United Way of Racine County

We’re excited to share our 2024-2026 strategic plan update. This update is the result of six months of discussion, evaluation and revision with our board and staff, evaluating ourselves against our mission and the current needs of our community.

The plan has a heavy focus on internal measurements to ensure we are in a state of continuous improvement, as well as external partnerships to increase and improve collaboration.

View the plan: https://loom.ly/n7Yf5rE

We’re excited to announce the launch of Community Skills Initiative in Racine County with a free AI Skill-A-Thon competition in September! Learn through online classes, earn points and compete to win a share of $10,000 in cash prizes!

Want to learn more? Join us for an online information session on Tuesday, Aug. 13, at 9 a.m. about the AI Skill-A-Thon and Community Skills Initiative. Register for the session: https://loom.ly/5xz-zDQ

If you can’t attend, register to be sent a recording of the session.

Attention students and families: Need help paying for college? Now is the time to submit a FAFSA® form! We’ve got you covered with a checklist and timeline: https://loom.ly/uFFEUow

We recently kicked off our Internal Campaign with a fun party! Staff rocked mismatched outfits, enjoyed lunch, played games, raffled off baskets and participated in a creative United Way t-shirt competition. We’re proud to support the important work we do. Thank you to our awesome Investor Relations Manager Traci Blom for organizing it all!

Special thanks to Neil Buchanan from Community State Bank for the surprise ice cream treats, a sweet end to the day!

A huge thank you to ALDI USA for their generous $500 donation to Women United Racine County’s Power of the Purse 2025! We're thrilled to have them as a sponsor for our wine pull at next year’s luncheon.

For the latest stories and updates on our work, make sure you're subscribed to The Handraiser, our monthly newsletter! It's the best way to see all of our volunteer opportunities, events, and progress on our community impact.

Sign up: https://loom.ly/xzafV1w

Last weekend, our former teammate Chelsie Deaton passed away peacefully after being diagnosed with leukemia in December. She faced her illness the same way she faced any challenge, with remarkable grace, strength and determination.

Chelsie originally was part of the UWRC team in 2014-16 as executive assistant and returned as an investor relations manager in 2022. She worked closely with companies throughout Racine County to support successful campaigns. Chelsie brought creativity, positivity, joy and happiness to her work and we will miss her spirit. Our hearts go out to her family and friends during this difficult time.

https://loom.ly/kVh7090

Thank you to everyone who joined us for United Way's Campaign Kickoff Party yesterday! We had an amazing time rocking out with Mean Jake and savoring delicious bites from Dragon Pit BBQ and 911 Tacos. A big shoutout to Community State Bank for the free ice cream!

Special thank you to Jason Greenwood, President of AMI Information Systems and our 2024 Campaign Chair, for his incredible work in making the event such a success. We appreciate all his efforts!

Empower young minds 🧠 by becoming a Schools of Hope tutor!

Schools of Hope, a United Way-led initiative in partnership with Racine Unified Schools, pairs volunteer tutors with students to help increase their reading capabilities in the early grades.

Volunteer: https://loom.ly/xEjMKZE

Become a Walking School Bus volunteer and help us step towards a healthier, safer and more connected community. Our volunteers ensure that our community school students safely make it to class on time.

Sign up: https://loom.ly/TsoRLSQ

Check out this great The Journal Times article featuring our Equity Innovation Fund grantee, the Racine Art Museum! Be sure to visit René Amado's innovative exhibit.

RAM's new exhibit highlights lowrider culture Starting on Friday, anyone walking past RAM down Fifth Street will be able to view "Low: René Amado.: The exhibit, which will be on display until July 19, 2025, features

Women United Racine County’s Brighter Future Fund is currently accepting grant applications until Aug. 30. This fund supports programs that promote literacy, financial stability and mental health, with a specific emphasis on benefiting women and children.

Apply: https://loom.ly/E8hf0ko

We had our staff retreat last week. We spent the morning Thursday learning about and practicing mindfulness and meditation at the beautiful Siena Retreat Center, then a great lunch at The Maple Table in Downtown Racine! It was a great day with a great team.

August is National Black Business Month and is a great opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate all of the incredible black-owned businesses in our community.

Support local businesses: https://loom.ly/u0W6En8

Yesterday, we successfully completed our final summer school routes at Racine Unified Schools Knapp Elementary and Julian Thomas Elementary School. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped ensure the safe transportation of community school students. We look forward to resuming our Walking School Bus routes in the fall!

Our community school team had a fantastic time at the 2024 Wisconsin Community Schools Conference hosted by the Wisconsin Coalition for Community Schools! They enjoyed connecting and sharing ideas with colleagues from across the state and leading several sessions. They’re excited to bring their new knowledge back to Racine Unified Schools’ Knapp Elementary, Julian Thomas Elementary School and the Academies of Racine at Mitchell School.

Applications are now open to become a Schools of Hope tutor! This United Way-led initiative, in partnership with Racine Unified Schools, seeks dedicated volunteers to tutor young children and improve their early reading skills. Your time and effort can help create a brighter future for these students!

Volunteer: https://loom.ly/mIPtp0k

Yesterday, we celebrated the completion of our first United Horizons board training program with a presentation and networking event at The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread. It was a great evening celebrating the engaged class of individuals and organization representatives who, as Ali said, "created the template for inclusion" in the program and on local non-profit boards.

More United Horizons classes are coming. Sign up here https://loom.ly/BSFghhk to be notified when registration opens.

United Horizons is made possible by a grant from the Volunteer Generation Fund in partnership with AmeriCorps and Serve Wisconsin.

Thank you to Data and Compliance Director Tracie Feest for 11 years of service!

Today is United Nations' World Day Against Trafficking People. Human trafficking impacts 50 million people worldwide.

211 Wisconsin offers an Anti-Human Trafficking guided search button on their website to connect survivors with local resources and offers support on how to prevent trafficking.



Learn more: https://loom.ly/af0dAyo

Our community school team is having a great time at the Wisconsin Community Schools Statewide Conference in Sun Prairie, WI today! Stay tuned for updates!

Thank you to Chief Operating Officer Jessica Safransky Schacht for 17 years of service!