Arlington Nonprofits Awarded over $150,000 in United Way Grants

February 13,2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

ARLINGTON NONPROFITS AWARDED OVER $150,000 IN UNITED WAY GRANTS
17 Arlington County Charities Receive Much-Needed Funds to
Continue Work in Education, Health and Financial Stability

ARLINGTON, VA, February 14, 2012 – Today, United Way of the National Capital Area (United Way NCA) announced that it is awarding 20 grants totaling $152,532 to 17 member organizations serving the County (see below for complete list of awardees). The funds came through designations to the Arlington County 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. In the past three years, through the Community Impact Fund, Arlington nonprofits have received over a half million dollars to sustain the valuable services provided to the community.

United Way Arlington Regional Council Chair Leah Wallace said, “We would like to congratulate this year’s Community Impact Fund grant recipients for all of their hard work, doing what they do best – helping others in need! Their tireless efforts are appreciated throughout the community. These agencies were selected because of their strong activities and outcomes that create sustainable programs serving Arlington County residents. United Way is grateful to the Arlington community for their generous gifts to the Community Impact Fund.”

One of the grant recipients is CrisisLink, which runs a 24-hour, 7-days-a-week crisis and suicide prevention hotline. Development Director Charlene Nieman said CrisisLink’s Community Impact Fund grant will be used to train hotline listeners and help fund overnight staff. “Our hotline workers undergo an extensive and intensive 60-hour training program,” said Nieman. “We use paid staff from midnight through 8 a.m. to supplement our volunteers who are typically unable to work during the overnight hours. We’re grateful to the United Way for all they do to help us deliver our services 365 days a year.”

Another recipient is Home Care Partners, which enables elderly, chronically ill and disabled people to remain in their homes in comfort, safety and dignity. Executive Director Marla Lahat said, “In addition to supporting our training school, this grant will fund some of our innovative continuing education programs that help home health aides increase their skills and increase their job satisfaction, both of which are extremely important.” Some of the individuals trained by Home Care Partners go on to work for the organization while others serve at other local agencies.

“The contributions from the Arlington 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 Arlington County grantees are: Arlington Free Clinic, Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network, Arlingtonians Meeting Emergency Needs, Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center,
Ayuda, CrisisLink, Davis Memorial Goodwill Industries, Doorways for Women and Families, Friends of Guest House, GnG (Guitars not Guns) National Capital Area, Home Care Partners, Just Neighbors
Ministry, Literacy Council of Northern Virginia, New Hope Housing, The Reading Connection, SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now) of Northern Virginia, and The Child and Family Network Centers.

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, Arlington County member organizations submitted 49 proposals totaling $664,351. 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. In the past three years, through the Community Impact Fund, Arlington nonprofits have received over a half million dollars to sustain the valuable services provided to the community.

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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