United Way brings together people and resources to build a safety net to help meet the needs of our friends, neighbors, co-workers, and families. United Way reminds us when we as individuals think outside ourselves, we have the power to facilitate change. When we think of others’ lives as linked to our own, our compassion grows. When we reach out a hand to one, we influence the condition of all. We build the strength of our neighborhoods. We bolster the health of our communities. And we change the lives of those who walk by us every day
26 Ways to "Live United"
Education
1. Invite a friend, neighbor, or family member to attend a school board meeting with you.
2. Organize a book drive with your family, co-workers, school, club, or faith community.
3. Read to children in your family, at your library, or with a local non-profit engaged in child care or literacy.
4. Purchase school supplies for a local school to distribute to children who need them.
5. Enroll your child in a summer reading program at the local library.
6. Donate your newspaper subscription to a local school when you go on vacation.
7. Allow a high school student to shadow you at work and show them how to apply things you learned in school.
8. Take the children in your life to a local museum, exhibit, or play.
9. Be a mealtime partner for a pre-school class to help kids develop social skills.
10. Mentor an at-risk youth at your neighborhood school.
Income
11. Bring a child in your life to a bank to have a tour and open up a savings account.
12. Tutor at an adult literacy or technology program.
13. Donate new or gently used professional clothing to an organization assisting individuals in seeking employment.
14. Serve as a greeter at a free tax preparation community coalition site to help low-income families acquire up to thousands of dollars in earned income tax credits.
15. Volunteer to prepare tax returns for low-income families.
16. Contact your local representative about an issue affecting working people in your community.
17. Ask your bank if they offer free checking and savings accounts to low-income families and encourage them to start if they don’t.
18. Engage with a middle school to teach a class on how to save money and watch with them as it grows.
19. Help senior citizens learn how to detect and prevent fraud.
Health
20. Contact your local free health clinic to help them with anything from locating resources for indigent patients to providing blankets for newborns or writing a letter to the editor on their behalf.
21. Check into providing employment assistance for adults with developmental disabilities or mental illness.
22. Start a walking group for senior citizens in your neighborhood or elderly friends and neighbors.
23. Get a flu shot so you can be healthy enough to take care of others who can't care for themselves.
24. Put on a holiday party or dance at a school or classroom for children with developmental or physical disabilities.
25. Purchase personal care items, such as deodorant, toothbrushes, and soap, and drop them off at the local United Way.
26. Help transport elderly patients or those without cars to necessary medical appointments so they can get the care they need.