Community Impact
A New Strategy:
Community Impact Agenda
What Matters?
Getting to the heart of things matters...Identifying and addressing a community's individual needs matters...and developing plans to improve community conditions matters.
It's not just how many dollars are raised. It's how many lives are bettered.
United Way of Western Connecticut has embarked on a strategy we call our Community Impact Agenda. In short, this agenda is a call to action for United Way to expand its work and role in community to not only help individuals and families, but to also provide leadership to bring the community together to change community conditions, such as the lack of affordable housing, closing the achievement gap and access to quality early child care.
New Roles and New Opportunities
This move to a Community Impact Agenda affects everything we do. To be successful at changing community conditions, United Way is increasing its leadership to mobilize volunteers on a year round basis. We are committed to being more strategic and active in community planning and partnerships. And we are working harder to generate more resources (money, in-kind, time) that can be leveraged to create positive impacts throughout the community.
United Way is currently working with a cadre of volunteers to increase understanding of community issues and challenges related to supporting successful children and strong families, promoting health and well-being, increasing people's self-sufficiency and getting people involved in their communities.
United Way of Western Connecticut supports programs within the following focus areas:
Successful Kids and Strong Families
Helping Kids Succeed
A child who comes to school hungry, or who can’t speak English, or whose home life is unstable, has a hard time achieving his or her potential. Families need stable housing and parents need information and support to raise healthy and happy kids. Both children and their families benefit from mentoring and counseling programs, day camps, after school programs and quality, affordable preschool programs.
Community Wellness
Promoting Health and Safety
Mental health and physical health are two things we take for granted, yet an illness can affect individuals and families not only physically, but emotionally and financially. Local programs provide counseling services, home health care, children’s health clinics and drug and alcohol rehabilitation—regardless of ability to pay—right here in Western Connecticut.
United Way of Western Connecticut's three Community Councils, representing each of the regional areas of service (Northern Fairfield County, Southern Litchfield County, and Stamford), focus on local priorities, identifying community needs and allocating resources to local service human service programs that promote community wellness.
Increasing Self Sufficiency
Increasing Independence and Dignity
Job training. Affordable housing. Isolated elderly. Those with physical or mental disabilities. Legal aid. United Way partner programs work together providing the help, training and ongoing oversight people need to learn to live independently and with dignity.
United Way of Western Connecticut's three Community Councils, representing each of the regional areas of service (Northern Fairfield County, Southern Litchfield County, and Stamford), focus on local priorities, identifying community needs and allocating resources to local service human service programs that promote increasing self sufficiency.
What's Happening in Your Own Community?
Pay a visit to the following pages to see what's happening in your community:
-- Northern Fairfield County
-- Southern Litchfield County
-- Stamford (see also information on Stamford's Human Services Planning Council)