On December 9, 2008 Texas State Representative Mark Strama, Karen Johnson & Jason Sabo from United Ways of Texas presented at the Women's Giving Network Advocacy 101 event.

They shared invaluable information about the legislative process and specific legislation that will be considered in the upcoming Session. House Bill 130 (Senate Bill 21) will expand access to Pre-K for Texas children who are most in need.

According to the Bush School of Government and Public Service (Texas A&M), every $1.00 invested in high-quality pre-K programs returns at least $3.50 to local Texas communities. Some national studies estimate that the long-term return on investment can be as high as $17.00 for every $1.00 invested*.

The Women's Giving Network supports passage of this legislation - it is an investment in the economic future of our region. To learn more, and get involved in supporting this legislation, please visit www.tecec.org.

*(Source: Schweinhart, Lawrence (2005). The High Scope Perry Preschool Study Through Age 40: Summary and Conclusions. High Scope Educational Research Foundation, Ypsilanti, MI: High Scope Press.)

The nonprofit child care centers are United Way Success By 6 funded partners that serve low-income families. Your gifts and contributions will brighten their holidays - and the future of our children.

Dear Friends:

This time of year brings out the best in people, in our community, as it comes together and celebrates the spirit of the time. Whether it's helping by volunteering our time, donating items or making a financial gift to a nonprofit, the season of goodwill helps us focus on others less fortunate than ourselves.

I sometimes describe my job to people as trying to capture and bottle that sense of community spirit and kindheartedness the whole year round. Year-round community engagement is a goal of ours here at United Way. We hope to expand that sense of goodwill, that notion of neighbor helping neighbor, the idea of advancing the common good for all of 2009 and beyond. It takes the whole community working together to bring about lasting change. And the time is now. That's what we mean by Live United and we need your help more than ever.

Unfortunately the economic downturn is affecting our fundraising, but we believe now more than ever our efforts and approach are critical to community wellbeing - both to help weather the current economic cycle and to create better resilience and opportunity for the future.

We are hopeful that Central Texas will come together to pitch in as this is much bigger than us, and help families improve their financial stability, to address their access to health care and provide educational opportunities. These are some of the tools we all need when the economy suffers, to insulate our citizens from the economic ups and downs.

With your help, United Way provides more people access to the tools and opportunities they need to live a better life. You may be one person, but you can make a difference. Please consider giving to United Way. You can count on United Way to help you make the greatest difference in the most lives by investing in programs that work, that help, and make change in Central Texas a reality.

We must turn concern into action. Help us tackle our community's most critical problems by committing yourself to change.

I hope you'll continue your generous financial support of United Way. This year it's more important than ever.

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

Approximately 60 volunteers made up of parents, children, grandparents and friends came together to volunteer their time at Wesley School during United Way Capital Area and Hands On Central Texas "Family Day of Service" held on Saturday, November 22, 2008.

The Child Care Facility Improvement Project managed by United Way Capital Area Success By 6 Program, helped enhance the quality of Wesley School who serves seventy-two children ages 5 weeks to after-schoolers from a variety of backgrounds and experiences.

The volunteers cleaned and painted classrooms, constructed a tricycle path, constructed a playground area including installing landscape timbers, filling sandboxes and tearing down old playground equipment.

The event kicked-off with a continental breakfast and a brief program.

The speakers included Laura Smith, Director of Wesley School and Rochelle Carlin, Wesley School Board President; David Balch, President of United Way Capital Area, and Police Officers Roman Lopez and Jimmy Diaz of the City of Austin Police Department who talked about crime prevention and neighborhood safety awareness.

The Police Officers showcased the newest squad car to the children explaining what the police do and how to stay safe. The children sat in the car with the lights and sirens going and were given sticker badges to remember their day.

We would like to express very special thanks to the "SHW Group" who did a fantastic job in constructing the playground area, Bonner Brown who managed all of the activities throughout the day, and to Wesley School for partnering with United Way Capital Area for "Family Day of Service"

Thanks to all of the volunteers who participated to make "Family Day of Service" a success!

And a special thank you to our sponsors: HEB, Randalls, Wal-Mart and Dal-Tile.

United Way Capital Area's Young Leaders Society awarded their annual 2008 Young Leader of the Year award to Rachel Muir - founder of GirlStart.

Named as one of Austin's Most Loved Women in 2005 by Austin Monthly magazine and a finalist for the 2007 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, Rachel Muir founded Girlstart at age 26, with $500 and a credit card, in order to empower girls in math, science and technology.

Ms. Muir graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with Honors. Ms. Muir has presented around the country at events, conferences and workshops and is a proud recipient of Oprah's Use Your Life Award.

Ms. Muir has been featured on the "Today" show, CNN and Oprah. She was named by Fast Company magazine as one of the "Fast 50" Leaders in Innovation. A finalist in the 2004 Ethics in Business Awards, Ms. Muir has made a life and career of empowering girls to believe anything is possible.

Check out the YLS Wild Night Out Waikiki event here and find out how you can get involved.

Our 2008 campaign video 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.

5 Ways to Live United

1. Be an Advocate for United Way--tell a friend about the work we do, and invite her to join Women's Giving Network
2. Volunteer and sign up to be a middle school mentor.
3. Community Tax Centers. With a little time from 500 volunteers, the Community Tax Centers will prepare 20,000 tax returns and bring over $25 million into the pockets of those who need it most in Travis County.
4. Saturday, January 17, 2009 MLK Day of Service. Save the date, volunteer and honor the legacy of Dr. king.
5. Give a gift to United Way Capital Area. Donate here.