• Community Investment
• Point In Time Count
• Resilient Chattahoochee Valley
• Reflecting on the Coronavirus Pandemic
• Read Across America Day Recap
• 211 and Free Taxes
• United Against Racism
• Where Your Dollars Go

United Way celebrates and honors the overwhelming generosity of the people in the Chattahoochee Valley. Together, we raised $7,284,279 for our incredible community! Because we know many of us are facing struggles and difficulties, we did not expect you to give so much this year. We are amazed by your dedication to give, even during this crisis. Thank you for being United In This Together.

Community Investment

Your generosity to the 2020 campaign helps fund local programs in our community through Community Investment Grants. These grants provide significant funding to United Way Community Partners and funding is determined by local volunteers who are also donors.

This year, 58 volunteers are participating in 8 teams – with each team organized around one of United Way’s four priority areas (Basic Needs, Income, Health and Education). Grant applications were due in February, volunteer training was held on March 11, and grant reviews and virtual site visits will continue through April. This vigorous review process ensures all programs address a need, achieve results, and are good stewards of funds invested. Volunteers also assess the degree to which program serve a vulnerable population, provide an essential service, and work to advance equity across our community. Your support truly changes lives.

Point In Time (PIT) Count

United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley conducted their thirteenth annual survey of the homeless population in Muscogee and Russell County on Tuesday, February 16th and Wednesday, February 17th. The survey, known as the Point In Time (PIT) Count, sheds light on the situations of local sheltered and unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness and gathers information to help those in need as well as develop more effective homelessness prevention programs. 40 volunteers and 8 law enforcement officers surveyed a total of 254 individuals experiencing homelessness in shelters, transitional housing, and unsheltered in Muscogee and Russell County.

This year was unique due to the record freezing temperatures and Coronavirus. The 254 total is up 2% from last year, many of which are most likely due to the pandemic. Two warming shelters were open, leaving only 18 unsheltered.

Resilient Chattahoochee Valley

Resilient Chattahoochee Valley is a regional initiative that seeks to improve outcomes for children 0-16 in the Chattahoochee Valley and complements the work of two additional equity-based strategies: The Basics Chattahoochee Valley and Community Schools United. Resilient Chattahoochee Valley aims to address some of the barriers that exist for children in our community, preventing them from being able to thrive. For many, these challenges exist in the form of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). ACEs encompass a range of traumatic experiences that occur during childhood and have strong correlations to poor outcomes later in life. Resilient Chattahoochee Valley responds to our region’s need to increase resiliency by combating the adversity that currently exists. Through increasing the awareness of ACEs, aim to reduce the prevalence of ACEs and their impact on children and their families to ensure our community is on the path to resiliency.  

If you would like to learn more about how to increase resiliency in our community, please contact:  
Sidney Houck, Project Coordinator; Resilient Chattahoochee Valley  
shouck@unitedwayofthecv.org 

Reflecting on a Year of the Coronavirus Pandemic

Check out the latest episode of Chatt With Us as we talk with Ben Moser and Betsy Covington on all that has been done with the Coronavirus Response Fund over the last year. Also, on March 17th, exactly one year from the first Coronavirus Community Call, the call came to an end. 

Listen and subscribe to Chatt With Us: https://testing.us1security.org/chattwithus/

Read Across America Day

This year Read Across America Day looked a little different due to coronavirus, but that didn’t stop our readers from making this day special for students! We had 21 volunteers that virtually read to 87 classrooms, for a total of 1,384 students! For the schools that we were not able to participate in, our volunteer Kevin Cobb, from Pratt & Whitney, recorded a fun, high-energy reading of two different books for teachers to play for their class. Thank you to all of those that participated!https://youtu.be/TeDshscRps8

211 and Free Taxes

It’s Tax Time again!  211 is here to connect low-income families to resources in our community that will ensure they get the most out of their income tax returns.  VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) is a program that prepares and files taxes for families and individuals for free (income restrictions apply) and My Free Taxes (www.myfreetaxes.com) is an online tax tool that allows families and individuals of all incomes to electronically prepare and file their Federal and State tax returns for free.  Simply dial 211 or 706-405-4775 for more information on how you can get your taxes done for free.

United Against Racism

The changes we want to see in our Community and Country will take ALL of us. Regardless of race, gender, age, or religious preferences; everyone must be included. Change happens when we listen to voices unlike our own.

Follow along with us as we learn more about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion on our United Against Racism page. 

Where Your Dollars Go

https://youtu.be/BTqovGmP57shttps://youtu.be/Lqq_zZru8Hc