Dear Friends:

Along with the upcoming spring change of weather are the changes here at United Way Capital Area (UWCA). The major change is, of course, David Balch leaving us and moving onto new ventures. I would like to take this opportunity again to thank David for the eight years he gave UWCA and his passionate and tireless pursuit of moving us to a new vision, mission and community impact approach.

I am honored to be named interim president and CPO of UWCA and to work with such a fabulous staff, board and volunteer leadership. For the past six years I have been in a variety of positions here giving me a great insight into the world that is UWCA. For the 23 years before my tenure here at UWCA, I was the Executive Director of the Family Crisis Center serving Bastrop, Fayette, Lee and Colorado County. And so, non-profit work has been my career.

As we begin the search for a new leader, I'd like to assure you that we will continue to keep the UWCA ship secure and stable in the winds of change that we are experiencing. Staff are working harder than ever planning for the 2009 campaign; collaborations are being built and strengthened in the focus areas; and we are engaging more of our community than ever, to effect change and make Central Texas a better place to live.

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.

Regards,

Debbie Bresette
Interim President and CPO

United Way Capital Area is the recipient of a $35,000 grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation through United Way of America.

The grant will support our 2-1-1 outreach efforts and Foundation Communities Community Tax Centers, and will focus on first time Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) center tax filers. This grant will cover much needed 2-1-1 expenses associated with the increased call volume during the 2009 tax season.

A big thank you to the Wal-Mart Foundation.

Our spring Day of Caring on April 24 looks like it will be our largest ever. We hope to bring over 700 volunteers together to work on over 40 projects. So bring 5 friends, give $5 and give 5 hours. Watch out more information soon!

Early Childhood advocates in Texas were very successful on Pre-K Day!

United Way's Success By 6 and Women's Giving Network partnered to show our support for high-quality, expanded PreK at PreK Day at the Capitol on February 17.

The day was kicked-off with a breakfast reception for WGN members across the state, highlighted by remarks from Speaker Joe Strauss as well as his mother - a WGN leader in San Antonio. Sue Carpenter and other Success By 6 leaders across the state were introduced during a Senate session, and a model PreK classroom in the rotunda attracted attention and support for HB 130, a bill which encourages child care/school district partnerships to deliver high-quality PreK.

TECEC writes to let us know:

In response to our efforts, 59 legislators have come out in support of House Bill 130 and Senate Bill 21, which support full-day, high-quality pre-k programs with an emphasis on community based partnerships.

Right now, it is crucial that we ensure HB 130 is heard in committee. The longer it takes to secure a hearing in committee, the less likely the bill is to make it through the legislative process in time.

You can make sure HB 130 is heard by writing Representative Rob Eissler, Chairman of the House Committee on Public Education to encourage him to bring HB 130 up for a committee hearing soon.

Click here to write Representative Rob Eissler, Chairman of the House Committee on Public Education.

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

If you thought our Hands on Central Texas program has been busy in its community engagement efforts over the past two years, wait until you see what it can do with a three-year grant from Hands On Network and The Corporation for National and Community Service.

The three-year grant, valued at $82,497 per year, for a total of $247,491, was awarded after a comprehensive review process, and is going to make it possible for Hands On to work some real magic in our community.

This award will allow us to increase the momentum around creating real community engagement and change. We will be able to continue to innovate, educate, inspire and engage more people. Develop more volunteer leaders from within different communities and provide real solutions that ultimately help more Central Texans have the opportunity to succeed in life.

Check back at the Hands On site often for:

• Days of Service - large volunteer impact days
• Volunteer Project Leader Training - equipping volunteers to organize and lead neighborhood projects
• Hands On Innovation Workshops - workshops and classes about new trends and techniques that accelerate social change
• Skills-based Volunteer Program - match volunteers to opportunities based on specific skills & interests
• Live United Film Series - increase awareness and understanding of social issues via film (documentaries) followed by community discussion
• Natural Leaders - environmentally focused education and volunteer project skill development training
• Culture Connections - engaging and equipping low-income & communities of color to create change in their communities.

February 11 was National 2-1-1 Day.

In the United States, 65 percent of the population has access to the 2-1-1 service. Texas is one of 17 states with 100 percent coverage. Statewide, there are 25 Area Information Centers (AIC's). The local 2-1-1 AIC is a collaboration between the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and United Way Capital Area.

The first 2-1-1 call in Central Texas was received in 2002 and since then more than 840,000 calls have been taken. Last year, more than 190,000 were handled, and the AIC is able to answer 80% of calls within 60 seconds. The majority of calls are in reference to basic needs such as assistance with rent, utility bills, shelter and disaster relief.

2-1-1 is the state designated disaster information helpline. When Hurricane Ike struck the Texas coastline, over 200 people volunteered with 2-1-1. 45,000 calls were answered and the statewide 2-1-1 network assisted more than 240,000 residents with finding shelter and food, evacuate safely and obtain long-term relief.

We caught up with and interviewed Beth Wick, Program Manager of 211 Texas Information and Referral Network, which is under the Health and Human Services Commission of Texas.

She told us a little bit about what 211 does in a disaster—the most recent example being Hurricane Ike.

Beth also shared how 211 helps the community in the current economic crisis, and gave a great explanation of how 211 Texas and a local call center (like our United Way 211 call center) collaborate.