Prudential is donating surplus office furniture to local, qualified nonprofits as part of the company's ongoing efforts to strengthen local communities. 

All items are used and will be donated "as is." Items will be made available on a first come first served basis and must be reserved by Monday, April 22 and picked up by April 30. Pick-up costs and arrangements are the responsibility of the receiving organization.  

The available items are:

The popular Parent University New Haven, a free day of workshops for parents and guardians of New Haven Public School students, will return to Gateway Community College from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 6

The day will include workshops on a variety of topics - including the importance of male involvement, paying for college, talking to kids about trauma, nutritious foods on a budget, and different routes to high school completion, among others. Many sessions will be offered in English and Spanish. The event also will include a college fair.

United Way of Greater New Haven board members visited LULAC in New Haven Monday morning to get a first-hand look at the Early Head Start program there in action. 

United Way manages an Early Head Start program with two community partners, LULAC and All Our Kin, to provide full-day, full-year child care and support services to infants and toddlers. The United Way program began serving children in May 2010.

Early reading advocate and author Diane Frankenstein visited United Way of Greater New Haven this week to share her approach to “conversational reading” with a group of about 30 early childhood care providers from throughout the region.

Frankenstein discussed ways attendees can incorporate a simple approach – “Read a book, ask a question, start a conversation” – in their programs to instill a love of reading in children at a young age.

The City of West Haven this week became the latest area municipality to kick off its annual campaign for United Way of Greater New Haven. 

The city, a long-time supporter of United Way's work and mission, launched the 2012 campaign Thursday at City Hall. Department leaders, who serve as campaign coordinators, listened to United Way CEO Jack Healy speak about the importance of their role – motivating their colleagues to give.

Steve Kirck, regional vice president of Community Health Charities of New England, also spoke to the group.