United Way of Marion County supports education programs

From left, United Way of Marion County CEO Robert Haight, Episcopal Children’s Services Vice President of Grants and Research Martha Cox, Episcopal Children’s Services CEO Natalya Bannister and UWMC Vice President of Community Impact Beth Nelson. [Photo courtesy United Way of Marion County]

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Posted August 1, 2024 | Staff report

United Way of Marion County recently announced a commitment of $850,000 in funding for education programs from July 2024 to June 2026.

“These funds have been allocated to internal programs like the Community Partnership Schools at East Marion and College Park, Reading Pals and to nine external partner organizations, all aimed at removing barriers to children’s learning and development,” noted the news release.

The impact of United Way’s educational investment is evident through real-life success stories. A family supported by one of United Way’s funded partners, Episcopal Children’s Services, faced homelessness and concerns about their young daughter’s educational future. UWMC’s funding and ECS’s expertise in early childhood development have enabled this family to thrive. Getting help with diapers, food and employment has changed the family’s trajectory. The parents are now employed. The family is now in their own home, and the parents and the girls are thriving, stated the release.

“I have been ever so thankful for this Head Start/Early Head Start Program,” Erica Fernandez said in the release. “This program has been so helpful in so many ways. This program has helped improve my child’s skills, such as social skills, motor skills, speech, physical health and wellbeing, emotional maturity, and general knowledge. This program goes above and beyond, not just with the students. They help with family goals, finances, job finding, and so much more.”

Collaboration with United Way and funded partners is a 60-plus-year relationship in Marion County. This year, choosing how to allocate funds in a tight economic landscape was not easy, the release stated.

“We enlisted 50 diverse volunteers and local subject matter experts to examine each application and vet programs on their ability to deliver the greatest community impact and measurable outcomes and help our most vulnerable populations. Community Grant volunteers donated hundreds of hours to the highly competitive process,” UWMC CEO Robert Haight said in the release.

“The integrity of United Way’s volunteer-driven Community Grant process assures donors that responsible stewardship is our top priority,” continued Haight. “The kind of community challenges that UWMC and our partners are tackling aren’t solved in one-year increments. Funding programs over two years provide stability to our partners and allow them to focus on doing the work, not writing new grant applications. Our multiyear partnership will also create opportunities for stronger data collection and measurable collective impact.”

United Way of Marion County noted that it works to improve Marion County residents’ quality of life through the building blocks necessary to thrive.

“Our investments multiply the impact of every dollar given to UWMC by convening like-minded leaders and creating opportunities for technical assistance and collaboration beyond the value of the check provided. Our investments support programs and fuel relationships, allowing us to impact individual lives and influence conditions for community-level change,” said UWMC board chair James Henningsen in the release.

UWMC’s  2024-2026 education funded partners are:

• Arnette House, Inc. – Non-Residential Family Counseling, $78,850
• Big Brothers Big Sisters – Individual Mentoring, $2,500
• Boys & Girls Club of Marion County, Inc. – Everything STEM, $13,650
• Girls Scouts of West Central Florida – Leadership Experience, $5,000
• Educator Program – Girls on the Rise Summer Program, $5,000
• Early Learning Coalition of Marion County – Incredible Years, $16,000
• Episcopal Children’s Services – Early Education Program, $50,000
• Kut Different – Summer Programs, $5,000
• Florida Center for the Blind, Inc. – Vision Buddies Screening Program, $24,000

“We are grateful for UWMC’s funding, which will help us screen 12,000 students annually,” said Florida Center for the Blind CEO Anissa Pieriboni in the release. “Vision is a child’s primary means of identifying and recognizing their physical environment and engaging in social interactions. With one out of every four school-age children suffering from a vision disorder, early identification and intervention are critical to a child’s long-term academic and vocational success.”

Besides funding external partners, UWMC is the administrative organization for the Community Partnership Schools at College Park Elementary and East Marion Elementary. In 2024-25, United Way received two grants from the Center of Community Schools, University of Central Florida.

“We will invest $391,170 in College Park Elementary School on-site services and $195,000 in East Marion Elementary School’s new program,” noted the news release.

A community school brings resources from the community into the school to improve student academic achievement and well-being, educational equity, and family and community engagement. The Community Partnership Schools model of community school engages four core partners at each school who collaborate to deliver high-quality programs and services to students. The partnership includes the College of Central Florida, Heart of Florida Health Center, HCA Florida Ocala Hospital, Marion County Public Schools, and the Public Education Foundation of Marion County, the release explained.

Service includes direct medical care, dental care, licensed counseling practitioners, tutoring, and access to basic needs onsite. The program team includes a director, wellness, expanded learning, and family and community engagement coordinators. The community team works to improve school attendance, academic achievement, and community engagement. When barriers are removed, children thrive in social and emotional development, the release noted.

An additional $63,830 is being devoted to UWMC’s Reading Pals program.

United Way partners with the Children’s Movement of Florida, providing Reading Pals, which is a statewide early literacy initiative supported by the Carol and Barney Barnett fund Give Well. The focus is engaging, training, and deploying volunteers to Reading Pals as we increase the number of students reading at grade level, the release stated.

To learn more, go to uwmc.org