Sometimes, a person can beat all odds, overcome adversity and achieve great success in life.  Such stories inspire us, but also beg the question why some people thrive while others struggle. 

As a result of participating in different town early childhood collaborative meetings, I am fortunate to have a bird’s eye view of early childhood issues in our region  -- I have learned a lot about the unique resources of towns and cities in Connecticut while at the same time have found that community members are identifying similar challenges as they work to ensure all children and families have what they need to be successful. 

United Way and the American Human Development Project created a tool to show how education affects all facets of our lives. Developed in May of 2009, the Common Good Forecaster is a roadmap that projects how education can make a difference in the health, income level and civic participation of people in our region.

Why Education Matters?  

I am frequently asked by my friends and family as well as people I meet to explain the work of United Way.   I often respond that a key component of United Way's work is our community partnerships-- we know we can't improve communities on our own. It is only by working together that we change the conditions that help people achieve financial stability, success in school and better health. 

We know more families must choose between paying for utilities, housing and food. With an adequate supply of diapers costing familes $100/month, many children remain in dirty diapers for days which can lead to abuse and disease as well as developmental problems. To that end, the United Ways of Greater New Haven, Coastal Fairfield County and Western Connecticut are partnering with The Diaper Bank to collect half a million diapers  for lower income families in our 33-town region.  Area businesses and civic leaders joined with Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and Congressman Jim Himes to celebrate the diaper drive and call our community to action.  You can learn more about the issues and hear their comments from the December event on our website.

While our stories might be different, our experiences in overcoming fears and finding hope are probably a lot alike.  To that end, I would like to share a story that means a lot to me. 

Exhausted and dreading the idea of adding one more activity to my week, I justified maintaining the status quo-I could always take on something later.