Dear Friends:

Do you want the good news or the bad news?

The good news is according to a new government report, between 2006 and 2008, the average national volunteer rate was 26.4% per year. In Austin last year, the average volunteer rate was 30.7%. That puts Austin at #11 in national city rankings. The bad news is every year since 2005, when the volunteer rate in Austin was 39.5%, our volunteer rate has decreased. This means we are slipping downwards (Austin was #5 in 2007). While I'm sure there are many reasons as to why this is happening, we can do better. We have to do better. An investment of time to help another less fortunate nourishes and enriches us personally, as well as our community.

If you have been wondering how to get more involved in our community, we have a couple of easy ways you can do that. Our Fall Day of Caring is rapidly approaching and will be on September 11. The volunteer kick off breakfast is at the Long Center (701 W. Riverside) beginning at 8.30 am, and there are already over thirty projects to choose from.

Another way is to volunteer for our new education initiative, 1 Hour For Kids. For just one hour per week, you can make a real difference in the life of a middle school student. Your support will help them to stay in school, graduate and go onto bigger and better things. We all win when a child stays in school. Take a look at how you can help today!

Thank you for your continued support of United Way, and most of all, thank you for Living United. Your help allows us to tackle our community's most critical needs today, and create long-lasting changes that prevent problems from happening in the first place.

See you out there on September 11.

Take care,

Debbie Bresette
Interim President and CPO

On June 22, President Obama announced a nationwide service initiative, United We Serve, culminating with a National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11. 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.

Projects include:

• Childcare facility improvements
• Disaster Response Training with 2-1-1
• Helping the environment, planting gardens
• Mentoring
• Food sorting and organizing (e.g., at a food bank, food pantry)
• Park clean-up
• House deconstruction with Habitat for Humanity

Should you have any questions please feel free to contact Diana Santos at 512-225-0357

Unable to attend, but still want to participate in the spirit of the day? We need your support, now more than ever, to continue our work. Click here to make a donation.

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 does 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.™

Sponsorship opportunities are now open for our 5th Annual Speaker Series with CNN's Campbell Brown.

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

A select number of Title and VIP sponsorships are available for this event, ranging from $5000 - $30,000. 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.

United Way Capital Area developed a new partnership with Greenlights for Nonprofit Success to survey Central Texas nonprofit organizations.

Clearly, the national economic recession is having an impact on Austin-area nonprofits. With this study, we hope to better understand exactly what that impact is and, hopefully, attract more investment and resources for the whole nonprofit sector.

The survey invitation was sent to over 1,100 organization Executive Directors and is open until August 7. The survey is anonymous and the responses will be aggregated and findings made available. Check future editions of Community Matters for the survey results.

If your organization would like to participate and was not sent an invitation, please drop an email to Kim at wilsonk@greenlights.org and she will be able to send you the survey link.

Traveling somewhere exotic this summer...Peru? Morocco?
El Paso? Don't forget to pack your Live United t-shirt, and show your support with a Live United Travel Shot!

Send us the best shots of you, your family and friends posing in the Live United t-shirt to:

web@unitedwaycapitalarea.org

...and we'll feature them in upcoming newsletters!

Support United Way Capital Area's programs, and get your 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.