Making lasting community impact by focusing on the building blocks for a good life for all.
United Way of Chelan and Douglas Counties is the force for change in the region. Once a primarily fund raising organization, today’s United Way is strengthening our communities and improving lives through meaningful community impact work.
Community impact is:
- Bringing the community together to focus on the building blocks of a good life –EDUCATION, INCOME and HEALTH – to achieve measurable results.
- Identifying, addressing, and solving specific health and human care issues that no single donor, charity, or government agency can handle alone.
- Bringing key partners together to problem-solve with a community-wide focus, not just single issues.
- About improving the lives of all people affected by our community’s priority issues, not just those served by individual programs.
- Being an organization that focuses on the root causes of local issues and seeks lasting solutions.
United Way has transformed the way it operates in response to a changing environment. Our promise to our donors is to advance the common good by focusing resources and partnerships on achievable, measurable goals in the areas of EDUCATION, INCOME and HEALTH.
Our focus areas include:
Early Childhood Learning
We partner with multiple organizations in Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Okanagan County’s to build a community early learning system that supports parents, families, children, child care providers, home visitors, teachers, and others working to ensure children are ready to be lifelong learners.
- We have the capacity and infrastructure necessary to coordinate the early learning system
- Specific attention is given to understanding and reducing racial inequities in the early learning system
- Engage, coordinate and plan home visiting services that are informed by regional need, fit and capacity, and offer coordination to increase availability of other programs and services
- Standard and consistent processes for leading and coordinating both local and state prioritized strategies of the State Early Learning Plan
- Help inform legislators so they are knowledgeable about state and regional early learning needs and priorities
- Deepen engagement with providers and families by offering information and skills that help caregivers give children a great start in life.
Alleviating Poverty
In the fall of 2015 we began a movement that will empower our Neighbors and strengthen our communities. We adopted a proven model to alleviate poverty, a model based on community-wide support mechanisms and understanding the challenges people living in poverty face.
What is “Opportunity Community”?
- A community approach to move our Neighbors out of poverty
- A way to connect people to community resources
- The place where “Neighbors” connect with “Navigators”
- A community where you can be a part of the solution A Connected Community that allows everyone to participate ensuring a better outcome.
- A Collaborative Community that connects people, agencies and resources from all sectors of our community.
- A Unified Community that engages the efforts of all of us: non-profits, businesses, government, healthcare, education, and social service agencies, faith-based organizations, statewide networks and community volunteers all working on a unified front.
What is a Neighbor:
A person living in poverty – your neighbor, our community members, people of all ages, races, families and backgrounds.
What is a Navigator:
Community members and service professionals who have been trained to understand the different experiences of and barriers to escaping poverty. Navigators help Neighbors access services, build relationships, and restore hope.
Youth United
Youth United is a youth engagement program run by United Way of Chelan & Douglas Counties and connecting hundreds of teens to their community. By joining this unique movement, young people can connect with meaningful volunteer opportunities, become leaders, advocate for important issues and earn recognition for their service. It is an opportunity to discover and develop skills and best of all, have fun!
Youth Leadership Council is a group of service driven students who create and implement projects that help better their community. The YLC is recognized nationally by the Student United Way organization based out of the United Way Worldwide headquarters. Students in YLC can be from any high school in Chelan or Douglas Counties, public or private.