Latest News
Over 500+ Volunteers Join Forces for Stuff the Backpack
August 24th, 2023United Way of Central Ohio and our partner NBC4 invited donors, volunteers and corporate partners to our annual Stuff the Backpack event on Aug. 10, and the community responded in a BIG way. We aimed to gather 300 volunteers at Lower.com Field to pack 1,000 backpacks in 90 minutes. Instead, we smashed that goal with the help of 500+ volunteers packing more than 1,500 backpacks for central Ohio students in 45 minutes. Time and time again, our supporters prove that when central Ohio stands united, there is nothing we can’t do. Thank you to everyone who generously gave their time, money and resources to ensure students in our community start the school year with the supplies they need to thrive. If you missed the opportunity to contribute but still want to give, it’s not too late. We welcome your donations through Aug. 31. Remember, your $10 donation can fill a backpack for a student so they can start the year feeling confident, prepared and ready to learn. AND every $10 gift equals an entry to win a Crew VIP package with an autographed jersey, Crew swag items, four tickets to the Sept. 20 match plus a meet-and-greet with defender Josh…
Latest News
United Way Adds Accessibility Toolbar to Website
July 25th, 2023United Way of Central Ohio is excited to share that we now provide an inclusive online experience to enable website visitors to access online content and services barrier-free. As part of our diversity and inclusion strategy, website visitors are now able to access a wide range of accessibility and language support tools to customize their digital experience through Recite Me assistive technology. To explore our accessibility support tool, click LANGUAGE/ACCESSIBILITY at the top of our website. Our announcement comes as we recognize Disability Pride Month throughout July. Disability Pride Month marks the 1990 enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a landmark U.S. rights law that extended civil rights protections to persons with disabilities and assured that all Americans would benefit from their talents. Being able to offer an inclusive experience is essential to support over 25% of the population who may encounter barriers when exploring our website due to having a disability, learning difficulty, visual impairment, or if they are English language learners. The Recite Me assistive toolbar on United Way of Central Ohio’s website includes screen reading functionality, multiple reading aids, and an on-demand live translation feature that boasts over 100 languages including 65 text-to-speech and styling options….
Latest News
United Ways Receive Funding in State Budget to Support Families and Improve Literacy
July 21st, 2023United Way of Central Ohio is pleased to share that the State of Ohio approved funding in its 2024-2025 budget that will help a collaborative of Ohio United Ways advance strategies to improve early literacy and family stability. Gov. Mike DeWine has made improving childhood literacy a priority and has urged agencies across the state to find ways to address the issue. A collaborative of six United Ways formed early in 2023 to share and implement strategies, and seek funding that will move the needle on literacy achievement throughout the central Ohio region. These United Ways include United Way of Central Ohio; United Way of Union County; United Way of Delaware County; United Way of Clark; Champaign & Madison Counties; United Way of Muskingum, Perry & Morgan Counties; and United Way of Fairfield County. United Way of Central Ohio will manage the distribution of the State’s $3.6 million allocation to the United Ways in the collaborative and will ensure accountability and impact. Collectively, the six United Ways will be able to serve an additional 25,000 children and their families, with all results focused on literacy gains. United Way of Central Ohio’s portion of the funding will help expand the reach of its Success by Third Grade movement, which launched in 2022…
Latest News
100 Years of Impact Made Possible with Strong Partnerships
June 21st, 2023United Way of Central Ohio is proud to be celebrating 100 years of impact in our community throughout 2023. We know our accomplishments in the past 100 years are not ours alone but are the result of partnerships. We are a strong United Way because of strong community partnerships. Each year, as a proud sponsor of Columbus Business First’s Corporate Citizenship Awards, we recognize three corporate partners who have gone above and beyond in helping us create a stronger, more equitable central Ohio. This year’s event was held June 15 at The Fives next to White Castle’s new headquarters. This year’s Dale E. Heydlauff Legacy Award for Outstanding Philanthropic Leadership recognizes the top corporate citizen leading the way in philanthropy and community engagement. This year’s honoree is Grange Insurance, a truly exceptional partner to United Way and central Ohio. Grange consistently embodies a culture of philanthropy and community service through its Grange Gives employee campaign. Historical documents show that Grange has been running United Way campaigns since at least the 1980s. In the 2022 campaign, 100% of Grange leaders donated to the campaign before kicking it off to all associates. Grange generously provides a one-to-one match for employee donations, which…
Latest News
Join us for Stuff the Backpack and Help Local Students Succeed
June 16th, 2023Do you remember the thrill of buying and having new school supplies and a new backpack to put them in? Those new pencils, notebooks and folders helped you feel confident, prepared and READY to start school. Join us to make sure every local student starts school with that same feeling — excited and ready to learn! United Way of Central Ohio, NBC4 and Josh Williams of the Columbus Crew are joining forces again this year to Stuff the Backpack for 70,000 students in Franklin and Licking counties! Now in its sixth year, Stuff the Backpack has provided over 180,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade with the essential school supplies they need to start the school year strong. Last year, the average cost increase for school supplies went up 25%. That significant increase, along with price increases for food, housing and utilities, means many local families will find it even more difficult to fit new backpacks or supplies into their budgets this year. It’s so easy for you, and means so much to local students and their teachers! When you give just $10, less than it costs to eat lunch out, you provide a new backpack filled with essential school…
Latest News
A Century United: United Way’s Support of the LGBTQ+ Community Spans Decades
June 13th, 2023Like many organizations, United Way of Central Ohio celebrates and honors the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month every June. But our work and support has always gone beyond celebration. For many decades, we have been committed to creating and maintaining a community where everyone has equitable opportunity to participate and contribute to their own success. And as a trusted partner in the community for 100 years, we understand from experience that the best solutions are crafted by diverse perspectives and stakeholders. As we celebrate our 100th year of impact in 2023, we take a look back at some of our work promoting and supporting inclusivity through the decades: 1990: United Way of Central Ohio becomes an early and ongoing supporter of Equitas Health (formerly AIDS Resource Center Ohio). 2003: Then Columbus City Councilwoman Mary Jo Hudson was elected as a United Way board member, providing a “seat at the table” for LGBTQ perspectives. Tom Grote, the co-founder and former board chair of the Equality Ohio Education Fund, replaced her on the board when she resigned. 2007: United Way of Central Ohio helped lead the GLBT Census, an anonymous survey of LGBTQ households that provided the most detailed information on central…
Latest News
Increase in ALICE Households in Franklin County Presents Extreme Risk as Public Assistance Programs End
May 1st, 2023Franklin County’s economic strength is linked to its residents’ financial stability, including ALICE households (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed), and research from a new report issued by United for ALICE shows cause for concern, especially as pandemic-related assistance programs conclude. According to the report, which provides data for the entire state of Ohio and each of the state’s 88 counties, there has been a 4% increase in ALICE households in Franklin County from 2019 (194,757) to 2021 (201,848), which equates to 24% of the county’s population. These households need assistance to meet the minimum cost to live and work in the modern economy, which includes housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, a smartphone plan and taxes. Across the state, ALICE households make up 38% of the population. “The data is clear. The cost of basic needs is quickly outpacing wages, making it impossible for people who work in many of Ohio’s most common occupations to make ends meet, let alone emerge out of financial hardship,” said Lisa Courtice, president and CEO of United Way of Central Ohio. Of Ohio’s 20 most common occupations in 2021, 70% earn less than $20 an hour. While many jobs saw a wage increase,…
Latest News
2022 Annual Report: Together We Can Change Lives
May 1st, 2023For 100 years, United Way of Central Ohio’s many corporate and nonprofit partners, individual donors and volunteers in our community have joined with us to help families thrive and ensure students have the opportunities they need to succeed. When we join together, we can change lives. In 2022, thanks to you, we raised and invested more than $3.6 million to strengthen families by assisting with basic needs and over $3.9 million to help students achieve success. Your gifts helped us serve over 376,960 individuals and over 36,600 students through our investments. Thank you for caring about your community and your neighbors. You can see the difference your partnership has made by downloading and reading the 2022 Annual Report here.
Latest News
Local Young Authors Create United Way Centennial Activity Book
March 29th, 2023Thanks to three talented, creative sisters from central Ohio, United Way of Central Ohio has a unique activity book that tells the story of our centennial celebration through the eyes of a curious child. In the book, Zakira, whose name comes from combining the three sisters’ names, meets and becomes friends with local individuals who are supporters of United Way. Young readers (called Sunbeams by Zakira) meet local philanthropists such as Donna and Larry James, Ann Pizzuti, Tanny Crane and Janet Jackson, the former CEO of United Way. Designed for coloring, the illustrated book includes fun activities on every page. Children will have fun doing mazes, riddles, matching games and a crossword puzzle, all while learning about the importance of friendships, volunteering and community service. “The Zakira Presents activity book celebrating United Way of Central Ohio’s centennial is a wonderful reflection of our values of friendship, helpfulness and understanding,” said Lisa S. Courtice, president and CEO. “United Way has been bringing people together for 100 years to make central Ohio a better place for everyone. These young authors worked so hard, using wonderful creativity and thoughtfulness, to tell our story and inspire future generations to help make a difference in…
Latest News
A Century United: United Way’s Volunteer Women Leaders
March 24th, 2023In honor of United Way of Central Ohio’s centennial celebration throughout 2023 and Women’s History Month, we want to recognize the female community leaders who have been instrumental in guiding our mission and vision throughout our history. Nancy Jeffrey paved the way for women leaders at United Way by serving as the first female campaign chair in 1972 and first female board president in 1976. You can read more about Jeffrey and her groundbreaking leadership here. Ten years passed before a second woman, Paula Spence, was elected as board president in 1986 and 1987. Spence was a Columbus businesswoman who served as president and vice chairwoman of HMS Partners, a local advertising agency. She retired in September 1998 and passed away at the age of 88 in 2020. Referred to by some in the community as “the velvet knife,” Spence had the unique ability to bring people together and get things done, all while being gently persuasive. In 1998, Nancy Zimpher became board president, but served only two months before she relocated to Milwaukee to serve as the first female chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Yvette McGee Brown was selected in 2001 as United Way’s board president, becoming the…
