Dear Friends and Supporters:

It's an exciting time to be a Texan, to be a citizen, to be a voter. The election is finally over and we have a new leader. But what happens now? What will we do now all the pundits and political operatives have packed up and moved on? What's our move now the circus has left town and the spotlight dims?

The answers to these questions are critical. Because while having a say in our nation's leader and future is important, it's also just as important to have a say in our community's future. The truth is, our new President won't have a chance to address the issues we care about for a year or more. But you and I-all of us-can make actual, tangible, long-lasting changes in the lives of our neighbors, the moment we decide it's important enough to do so.

The problems we had on November 4th-and despite our region's wealth and uniqueness, there are many-are still here on November 5th. How can we create opportunities for everyone to succeed when our high school dropout rate will still be a staggering 25-percent? When 40 percent of children will still enter school 12 to 18 months behind developmentally? When 38 percent of Central Texas families will still struggle daily to meet their most basic financial needs? When access to quality health care will still be an impossible dream for many, and when the gap between those who are getting ahead and those who are falling behind will still be far too wide?

But starting November 5th, we can all vote again--this time with our hands, our pocketbooks, and our compassion.

Starting November 5th, we can become a mentor to a middle school student who doesn't have a reliable adult to look up to.

Starting November 5th, we can advocate, have our voices heard for the issues that matter most to our families.

Starting November 5th, we can volunteer to improve a childcare center.

Starting November 5th, we can sign up to teach literacy classes to adults and non-native speakers.

Starting November 5th, we can give money to a nonprofit agency that will use it to provide critical services to people who need them.

Starting November 5th, we can decide that "change" isn't a buzzword owned by candidates for public office, but instead something we can seize.

Voting is vital. But you make an even more audacious statement by giving, advocating and volunteering right here, where we all live, work, and raise our families. We don't have to wait until the next presidential inauguration day for change. We don't have to wait for help to be handed to us by Washington.

Starting today, we can begin the work of making our future better and all Live United now.

Regards,
David W. Balch
President & Chief Professional Officer
United Way Capital Area

We participated in the worldwide Blog Day of Action about poverty on Wednesday, October 15. The goal of the day was to increase awareness about the issue, debunk some myths, and show how United Way Capital Area is working to help. Not only did we participate, but for the 24 hours Mando (with help from staff) blogged every hour for the whole day. 31 posts in 24 hours.

Staff pulled local, state and national information together, and shot video that aired different voices around the issue including city council members Mike Martinez and Sheryl Cole, a UWCA funded program graduate from Capital Idea, and The Cipher kids. We also highlighted 2-1-1's role in connecting people to help, profiled our funded programs and shared other success stories.

For the 24 hour period of the day, our videos were the 15th most watched on YouTube's nonprofit channel—this is worldwide—and our blog experienced the most visitors and pageviews for 1 day in its history.

So for a little inspiration, a lot of innovation, a ton of perspiration, and a $125 video camera, we got our message out and engaged a whole lot of people.

If you missed it, you can find all the blog posts here.

We recently completed our 2008 campaign video. It outlines our approach to provide opportunities for everyone to succeed, and the work and results in each of our 3 focus areas, Education, Financial Stability and Health. The building blocks for a good life.

You can see it for yourself here.

Managing Money, Building a Future

United Way Capital Area is proud to fund The Financial Stability Program of Foundation Communities, as well as partnering with them on other financial stability initiatives, providing volunteers and using 2-1-1 Texas as a free access point for many in need of help. Here's a recent success story. Note the families names have been changed to protect their privacy.

The Smiths

Bob and Ann Smith are now the picture of financial stability. They have paid off thousands of dollars of debt, improved their credit scores, put aside money for a rainy day and even have a plan for Bob to finish his degree without going into debt. All of this while adjusting to life with a new baby and one less income - they decided before their daughter, Ella was born that they did not want her going to daycare and Ann became a stay-at-home mother.

But this new-found financial stability didn't happen overnight for the Smiths. Before taking a Money Management course, they often felt stressed about their financial situation. It has taken a lot of work putting to use the tools they got from attending the course to really feel in control of their money.

The Smiths were never bad with their money, but what they learned in the Money Management classes helped them fine-tune their skills. Ann says, "The course made us aware of how our actions were affecting our credit scores, and we were able to start budgeting with that in mind. We knew we had more money going out than coming in and that day to day expenses can really add up. The class helped us decide what to do about that…how to allocate our resources in the best way to get the most bang out of our little bucks."

With this knowledge, the Smiths started budgeting to the penny, cutting expenses and selling some of their belongings. The extra money they now had each month made it possible to really make an impact on their efforts to put money in savings, pay down debt and improve their credit.

The Smiths believe that if there's one thing everyone should know about their own finances, it's where your money is going—every penny of it. And in these uncertain economic times, that's worth its weight in gold.

1. Saturday, November 22, 2008, National Family Volunteer Day
2. Saturday, November 22, 2008, United Way Success By 6: Child Care Facility Improvement Project
3. Tuesday, November 25, 2008, HEB Feast of Sharing, Palmer Events Center. Join us as we serve a holiday meal to the people of Central Texas
4. Sign up to be a middle school mentor
5. Community Tax Centers. With a little time from 500 volunteers, the Community Tax Centers will prepare 20,000 tax returns and bring over $26 million into the pockets of those who need it most in Travis County.