Dear Friends:

One of the byproducts of this economy has been the call from many quarters for nonprofits to share resources and partner more to address community-wide problems. As a collaborative involving more than 30 partners, our early childhood program, Success By 6, has enjoyed considerable success throughout Central Texas using that approach to ensure more children start school ready to learn.

But right now, 1 out of 4 students entering 9th grade does not graduate from high school, and all of us have a responsibility to work together to change this.

With that in mind, I'm proud and excited to announce the launch of a new United Way led collaboration called 1 Hour For Kids.

1 Hour For Kids is a collaboration of 8 nonprofit agencies (supported by the Austin Independent School District, Manor Independent School District, the E3 Alliance and the Austin Chamber of Commerce) that aims to help more middle school kids stay in school and graduate.

All of our 1 Hour For Kids partners specialize in providing mentors and tutors to vulnerable youth. They work with kids in different ways, but all of their programs have demonstrated the positive effect of connecting youth to supportive adults.

We're looking to recruit 400 volunteers who can commit 1 hour per week to support a middle school student. So I'd like to invite you to get involved with 1 Hour For Kids and help us help more of our kids graduate. We all win when a child succeeds in school.

Thank you for your continued support of UWCA, its staff and volunteers. But most of all, thank you for Living United, and helping us provide opportunities for everyone to succeed in our community. Living United, there's nothing we can't do.

Take care,

Debbie Bresette
Interim President and CPO

Growing up, most of us had someone who made all the difference in our lives. A parent, or a teacher or friend. An adult who understood and cared about you. As you were growing up, that person was someone you could look up to. Today in our community, too many kids are still waiting to meet someone who'll make that difference in their lives.

Right now, 1 out of 4 students entering 9th grade does not graduate from high school. Middle school is a critical juncture in any student's life. As kids go through major life and academic changes during middle school, educational achievement gaps tend to increase rapidly, ultimately leading to more kids dropping out of high school. So the middle school years are exactly when we need to be there to help.

That's why we are launching a new initiative called 1 Hour For Kids.

1 Hour For Kids is a United Way led collaboration of 8 nonprofit agencies (supported by the Austin Independent School District, Manor Independent School District, the E3 Alliance and the Austin Chamber of Commerce) that aims to help more middle school kids stay in school and graduate.

All of the 1 Hour For Kids partners specialize in providing mentors and tutors to vulnerable youth. They work with kids in different ways, but all of their programs have demonstrated the positive effect of connecting youth to supportive adults.

To ensure the effectiveness of 1 Hour For Kids, United Way will collect objective results that are measured consistently across programs, and are aligned with the regional strategic plan for improved education known as The Blueprint for Educational Change.™

We're looking to recruit 400 volunteers who can commit 1 hour per week to support a middle school student. Help United Way help more of our kids. Learn more about this exciting initiative and how you can get involved by visiting 1HourForKids.org.

Sometimes Doing Good Means
Just Knowing Where to Shop

Our Give5 campaign really caught the imagination and hearts of many over the Memorial Day weekend.

Over 20 local merchants generously donated a percentage of their proceeds to the work of United Way Capital Area. As we're still collecting the results from all the merchants, but suffice it to say, the lines were long, and many Central Texan's showed how they Live United by shopping or eating at participating stores and restaurants. See the picture below to grab a taste of the weekend and fundraising events.

As a reminder, you can still Give $5 (or how ever much you want to) 24/7 through our website.

From all of us here at United Way, the nonprofit partners we support, and the community who ultimately benefit from the programs, a huge THANK YOU!

"A picture speaks a 1,000 words" goes the old adage. So how far does video go? As video has become one of the ways we're bringing the work of United Way to life, we are proud to be participating in Lights. Camera. Help.

Lights. Camera. Help., is the premiere film festival exclusively for non-profit and grassroots organizations. This festival is the first of its kind in the nation and reflects the spirit of Austin, a city with prominent non-profit, grassroots and activism communities. By submitting several of our videos, we hope to use the festival to spread the word about our work, inspire more participation and support the film-for-a-cause genre.

At the Reel-to-Reality kick-off event we spoke about the value of the films-for-a-cause genre, showed trailers of 2 of our videos and then formally submitted them into the festival.

This is the first annual Lights. Camera. Help. festival, where films and videos with a cause directly related to a non-profit or grass roots organization will be evaluated on a rigorous criteria by a panel of judges. The films and videos will gain recognition by being considered the best in one of several distinct categories. Proceeds from the event with go to the organization that is the subject of the winning video.

The Festival will begin on July 31st and up-to-date information can be found at http://lightscamerahelp.com. We hope to see you there to cheer on all the films and support the work of local nonprofits and United Way!

You asked for it; now it's here. Show your support and buy a Live United t-shirt online at our website. For a $20 donation, you can have your own Live United t-shirt. They are available now in 5 sizes.

The donation, after covering the cost of the materials and shipping, will be used to help support United Way Capital Area's programs.

Young Hispanic Professional Austin Association