Dear Friends:

Fall is almost upon us, and here at United Way, we are full of excitement and anticipation for a wonderful campaign season! The weather's much cooler (with 95 degree instead of 105 degree days), the kids are back in school, and we are truly seeing a time of renewed opportunities for everyone to get involved with their community!

Like you, we want to see all disadvantaged children in Central Texas receive quality early learning experiences to be prepared for school success – thanks to support from United Way's Success By 6 and a rich coalition of partners.

One of those partners is Texas Early Childhood Education Coalition (TECEC)--they are the advocacy organization for improving the quality of early childhood education here in Texas. We're honored that their director, Kara Johnson, took the time to fill us in on the work they do and some of the exciting things that happened during the past Texas Legislature.

And, with the weather being so much cooler, what better way to spend a Friday in September than out in your community, helping your neighbors?

Our Fall Day of Caring is rapidly approaching and will be on September 11th. The volunteer kick off breakfast is at the Long Center (701 W. Riverside - Free Parking) beginning at 8.30 am, and there are still many great projects to choose from.

If you don't have time to volunteer on the 11th, but feel as strongly as we do about making a difference in kids's lives, check out our new education initiative, 1 Hour For Kids.

Also, don't forget about our classic fall fundraiser, the 5th Annual Speaker Series with Campbell Brown

Thank you for your continued support of United Way, and most of all, thank you for Living United.

See you on September 11.

Take care,

Debbie Bresette
Interim President and CPO

On June 22nd, President Obama announced a nationwide service initiative, United We Serve, culminating with a National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11th. This year, as we come together as a community for this important day of service and remembrance, we anticipate having our largest Day of Caring with over 1,000 volunteers expected. Don't miss out on this opportunity to volunteer and show everyone how you Live United and support the Central Texas community. All are welcome, so don't forget to get all of your friends, family and co-workers involved, and help make Central Texas a better place for all.

Day of Caring volunteers will gather on Friday, September 11, 2009 at 8:30 a.m. at the Long Center (701 W. Riverside Drive) for the volunteer kick-off breakfast. Volunteer projects will start around 10:00 and end by 3:00 p.m.

Sign up today and volunteer.

Hot Projects!

• The Care Communities Clean a Yard Day
  This project involves going to the home of a Care Communities Care Partner, and giving a thorough cleaning of their front and back year, trimming trees, cleaning leaves, cutting grass, etc.


• Any Baby Can's Giving Kids a Healthy and Fair Start!
  Help give kids a healthy and fair start by helping create activity projects for Any Baby Can's Healthy and Fair Start program


• A Meals on Wheels and More Experience
  Get a taste of volunteering for Meals on Wheels and more. Spend an hour delivering lunch to eight to ten frail, homebound people.

Freescale will again sponsor our Day of Caring.

We greatly appreciate their generosity that allows hundreds of volunteers to gather in the morning for breakfast and coffee before heading out to their project sites.

United Way would also like to recognize the following sponsors for their contributions to the Day of Caring event.

2009 was an exciting year for PreK advocates, as many of you know from helping us show our support for critical legislation that supported full-day high-quality pre-k programs. Without the tireless efforts of our friends at Texas Early Childhood Education Coalition (TECEC), United Way's own PreK advocacy efforts would not be successful.

Kara Johnson is Executive Director of (TECEC) where she has been working for six years. Her previous positions with the organization include Director of Operations and Deputy Director.

Kara is one of the authors of Edition 2 of The Texas Plan, a ten-year public policy agenda dedicated to early childhood education and development in Texas.

Can you tell us a little bit about TECEC and what you do?

The Texas Early Childhood Education Coalition (TECEC) was formed in 2003 out of a call from community leaders and stakeholders to create one entity that equally represents the interests of child care, Head Start, and public school pre-kindergarten in the state of Texas.

The Coalition is comprised of more than 275 member organizations and over four thousand individuals working together to build a system of high quality early childhood education in the state of Texas. After nearly seven years of successful efforts in the areas of public policy, community organizing, public awareness, and community organizing, TECEC is now regarded as one of the premiere child advocacy organizations at the state and national levels. A fact that is the result of the hard work and dedication of our members and partners.

Someone who supports an advocacy group like TECEC, might eventually ask the question "am I really making a difference?" How would you explain to someone that their voice is being heard when they participate in the process this way?

Advocates and stakeholders should always ask whether or not their efforts are truly making a difference. One example of how advocates make a difference is by attending and participating in Pre-k Day at the Texas Capitol. During the past two legislative sessions, TECEC has provided stakeholders an opportunity to come to the Capitol and meet with their elected officials. In addition, TECEC sets up a model classroom in the Capitol Rotunda, and conducts a press conference on the Capitol steps.

This year, more than 1,000 advocates, including parents, teachers, community leaders, and four-year olds attended Pre-k Day. Legislators commented on the how prepared early education stakeholders were during their visits, as well as the tremendous presence of advocates throughout the entire day.

As a result of Pre-k Day and other intensive efforts throughout the legislative session, more than $50 million was infused into high quality child care, Head Start, and public school pre-k initiatives over the next biennium. Early childhood education supporters are truly making a difference in Texas!

Can you share a success story about TECEC's advocacy work, perhaps a legislator or other influential person whose mind was changed about the importance of investing in pre-K?

There is no question that the work of TECEC and its members and partners across the state has had a significant impact on the way the state of Texas invests its scarce resources and how policymakers and community leaders view the issue. During the 2007 Legislative Session, Senator Dan Patrick (R-Houston) was vocal about his opposition to early childhood education and development. However, advocates from the Houston area spent a lot of time during the interim and the 2009 Legislative Session providing him with information on the benefits of investing in high quality early childhood education. As a result, he became a champion during the 81st Legislative Session and voted in support of critical early childhood education legislation.

Another notable example was when Representative Sid Miller (R-Stephenville) was invited by his constituents to tour high quality early childhood classrooms in his district. As a result, Rep. Miller became an avid proponent of high quality programs this legislative session, stating "I was so impressed with what they were doing with those kids that I actually changed my position on this.”

These are just two examples of how advocates can and do make a difference.

What other important initiatives or discussions are taking place, either at the state or the national level, that give you hope that all children of Central Texas will have access to a system of quality early care and education?

The next few years will be absolutely critical for early childhood education and development at the local, state, and national levels. In Texas, more than a dozen bills relating to early childhood education just passed the Texas Legislature. Nationally, the use of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act “stimulus”, Head Start, Title I, and even Early Learning Challenge Fund (ELCF) funds have the potential to impact how early childhood education is delivered in the Central Texas area.

The good news is that Central Texas advocates, including the United Way Success By 6 team and the City of Austin Child Care Council have spent years making the case for high quality programs and their impact on children, families, and the economy. Therefore, Central Texas will be poised to implement new policies and funding streams over the next few years.

What does TECEC do when the Texas Legislature isn't in session?

The state of Texas is unique in that the Legislature meets every other year for just six months. As a result, there is a very narrow window of time in which to make major progress. On the other hand, it creates a unique opportunity to spend the 18 months during the interim building relationships, working with policymakers, educating the public, and conducting critical state-specific research.

In addition to our many projects, the Texas Early Childhood Education Coalition takes advantage of the interim to conduct specific outreach campaigns. During this interim, TECEC is recruiting business leaders into the early childhood education movement. In June, TECEC hosted its first business summit in Houston where more than 100 business and community leaders participated in a discussion about the economic benefits of investing in high quality early childhood education.

TECEC will continue its tour across the state over the next 18 months with the hopes of creating a state level business round table as we enter the 82nd Legislative Session in 2011.

Is there anything else you'd like to add, either about TECEC's work, or the combined advocacy efforts of TECEC and United Way?

The Texas Early Childhood Education Coalition (TECEC) is very fortunate to have United Way as one of its leading partners in the early childhood education movement in Texas. Without the leadership of the United Way, early education would not be viewed as a crucial issue at the local and state levels.

The United Way has always had an understanding of the critical role that high quality early childhood education has to the development and school readiness of children, its needed work support for families, and the short and long-term benefits to the economy. TECEC would not be successful in its statewide efforts without the support of the United Way.

To get more involved with PreK advocacy, and stay connected with TECEC, go to: www.tecec.org

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

Right now, 1 out of 4 students entering 9th grade do not graduate from high school. Middle school is a critical juncture in any student's life. As kids go through these major life and academic changes, it is in middle school where 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.

We're looking to recruit 400 volunteers who can commit 1 hour per week to support a middle school student. You can learn more about this exciting initiative and how you can get involved with 1 Hour for Kids and help United Way help more of our kids.

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

And so you know these efforts are effective, 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.™

Individual tickets are now available for purchase (Tickets are $300 per person or $600 per couple). United Way's Speaker Series is an excellent opportunity to network with over 700 of Austin's top corporate decision-makers and community leaders.

Click here to purchase your ticket(s) for the event.

Title Sponsor: Wells Fargo Bank

Our one-of-a-kind fundraising event is Monday October 19, 2009, 06:00PM at the AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center.

The Speaker Series is United Way Capital Area’s largest annual fundraising event that directly supports our education, financial stability and health care programs. VIP Sponsors receive event tickets, invitations to the VIP Cocktail Reception, and a private photo opportunity with CNN's Campbell Brown.

Please contact Sarah Miller for more information about sponsorship opportunities at sarah.miller@unitedwaycapitalarea.org or 512.382.8600

The event brings together approximately 700 of Austin's top corporate decision-makers and community leaders to enjoy a compelling discussion of cutting edge current events and entertaining stories from Ms. Brown's colorful career as a journalist.

If you are interested in attending, please let us know by clicking here.

We recently partnered with our friends at Greenlights for NonProfit Success to conduct a survey of Central Texas nonprofits. The goals of the survey were to:

1. Have actual data on how the downturn is affecting nonprofits aside from anecdotes
2. Compare how our region's nonprofits are doing versus other parts of the country

We sent the survey to over 800 organizations, and 100 responded.

Not surprisingly, many nonprofits locally are having a tough time. Demand for their services is up, while more than 50% have experienced a drop in donations over the past year.

The crunch is affecting organizations in the critical health & human services, and children and youth-focused service areas the most.

Please click the links below for full survey results and data presentation.

• Taking the Pulse of the Central Texas Nonprofit Sector - a presentation on the 2009 survey.
• New Survey Shows Austin Area Nonprofits are Experiencing Significant Increase in Demand for Services and Fewer Resources - a brief on the 2009 survey.
• 2009 Nonprofit Pulse Survey - a comprehensive summary of the 2009 survey results.

Call Volume Increase
Statewide, 2-1-1 Texas has seen a 40% increase in 2009’s year-to-date call volume compared to 2008. Locally, our call center experienced a 46% increase in calls this June, compared to June 2008, and a 17% increase this July compare to July 2009.

Disaster Preparedness
On August 26, 2009, members of our staff will attend a Disaster Mental Health training focused on Psychological First Aid, trauma and coping, and the incident command structure for disaster service providers.

H1N1 Conference
On August 14, United Way attended the Texas Pandemic Influenza Regional Conference in San Antonio and received information on H1N1 prevention, detection and monitoring, and vaccination/anti-viral distribution in preparation for the 2009-2010 flu season. In the event of an H1N1 outbreak, 2-1-1 will be a point of contact for pandemic-related information.

United Way 2-1-1 will also be a point of contact for flu, H1N1, and pneumonia vaccination information, once the H1N1 vaccine becomes available in October.

Outreach and Day of Caring Volunteer Trainings
In August and September, 2-1-1 will be conducting a series of presentations to University of Texas School of Social Work graduate and undergraduate students on how to utilize the 2-1-1 service when working with clients in Central Texas.