UNITED WAY
UNITED FOR BRIGHT FUTURES
UNITED WAY MISSION
United Way leads efforts to address our community’s toughest challenge: to Reduce Poverty. We partner with organizations and community members to provide every person in our community with opportunities to succeed. Let’s work together for a brighter future for all.
LETTER FROM BEN MOSER
UNITED FOR BRIGHT FUTURES
United Way is committed to creating innovative solutions that address community needs and provide a high return on your investment.
This is what we are doing:
To better serve the community, United Way integrated the 211 call center locally to improve service, efficiency, and responsiveness, reducing wait times and assisting over 36,000 people in connecting with essential services.
The Home for Good team is focused on a comprehensive approach to supporting individuals and families, preventing homelessness, and addressing it when it occurs.
Because of the Community Schools United team, 74% of students earned passing grades in core subjects, positively affecting their educational experience.
United Way is leading the way for workforce and economic development in the region with the Chips4Chips strategy, which aims to bring advanced manufacturing to the Chattahoochee Valley, creating new job opportunities and fostering economic growth.
United Way takes pride in the community-led process that awards Community Investment Grants to programs aligned with its mission to reduce poverty. With millions of dollars invested back into the region, we are creating lasting change and building a healthier, more vibrant community – together.
Thank you for joining us in our mission to reduce poverty and support a brighter future for all.
Ben Moser
President & CEO, United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley
WALKING SCHOOL BUS
The Walking School Bus initiative, implemented by the United Way’s Community Schools United team, addresses safety concerns and fosters a sense of community support.
Community members volunteer
to accompany students on their walk to school, ensuring they arrive safely and ready to learn. The program has improved attendance rates, academic performance, and a culture of care and belonging within the community.
Donald, a recent addition to the Columbus community and an assistant biomedical ethics and medical humanity professor at Mercer School of Medicine, became involved with the initiative and volunteered to ensure students had a safe walk to school while also advocating for safety and infrastructure improvements. His efforts prompted swift action, resulting in the installation of streetlights and speed bumps, further strengthening safety measures and accessibility.
The initiative serves as a model for addressing educational equity issues in other communities facing similar challenges. By leveraging community resources and fostering collaboration, tangible solutions can be implemented to ensure every child has access to a safe and supportive learning environment.
United Way’s Community Schools United team, Donald, and many other committed partners continue to build upon the success of the Walking School Bus initiative. We remain united in our dedication to fostering safe, supportive, and equitable learning environments for all. Together, we are UNITED FOR working towards a brighter future for our children and community.
Over 36,000 people connected with essential services through 211 improving their overall well-being.
IMPACT AREA
HEALTH ACCESS
Everyone deserves access to quality and compassionate care. United Way is committed to supporting resources that address the physical, mental, and social-emotional wellbeing of our neighbors. From providing access to preventative healthcare services to supporting initiatives promoting physical activity and wellness education, United Way is dedicated to ensuring everyone in our community can lead a healthy life.
Investing in our community’s overall health improves individual well-being and leads to greater educational outcomes, workforce development, and financial opportunities. Through 211, Resilient Chattahoochee Valley, and our community partners, we are delivering support by people who care.
Thanks to supportive and compassionate community members, United Way and our partners are helping our community enjoy healthy lives.
89% of people who are housed remain in permanent, stable homes, positively impacting their financial security.
IMPACT AREA
ECONOMIC MOBILITY
The ability of an individual or family to improve their financial status can have a multigenerational, positive impact on the overall well-being of the child, family, and community.
United Way’s Home for Good strategy helps people move from homelessness to permanent, stable housing. Through collaboration and partnerships, Home for Good helps to prevent homelessness before it happens because everyone deserves a place to call home.
We believe investing in job readiness and workforce development is an effective path for improving Economic Mobility. That means more than finding jobs; it’s about creating meaningful and sustainable pathways to employment that can lift people from poverty and empower our community.
Because of your investment, United Way and our partners can help reduce poverty and create significant change.
83% of students have good school attendance positively affecting their educational experience.
IMPACT AREA
EDUCATIONAL EQUITY
A child’s education doesn’t begin or end in the classroom. United Way is committed to supporting children from birth so that every child has a great start in life, has the resources to be successful in school and community, and will graduate from high school on time, ready for college or career.
Our Community Schools United strategy transforms local schools into neighborhood centers with students, families, and neighbors working together as one unit. United Way is committed to building relationships with parents, caregivers, and community leaders to support early childhood care, learning, and development. Our combined effort with community partners is crucial in giving every child unique opportunities and resources to succeed in school and beyond.
Because of the generosity of our community members, United Way and our partners are achieving positive results in Educational Equity. Thank you for supporting our children, families, and neighborhoods.
UNITED WAY PARNTERSHIPS
COMMUNITY INVESTMENT
United Way is proud of our community led process, ensuring all the funds raised remain within the Chattahoochee Valley. United Way awards Community Investment Grants, supporting a network of Community Partners who work together collaboratively to ensure that help is available, accessible, and responsive to emerging needs.
In the last year, Community Investment grants helped children and youth succeed, met the most basic needs of food, shelter, and safety, increased access to physical and mental health care, and changed lives across our community.
Thanks to the selfless contributions of our community members, United Way and our partners are reducing poverty and creating bright futures for everyone. For more information about United Way’s Community Investment or to volunteer, visit unitedcv.org.
TAKING ACTION TO UPLIFT OUR REGION
United Way believes everyone deserves the life-changing power of a job. We are deeply committed to advancing economic mobility alongside workforce development, paving the way for individuals to end the cycle of poverty and create better futures for themselves and their families.
Our region faces significant challenges, with Columbus ranking in the bottom 7 percent of economically mobile communities. This means that many of our residents, particularly children born into poverty, face difficulties on their path to success. These obstacles impact every part of our community, from crime rates to public services and community growth. We are determined to make a difference and take bold steps to create positive change.
Leaders across Columbus are coming together in a powerful collaboration to make this change. By attracting new jobs and bolstering our educational systems, we are equipping our current and future workforce with the job training and skills they need to thrive in today’s economy. This concerted effort addresses immediate economic challenges and lays the groundwork for sustained prosperity and opportunity for all.
Because of the giving nature of our community members, coordinated initiatives with our partners, and secured grants, we are addressing poverty reduction. Together, we are building pathways out of poverty and creating a brighter future for our region.
TAKE ACTION
GET INVOLVED
VOLUNTEER
Volunteers are the heart and soul of United Way’s mission to reduce poverty. Through shared dedication and passion, we can address complex challenges and forge a path towards a more equitable and prosperous future.
WOMEN UNITED
Women United is a dynamic network of women, building opportunities for women and girls and inspiring hope for future generations. Amazing things happen when women support women!
EMERGING LEADERS
Emerging Leaders United (ELU) members are the next generation’s trailblazers dedicating their time and talents to service, education,
and leadership. Let’s make meaningful change together!
Tocqueville society
The Tocqueville Society is a group of extraordinary community leaders, executives, and philanthropists who demonstrate their commitment to making a significant impact on our community.
UNITED FOR TRANSPARENCY
Connect with Us
PO Box 1157 Columbus, GA 31902
706-327-3255 (Phone) 678-619-0387 (Fax)
EWELLS@UNITEDCV.ORG (EMAIL)
