October 2023
Metro United Way Impact Tracker
This impact tracker is updated on a monthly basis to share highlights of the work that we do every day to help make our community better for everyone!
There’s nothing more important than making sure our community’s children have what they need to thrive. LEARN MORE
- We kicked off the start of another natural playground project in partnership with Bernheim Forest and Community Coordinated Child Care. The playground will be built at La Casita and will be designed by their staff and the families they serve.
- Metro United Way was awarded a three year grant from the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) to support our Ready for K work with community partners to prevent and address lead poisoning in Jefferson County.
- Our developmental screening team continues to make connections across our 7-county region and providing access to parents and caregivers to the Ages & Stages Questionnaires that helps screen children newborn – five years old. Free books, activities, referrals when necessary, and resources are provided to families enrolled. Research shows that children who complete just four or more ASQs have a higher likelihood of being ready for Kindergarten which is important for success in school and life. Today, there are more than 1,760 children who have completed four or more ASQs through Metro United Way.
- Two testimonials from ASQ parents:
- As a stay at home mom, working part-time, and new residents of the Louisville area, I was concerned about providing learning opportunities for my 2-year old. During a visit to the Louisville Library we learned about Metro United Way’s and I was super excited to discover the online hub has the Ages and Stages Questionnaire available to complete! After completing the questionnaire we were contacted by Kimberly and she discussed our little’s developmental progress. Kimberly also provided some FABULOUS referrals and resources including the YMCA Early Learning. The resources have provided our family some options to explore Louisville but also given me some confidence that my little is on track with his development! Thank you MUW for the opportunity to take the ASQ online and get resources!!
- I’ve relied on Metro United Way ‘s Ages & Stages developmental screening questionnaire with all three of my kids. By answering questions every three months from birth to age 5, I either found out they were on track with motor skills and problem solving, or found out we needed some help. Kids don’t come with an instruction manual! The women who score the questionnaires really care about my kids and follow up with activities for us to do at home. They are part of our village – I have definitely cried on the phone with them! Metro United Way’s Ages and Stages Questionnaire has helped our family so much.
- Learn more about a recent investment from Lilly Endowment to help Southern Indiana families ensure their children with developmental screening:
- Over the last few weeks, Youth Success team has been visiting our Youth Success Network partners to check on their progress and connect them to our resources and supports. This relationship building gives us opportunities to learn more about the status of their programs, the issues they face, and allows us to advocate on their behalf. These visits have highlighted common issues that have been experienced by after-school programs in which we are diligently working to find solutions. One recent highlight was a visit to Olive Tree Resources, that has a weekend academy program that we invest in. They use these funds to invest in qualified leaders and supervision for teens participating in the program.
When we have strong households, we are creating pathways out of poverty to prosperity, which is a win for us all. LEARN MORE
- Our team has reviewed 34 end-of-year reports from organizations that received investments from our inaugural “Safety Net” RFP in 2022. Data from these reports is impressive and will be compiled and shared with our community to highlight the impact MUW and its partners are having in the community around providing basic needs like housing, utility assistance, food/meals, clothing/personal/household needs, healthcare, transportation, income support/assistance, legal and public safety services, and mental health/addiction services. The second year of funding – totaling another $1.5 million – has already commenced.
- Since the launch of our housing pilot in Southern Indiana in 2022, seven families have received financing pre-approval and two families are living their dream as a first time homeowners!
- Metro United Way was named a finalist for Impact 100 Southern Indiana which is a team of women from all walks of life who collectively make a difference in our community by empowering women and awarding large grants that transform lives. If we are voted as the charity/program of choice and a partnership with Impact 100 Southern Indiana, we will have the opportunity to expand the reach and impact we are achieving with our housing work via the Pathways of Hope, a homeownership program and via housing safety work in partnership with New Directions.
- Through Generation Work, we are partnering with KentuckianaWorks along with youth-serving nonprofit organizations and employers (Norton Healthcare, Republic Bank, UPS) interested in creating more inviting and inclusive workplaces for young adults of color. We look forward to sharing innovations that result from our collaboration in the months ahead.
- Our first FundBlackFounders cohort of small business owners has begun launching their crowdfunding campaigns. Metro United Way will match the entrepreneurs’ campaigns up to $25,000. This innovative program supports early-stage startups founded by underrepresented entrepreneurs, helping them to bring their ideas to life and grow their businesses.
- Metro United Way is a founding partner of the Louisville Asset Building Coalition (LABC) who provides free income tax preparation assistance for low-to-moderate income families in Jefferson and Oldham Counties. In its 20-year history, LABC has served over 148,000 filers resulting in over $224 million in total refunds, of which $81 million has been in the form of the valuable Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). We’ve also saved filers an estimated $32 million in tax preparation fees.
- Through financial coaching, we are helping individuals become more financially stable by building emergency savings and making progress toward goals such as increasing income, credit, assets or decreasing debt. In a few short months, our partners are already serving over 70 individuals and have shared many individual financial successes. More information will be forthcoming soon on our collective impact.
- Our United Community team has rolled out a “Social Needs Think Tank.” It is an opportunity for community service providers to engage in discussion of social care, specifically around trends, barriers, and lack of resources and access to services across our community. Our goal is to increase United Community engagement and create long-term strategies among community partners and implement solutions they help create.
- We have conducted several United Community trainings for Jefferson County Public Schools counsellors. Our goal is to ensure that JCPS staff are properly trained on the platform so they can quickly and efficiently connect JCPS students/families to supports and intervention to address needs affecting student health, well-being, and the ability to learn and grow.
- We continue to lead volunteer projects to help individuals and families in our community with their basic needs. In September/October:
- 533 volunteers from nine corporate partners created 1,567 personal care kits, healthy snack kits, and blankets. Thank you to teams from Forvis, Humana, UPS, Buckingham, Republic Bank, Farm Credit Mid America, Mercer, Kentuckiana Packaging Solutions, and Fortna!
- We continue to receive great feedback from our 6th Annual Day of Action event! Thank you to the 200+ volunteers that spent the day with us giving back to our community!
We envision the Greater Louisville region as a place where zip code doesn’t determine destiny and everyone has the opportunity to live up to their full potential. LEARN MORE
- We have a College and Career Readiness Community Convening coming up on Thursday, November 9 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. focused on supporting students and their aspirations after high school. This convening is a platform for our community to come together to learn about current post-secondary programs and initiatives and engage in meaningful discussions. Participation is ideal for providers of mentorships, internships, scholarships, parents and students, higher ed personnel, school district personnel, and community-based organizations that have programs or initiatives to support and promote post-secondary opportunities for students. Register Here.
- Our internal diversity, equity, and inclusions council (DEIC) which is a cross-functional team began a project called Local WorldChanger (LWC) with UofL designed to make a distinct and measurable difference with regards to an issue by a specific deadline. Our project will involve enhancements to our internal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic plan and awareness of the Black L.O.V.E. Philanthropic Partnership. UofL Athletics is also participating in this project alongside MUW.
- We were proud to be a part of The Shelbyville Area NAACP’s annual Freedom Fund Banquet! Our president and CEO, Adria Johnson, was the guest speaker.
