the verge of homelessness. 🏡 Mighty Families, our initiative actualized through MC2026, quickly stepped in to develop a path forward. Through community partner, Chicanos Por La Causa - CPLC, Mighty Families offers an array of services to stabilize families and provide a clear path to a productive future. Here, Diamond shares her incredible journey from becoming nearly homeless to being in a safe and stable home of her own. 💪 No single organization can achieve #MightyChange alone. It is through initiatives like Mighty Families and the extensive network of MC2026 partners, that together Valley of the Sun United Way and the community will ensure Maricopa County youth are prepared for educational success and families have access to gainful employment by closing opportunity gaps and addressing systemic inequities.

Help us Beat the Summer Heat!
☀️ No family should have to choose between providing basic needs or protecting their loved ones from the heat. Valley of the Sun United Way is rallying the community together to provide critical heat relief resources to families and individuals in need in Maricopa County. With your support, we will save lives this summer! Help us #BeatTheHeat at vsuw.org/heatrelief 🔗

Celebrating Juneteenth
Although the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863, it was not until June 19, 1865 that word got to the last enslaved Black Americans in Texas. Today, we celebrate Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States. Take time today to reflect, celebrate, and continue advocating for change!

Our community came together in a big way to support our heat relief efforts! 💛Our friends at Sprouts Farmers Market kindly gifted cooling towels, lip balms, and electrolyte powders to include in heat relief kits. Volunteers from Sprouts Farmers Market, Zelle, Uber, and throughout the community came together to package 1000 kits to help our Valley neighbors #BeatTheHeat 🌡️ Thank you to all of our volunteers for your hard work, and thank you to Sprouts for the additional supplies! 💛☀️Your support makes all of this possible! Help us save life’s this summer👇🔗Donate: vsuw.org/heatrelief 🔗Volunteer: vsuw.org/volunteer

Celebrate Pride with VSUW 🏳️‍🌈
United in Pride! 🏳️‍🌈 In honor of #PrideMonth, volunteers from throughout the Valley joined us to create Pride-inspired friendship bracelets for our partners at one n ten and New Pathways for Youth! Thank you Target, Apple, WaFd Bank, Nationwidemmunity for lending your artistic talents as we celebrate the diverse identities in our community! 👏🏳️‍🌈

Find your Arizona voting guide at vsuw.org/vote
✅ We are headed to the polls this summer! 2024 is a big year. With upcoming jurisdictional and presidential elections, every individual's vote is a catalyst for positive change. 🌵 The Arizona Primary Election is quickly approaching! This election will determine the candidates for the upcoming General Election for Federal, State, and Legislative positions including the U.S. Senator of Arizona and U.S. Representatives in Congress. Here are key dates to remember: 📅 July 1st: voter registration deadline. 📅 July 19th: last day to request an early ballot. 📅 July 30th: election day! 🔗 For more key election dates and information on how to register to vote, visit vsuw.org/vote