United Way's Women's Initiative and the Connecticut Food Bank invite you to a complimentary screening of "A Place at the Table," a new film about the shocking rise of hunger in America.
The screening will be at 5:30 p.m. May 13 at Criterion Cinemas, 86 Temple St., New Haven. A brief panel discussion with local food policy leaders, including Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro, will follow.
More than 50 volunteers gave new meaning to the term "spring cleaning" on Saturday, April 27, working to improve several area community gardens and, ultimately, connect people more directly to their food sources. During United Way's first "Hands-On Saturday" volunteers went to work at three New Haven gardens and one Hamden site. Thanks to all our volunteers for their effort and enthusiasm, and special thanks to the helping hands from Comcast, who spent the morning sprucing up the Clinton Avenue School for its Comcast Cares day, and the swim team from Southern Connecticut State University. People of all ages composted, pulled up weeds, raked gardens and helped construct new beds where communities will grow fresh produce, allowing them to lead healthier lives.
Check out the slideshow below to see their work in action, and check back for "after" photos to come. Photos by Geoff Fox.
Note: If the slide show moves too fast, click on any image to switch to manual mode.
The former Greater New Haven Regional Alliance to End Homelessness will now be known as Greater New Haven Opening Doors, but the new moniker is more than merely a name change – it signifies a unified approach to combatting homelessness with neighboring regions.
Job Summary
The Community Impact Manager is a key member of the Community Impact Team, and works to create and maintain strong relationships with United Way partner organizations in the community; collects and analyzes data from partners to illustrate United Way’s impact on the community; and manages grants processes to ensure the most effective and impactful use of United Way resources.
As our region continues to grapple with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, United Way of Greater New Haven is awarding a collective total of $51,850 to five area nonprofits to help them cover costs associated with the devastating storm.
The following report was written by Cara Rosner, external affairs officer at United Way, one of the organizers of Parent University, and appeared in the New Haven Independent.
Her daughter is only in kindergarten, but Tawana Grant has her eyes on the prize: college.
She already is taking steps to instill a college-going attitude in her young daughter, who attends L.W. Beecher Interdistrict Museum Magnet School of Arts and Sciences.
Submitted by Cara Rosner on
As the impacts of the federal sequester continue to unfold, David Morgan, chairman and president of the Connecticut Head Start Association, recently circulated a letter in which he takes a stark look at the detrimental effects the cuts are having on Head Start and Early Head Start programs throughout the state.
United Way is seeking applicants through AmeriCorps VISTA to join the Boost! Service Corps Team.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
United Way of Greater New Haven (UWGNH) is in partnership with the City of New Haven and the New Haven Public Schools to coordinate wraparound services to support young people’s overall development and enhance their ability to learn in the classroom. The initiative, called Boost!, is a component of New Haven’s School Change Initiative (to learn more, visit www.NewHavenSchoolChange.org). Boost! addresses wraparound services that fall into four broad domains which have been demonstrated to contribute to young people’s ability to succeed in school and in life: physical health, social and behavioral health, family support and engagement, and extended learning opportunities.
Submitted by Joshua Mamis on
My colleague Amy Casavina Hall forwarded me a link to this interesting map from the Economic Policy Institute revealing unemployment rates by race and by state.
Submitted by Cara Moran on
I had the pleasure of spending three days last week in Charleston, SC for the 2013 United Way Women's Leadership Summit.
Submitted by Joshua Mamis on
There was good news today nationally on unemployment: Joblessness has dipped to 7.7%, the lowest level in four years.
Though we haven't seen local numbers yet, Connecticut's employment picture has lagged behind national performance, and was at 8.6 percent as recently as December.
But the big unknown isn't just the local February jobs report, it's also the impact of the sequester on workforce development and job training priograms in the state of Connecticut.
By Cara Rosner
The food pantry at Catholic Charities’ Centro San Jose Family Center in Fair Haven is always popular — but the days it can offer fresh produce take it to a whole other level.
When fruits and vegetables are available word spreads quickly. People wait for the next pantry day and, when it arrives, the line to get in reaches out Centro San Jose’s front door, along Grand Avenue and even wraps around the corner of the block.
The popular Parent University New Haven is returning - and needs volunteers like you to make it even better than the hugely successful inaugural event last fall.
Parent University New Haven will take place Saturday, April 6 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Gateway Community College, 20 Church St. in Downtown New Haven. Volunteer opportunities in a variety of roles are available that day from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
By Cara Rosner
For a while, Tere McCormick felt trapped in a vicious cycle.
Just when he thought he would kick his heroin habit, he’d be wracked with feelings of worthlessness and start using again. He continually found himself going back to the drug that, by his own account, changed him into “a different person.” A particularly bad relapse after his 14-year-old son died in 2009 landed him in prison, and when he got out he wondered where he would turn.
By Cara Rosner
Things had been looking up for Gail until last November. She was managing her struggles with mental illness. She had rebounded from losing her job when the company she worked for was acquired by another. Her life finally felt back on track. With Social Security Disability benefits and a part-time job, she was earning steady income, living in an apartment, and feeling healthier all around.
Yale-New Haven Hospital’s 2013 United Way campaign was a rousing success and garnered the highest amount of contributions from hospital employees in the event’s history.
The campaign, which occurred in the fall, began with an appeal to employees from hospital president and COO Richard D’Aquila, and ended with total contributions of $238,871.
This year, in addition to giving Valentine’s flowers or chocolates, you have the opportunity to give a much greater gift – one that could have a real and lasting impact on the lives of children in our community.
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, United Way has launched the “Show Kids the Love” advocacy campaign. As Congress makes critical decisions about spending cuts that go into effect on March 1, we are asking caring citizens like you to send a strong message to Washington about the importance of maintaining vital social services for children and families.
Please join our effort by urging members of Congress not to break the hearts of children and cut programs that support vulnerable communities. Help us protect funding for programs that help children and families.
We hope you will join us and send a Valentine’s e-card to Congress.
This Valentine’s Day, your words could make all the difference.
Every two years volunteers fan out across the region counting Greater New Haven's homeless population. This year's effort, known as the Point In Time (PIT) count, is taking place on January 29.
United Way's Amy Casavina Hall talks about the importance of the PIT count and some surprising changes in the nature of homelessness.
