Alexandria Nonprofits Awarded over $115,000 in United Way Grants

February 13,2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Julie Rosenthal, JR Communications
202-486-3059/Julie@jrcommunications.com

ALEXANDRIA NONPROFITS AWARDED OVER $115,000 IN UNITED WAY GRANTS
19 City of Alexandria Charities Receive Much-Needed Funds to
Continue Work in Education, Health and Financial Stability

ALEXANDRIA, VA, February 14, 2012 – Today, United Way of the National Capital Area (United Way NCA) announced that it is awarding 19 grants totaling $115,647 to 19 member organizations serving the City (see below for complete list of awardees). The funds came through designations to the Alexandria Community Impact Fund in United Way NCA’s annual workplace giving campaign. Each of the grants directly addresses United Way NCA’s focus areas of education, health and financial stability. In total, over $1.75 million was raised through Community Impact Funds in United Way NCA’s eight regions thanks to the support of employees from over 1,000 corporations, educational institutions and municipalities in the region.

“The Alexandria Regional Council of the United Way is ripe and ready to swing into action for the spring season,” said United Way Alexandria Regional Council Chair Florence M. King. “It is our desire to raise the awareness of the impact we can have on our local community. With the public’s support and contributions to the United Way National Capital area we can be there to continue to offer a helping hand to those who are in need.”

One of the Alexandria recipients is Friends of Guest House, which supports women who are involved in the justice system – either directly or because one of their family members is – through case management services and by providing temporary emergency service money. Executive Director Kari Galloway said, “This grant means we’ll be able to serve more women because we’ll be able to direct more money into outreach programs and staff. We’re very excited. This is going to make a big difference.”

Computer CORE provides clients a pathway to self-sufficiency through computer and job-seeking skills. Executive Director Lynn O’Connell said their Community Impact Fund grant will maintain a community college registrar and enrollment counselor to work one-on-one with CORE students to help them design a career path and successfully start taking college courses, as well as pay for textbooks and professional development for their volunteer instructors. “United Way support is much more than financial support,” said O’Connell. “It gives us additional exposure to our community which translates into reaching more clients and attracting more volunteers and additional charitable contributions.”

“The contributions from the Alexandria community demonstrate a commitment to joining together to ensure that programs in education, health and financial stability can continue their essential work,” said Bill Hanbury, President and CEO, United Way NCA. “Each of the Community Impact Fund grants will have an immediate and positive impact on each of these vital organizations.”

Specifically, the City of Alexandria grantees are: ALIVE!, Arlington-Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless, Arts for the Aging, Ayuda, Bethany House of Northern Virginia, The Campagna Center, Center for Alexandria’s Children, Computer CORE, Food & Friends, Friends of Guest House, Just Neighbors Ministry, Legal Services of Northern Virginia, National Capital Poison Center, National Kidney Foundation Serving the National Capital Area, Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry, Northern Virginia Dental Clinic, Residential Youth Services, The Child and Family Network Centers, and The Salvation Army.

All donors to United Way of the National Capital Area have the option of directing their pledge to the Community Impact Fund in one of United Way NCA’s eight regions including Alexandria, Arlington, District of Columbia, Fairfax/Falls Church, Loudoun, Montgomery, Prince George’s and Prince William counties. These funds help United Way solve critical challenges facing its communities that no one person, nonprofit, or company can address alone.

Each year, United Way NCA solicits funding proposals from its member nonprofit organizations for specific programs and work in these communities. This year, City of Alexandria member organizations submitted 58 proposals totaling $756,938. Funding decisions are made by a volunteer, citizen-led task force that works together with area nonprofits, governments, and business leaders to determine where there are gaps in services and where the funds will do the most good.

Region wide, United Way NCA awarded a total of 256 grants to more than 160 member organizations. All of the grants awarded fall in one of United Way NCA’s three community impact areas of Education, Financial Stability and Health. There were 72 programs funded in Education, 100 in Health and 84 in Financial Stability. In total, United Way NCA raises more than $30 million each year to address the needs of the community, and in the past five years has raised and dispersed more than $142 million across the greater Washington region.

About United Way of the National Capital Area

Focusing on the critical areas of education, financial stability and health, United Way of the National Capital Area and its nonprofit members not only provide immediate relief of social problems affecting the community, but also works to alleviate the underlying causes of these issues. Serving the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia, and Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties for more than 35 years, United Way of the National Capital Area works to inspire acts of caring, deliver hope and improve lives. For more information about United Way of the National Capital Area, visit www.unitedwaynca.org.

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Did You Know

The Capital Area Food Bank reports more than 641,000 residents of the Washington region are experiencing or at risk of hunger, including more than 100,000 in Fairfax County alone.

Residents in Ward 8 have to travel far to gain access to a public library. This distance can make it hard for residents to continue to succeed in their education.

Residents in Ward 7 have to travel far to gain access to a public library. This distance can make it hard for residents to continue to succeed in their education.

Residents in Ward 5 have to travel far to gain access to a public library. This distance can make it hard for residents to continue to succeed in their education.

In Ward 8, over 40% of single-family home and condominium sales resulted from foreclosure completions or owners selling under distress.

45.0% of residents living in Ward 8 receive food stamps.

In Ward 7, over 40% of single-family home and condominium sales resulted from foreclosure completions or owners selling under distress.

35.0% of residents living in Ward 7 receive food stamps.

5.0% of residents living in Ward 2 receive food stamps.

9.8% of residents in Ward 4 are unemployed.

3.2% of residents in Ward 3 are unemployed.

6.0% of residents in Ward 2 are unemployed.

In Ward 1, over 40% of single-family home and condominium sales resulted from foreclosure completions or owners selling under distress.

12.0% of people living in Ward 1 receive food stamps.

6.0% of people live below the poverty level in Prince William County.

9.4% of students in Prince William County drop out of high school.

More than 130,000 residents in Prince William County do not have health insurance.

8.9% of students in Montgomery County do not graduate high school.

In Montgomery County, 1 in 6 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

6.7% of people live below the poverty level in Montgomery County.

13.9% of students in Prince George's County do not graduate high school.

7.8% of people live below the poverty level in Prince George’s County.

In Prince George's County, approximately 1 in 4 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

30,000 children in Northern Virginia live in poverty.

In Northern Virginia, 1 in 6 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

In seven out of the eight wards in the city, residents are closer to fast food restaurants than large grocery stores, which could have a negative impact on residents’ health.

17.2% of residents in the District of Columbia live below the poverty level.

19.0% of residents in the District of Columbia receive food stamps.

11.9% of residents in the District of Columbia are unemployed.

22.0% of students in the District of Columbia do not graduate high school.

32% of children live below the poverty level in the District of Columbia.

In the District of Columbia, nearly 1 in 2 children under 18 is at the risk of hunger.

12.5% of residents living in Maryland do not graduate high school.

9.2% of people live below the poverty level in Maryland.

Last year 2-1-1 Maryland answered 240,000 calls around basic needs such as food, shelter, eviction prevention and financial assistance for prescriptions

Ward 8 public schools have the lowest average share of students testing at required standards, only 33% in reading and 32% in math.

Over 28% of residents living in Ward 8 are unemployed.

Nearly 20% of people living in Ward 7 are unemployed.

67% of children living in Ward 6 are below the poverty level.

15.8% of people living in Ward 5 are unemployed.

There are more than 40,000 uninsured residents living in Loudoun County.

6.1% of students living in Loudoun County drop out of high school.

Nearly 8,000 people in Loudoun County live on an income of $20,000 to support a family of four.

10.6% of people in Fairfax County do not have health insurance.

5.6% of people live below the poverty level in Fairfax County.

7.9% of students living in Fairfax County drop out of high school.

10.5% of children in Arlington County live below the poverty level.

9.4% of students in Arlington County drop out of high school.

More than 3,000 people in Northern Virginia are homeless, 10% of these live in Alexandria, Virginia.

In the past year, 2-1-1 has answered approximately 632,000 calls from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia from residents seeking services.

Last year 2-1-1 Maryland answered 240,000 calls around basic needs such as food, shelter, eviction prevention and financial assistance for prescriptions.

In Northern Virginia, 1 in 6 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

In Prince George's County, approximately 1 in 4 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

In Montgomery County, 1 in 6 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

In the District of Columbia, nearly 1 in 2 children under 18 is at the risk of hunger.

Kids who attend a high quality preschool are more likely to graduate from high school and have higher lifetime earnings.

Every $1 invested in high quality early childhood education saves taxpayers $7.

Upon entering first grade, the average middle-class child has spent 1,000 to 1,700 hours of reading time with picture books; a low-income child averages just 25 hours.

Food stamps last an average of 2 1/2 weeks.

By age three, middle-class children have a vocabulary of about 1,100 words compared to 525 words for low-income children.

According to the Partnership for America's Economic Success, if 50 first graders enter school with reading problems, 44 of them will still have difficulties reading in the fourth grade.

The 2009/2010 official federal poverty level for a family of four is an annual household income of $22,050. 185% of poverty is $40,792, a level at which people still struggle with hunger.

The Rand Corporation states that 90% of a person's brain growth happens before the age of 3.

More than 130,000 residents in Prince William County do not have health insurance.

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