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Happy July! And, Happy 10th Anniversary to United Way's Imagination Library for Erie County which was launched in July 2013. To celebrate this significant milestone as a valued supporter of our mission to promote literacy and empower children, we invite you to join us in commemorating this remarkable achievement.

Views Festival, a collaborative effort between Erie Arts and Culture, United Way of Erie County and many other partners, supporters, community members and allies wrapped up last week, resulting in the placement of more than 20 new murals along United Way Safer Walking Routes to School in the City of Erie. In early June, both local and visiting artists came together to continue the work that began during last year's Purposeful Placemaking Project where 13 murals were introduced to the Erie community by the end of 2022.

A United Way of Erie County Community School Delegation recently participated in The Institute for Educational Leadership’s 2023 National Community Schools and Family Engagement Conference, held June 7-9 in downtown Philadelphia. 

Thanks to the generosity of United Way’s corporate and funding partners, together, we are making a transformational impact in the lives of students and their families throughout Erie County. Throughout the year we will be featuring corporate partners in the Weekly InBrief because we know the business community understands when children fall behind in school the consequences create a ripple effect. Students who fall behind are graduating without the skills necessary to support workforce needs if they graduate at all. This results in an increased burden on taxpayers and our social service system, increased involvement in the juvenile justice system and increased trauma and delinquency to name just a few. 

Students cannot learn if they are not in school. That's why United Way is committed to ensuring students arrive to school on time and ready to learn each and every day.

The end of the school year is almost here! We hope these examples of United Way's funding, or what we call #CommunitySchoolsInAction, warm your heart and show you impact of your support on students and their families during the last few weeks of school.

So far, 66 children at three United Way community schools have received new glasses thanks to Vision To Learn in 2023: 18 at Edison Elementary, 24 at Harding Elementary and 24 at Pfeiffer-Burleigh Elementary. 

At the 2023 Annual Meeting, held May 11 at the Bayfront Convention Center, we used the opportunity to spotlight how family engagement blossoms through the Community School Model.

The twelfth annual Trash to Treasure sale is happening at Penn State Behrend this Saturday, May 13, from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Junker Center on campus with all proceeds benefitting United Way.

A Bunch of Carrots, a Box of Rice, some Tasty Cheese, a Big Firm Pear and a Can of Peas... sounds like a simple list, right? Well not for Vincent in the beloved Imagination Library book Chimpanzees for Tea! which came to life for thousands of Erie County children and families this past weekend thanks to United Way and the Erie Playhouse's PLAYtime partnership.

Sara Musone, Community School Director at Grover Cleveland feels beyond lucky to collaborate with volunteer Charlotte “Char” Berringer. According to Sara, “Char started as a volunteer but has become part of the Grover family and a treasured asset.” 

To continue our celebration of volunteers, Tammy Rader, Community School Director at Elk Valley Elementary School recently shared her thanks for Amy Nuzback, long-time teacher as well as a school volunteer. We asked Amy why she chooses to volunteer.

United Way’s Erie FREE Taxes (EFT) just closed out the 2023 tax season with the help of 22 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site coordinators and 117 volunteers at 19 locations across Erie County. EFT volunteer tax preparers are responsible for returning $119 million in federal refunds while saving filers an estimated $17.9 million in commercial tax preparation fees since 2007, making the total program value more than $136 million. EFT could not happen without the dedication of EFT program director, Marybelle Martin and tax preparers across Erie County.

When it comes to engaging volunteers, Katrina Byrd, community school director and Kaitlyn Falk, community school coordinator at Strong Vincent Middle School, get the gold star! They share how important volunteers are to Strong Vincent’s after school enrichment programs in this week's issue.

April is National Volunteer Month and at United Way, we are grateful to the thousands of volunteers helping to advance our mission to crush poverty in Erie County. Thank you for your commitment to lead by example and to LIVE UNITED! 

Erie kids walk to school, let's keep them safe!

With more than 8,000 students walking to and from school each day, through the elements, alongside busy roads and more, it is crucial for every citizen to do their part to keep students safe.

With just hours before Ramadan begins, Islam’s holiest month, seven East Middle, a United Way community school, students gathered in their community room to share more about Ramadan and the gratitude of having a safe space for prayer and family within the school.

Thanks to the generosity of United Way's corporate and funding partners, together, we are making a transformational impact in the lives of students and their families throughout Erie County.

Read Across America is an initiative of the National Education Association (NEA) and aims to celebrate diverse books and voices throughout the year. You may think of March 2, Read Across America Day, as a day to celebrate Dr. Seuss but, it's so much more for students in Erie County thanks to United Way community schools.

Donna Douglass has been a strong advocate of United Way’s mission to crush poverty and ensure all students succeed and all families thrive.