United Way envisions a world where all individuals and families achieve their human potential through Education, Income Stability and Healthy lives.
In order to accomplish this, we must act collectively to IMPACT the issues affecting
Hernando County Residents.
Listed below are some of the United Way of Hernando County accomplishments over the 2014-2015 fiscal year:
- Conducted 2 community workshops for UW’s 2-1-1 Resource Center- connecting 45 new non-profit agencies. This included entering & organizing their information into the resource data base for community assistance.
- For the 2014-2015 FY, over $369,225 was invested back into the community through the UW Community Investment Grant (CIG) for local Health, Education and Financial Stability programs.
- The 2015 summer was a success for Stuff the Bus (STB); 11 bus sites with 250 volunteers over one weekend. This countywide school supplies drive helped 163 teachers with classroom tools. It also assisted 2 local agencies working with children in need of supplies.
- 871 new pre-school children were added to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program. Over 15,210 books were distributed to children in Hernando County.
- UW's FamilyWize discount RX program saved Hernando County Residents over $1,000,000! Through this partnership, United Way has helped promote the free, easy to use FamilyWize Prescription Savings Card, which has helped more than 8.4 million Americans save more than $873 million on their prescriptions.
- UW was happy to work with Lighthouse for the Visually Impaired by training a transition student through their School to Work Transition Program.
- UW engaged community members to sign up through the E-Hernando listserv. Multiple organizations post their very own local events, job opportunities, comments, questions, and information through this resource.
- UW's VITA Program (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) set a record of filing 911 tax returns for low income families with a savings of $864,149. UW was able to bring the VITA program to 2 local Publix Stores, Explorer K8, Brooksville Elementary and the Hernando County Public Library System by collaborating with Career Central and using the Mobil One Unit for tax prep.
- UW's volunteer program "Lend A Hand Hernando" (a tool that directly links interested volunteers to local agency’s volunteer opportunities) has 12 local agency's listed on the database that are actively searching for volunteers.
- Recognized two businesses in Hernando County with the UW "Staying Strong Award". This award honors community leaders for supporting local economic stability, encouraging positive employee morale, and being an excellent example of continuous community growth.
- UW had 33 volunteers from 20 various businesses working on review teams in conjunction with our Community Investment Grant (CIG). They reviewed multiple applications, interviewed the agencies that applied, and scored each program accordingly. This process gives the business community an opportunity to see how their investment in United Way is changing lives in Hernando County.
- UW brought on four new partner businesses to invest in United Way through payroll deduction and the Community Investment Campaign. Through the workplace, they have helped impact our community greatly.
- With our new "NEEDS" Program, UW was able to work with employers from several businesses who wanted to make sure their employees have resources available in the event they or a family member needed help. By using 2-1-1's on-line chat during lunch and/or a short break, we were able to connect employees with the proper resources that would help solve problems when needed.
- UW partnered with Davis Family Hearing for the first ever Business Blitz Challenge. Davis Family Hearing challenged the community and matched dollar for dollar donations in the month of May bringing in over $2,000.
United Way's Community Program Accomplishments could not of been strengthened without the support from local workplace Community Investment Campaign partners, the dedicated United Way of Hernando County Staff, volunteers, and collaborations.