The assessment results highlight the significant social and economic changes we have seen in Kane County. This report provides a summary of the key findings from the community assessment as well as a synopsis of the Community Health Improvement Plan.

You can download the document and learn more about the state of our community, and how our partners intend to continue moving the needle forward in public health. Printed copies will be available at the United Way office in about two weeks.
 

Al is a partner attorney at Brady & Jensen Law Firm and has practiced in Elgin since 1977, and previous to that practiced in Chicago with the firm of Jenner & Block. Al joined the United Way board in January 2012, and brings with him over 40 years of non-profit board experience. He has served and held various offices on the boards of many local organizations such as the U-46 Foundation, YMCA, and Greater Elgin Family Care Center, where he has served since it began its initial operations.

Al has also been active in the community for many years, having raised 9 children in Elgin with his wife, Janine. He has worked on past United Way of Elgin drives, Easter Seals’ Telethons, auctions for the Community Crisis Center, coached the YMCA’s Women’s Swim Teams, coached multiple Elgin Youth Football teams, and served on the Larkin High School ParentsAssociation committee.

With all that activity and experience, one would think he would be ready for a breather—so why would he agree to serve on United Way of Elgin’s board? Al’s commitment to Elgin runs deep—he is a lifelong Elgin resident, raised his family here, and is generally interested in maintaining and improving where possible the quality of life for other residents of the community. His professional experience in the business world has given him a unique perspective on the role of non-profits in community life, and having observed the role of United Way and local nonprofits and the City government as it affects the quality of life in the community, he feels that he has a basis to contribute to the pursuit of United Way’s goals in this regard.

In his free time, when there is any, Al enjoys golf, traveling, the theater, and visiting family, which includes 10 grandchildren. Please join us in thanking Al for putting his talents to good use through the United Way of Elgin!

The Township Board has been a loyal supporter of the program since the beginning.  Trustees helped register children during the DPIL kick off in February 2009, and continue to advocate for the program in the community.  We applaud the board’s commitment to early childhood literacy and their understanding that when a child begins school ready to learn, they are far more likely to be successful throughout their educational careers and better able to transition into productive adults.

We extend our greatest thanks to the board, which includes Township Supervisor Annette Miller, Township Trustees Pat Hudgens, Bob Johnson, Vicki Pelock, and Carol Rauschenberger, and Township Clerk Kurt Kojzarek.  We want to thank and recognize these individuals for continuing to LIVE UNITED.

Karla is a proud product of U-46 schools—she attended Sunnydale and Channing Elementary Schools, Ellis Middle School, and Elgin High (Go Maroons!!).  She began her career with the school district over 7 years ago as the Hispanic Community Outreach Coordinator and now works to get all families involved in their children’s academic lives by enhancing parental communication with their children’s schools.  She also assists in accessing resources that can help U-46 families.  It is her commitment to education in Elgin that makes Karla a natural fit for United Way of Elgin and our education initiatives.

Besides her work with United Way, Karla is also active with the Elgin Hispanic Network, the local LULAC chapter, and is also a board member of the Prairie Valley Family YMCA. 

Karla is also the proud parent of a 5-year old, who is a recent graduate of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and is now enjoying kindergarten as part of Channing Elementary School’s Dual Language Program.  In her free time—as much as her community involvement and active 5-year old allow—she enjoys Zumba classes, smart shopping, spending time with her family, and loves watching reality t.v.

Please join us in welcoming Karla to the board.  Her expertise in education and community engagement is a great addition for United Way of Elgin. 

The Fun Walk begins at 7:50AM, and will take walkers on a 2-mile circuit through Downtown Elgin.  It is a great way to get out and get some fresh air and help the Imagination Library send more free books to kids in our area.  Make a bigger impact by wearing your favorite LIVE UNITED shirt and show others how you “walk the talk!”

The cost to walk is $12 per person or $40 for a family/group of 4.  Walkers will receive a t-shirt.  All registrations must be online.  You can visit the Fox Trot website here to register.  We will enter the names of all our walkers in a raffle for some great Imagination Library prizes, so sign up the whole family!

More of a runner?  You can participate in the Fox Trot race and still help the Imagination Library!  When registering, you can choose to make an additional contribution to the library—just select the DPIL from the list of participating non-profits, and choose an amount to give.

We would like to share with you a few examples of the progress that your dollars have made toward strengthening the Elgin community.

Education

The Education Impact Council is focusing on preparing children to enter school ready to learn and graduate on time. The chance of a child having a successful life radically increases when that child has a quality education. To address that education issue, United Way of Elgin focuses on programs that connect parents with resources, provide educational childcare and promote early literacy, and provide academic afterschool activities.

Here are some highlights from the first six months:

• Easter Seal’s Early Intervention program served 113 children, of which 88 children reached the developmental milestones as determined in their family service plan.
• One Hope United’s Elgin Day Care provided a total of 193 infants, toddlers, and preschoolers quality childcare; 155 reached the age appropriate developmental expectations.
• Boys and Girls Club Elgin’s Building Future Leaders program provided tutoring, mentoring and leadership skills to 358 youth.  
• YWCA’s Family Literacy’s program reported that 52 of the 61 preschool children reached age-appropriate developmental milestones.
• YWCA’s School Age Child Care provided developmental afterschool activities to a total of 70 youth; 65 youth maintained or improved their grades.
• YMCA’s Parental Engagement program at Highland Elementary School had a total of 309 families that participated in activities that were aimed at academic performance.

Income

The Income Impact Council is working to increase the number of individuals and families in the Elgin area that are financially stable and have their basic needs met in times of crisis.

Here are some highlights from the past six months:

• Administer Justice, Project HOME provided a foreclosure workshop to a total of 245 individuals and assisted 172 individuals with the foreclosure process to develop a plan that would prevent homelessness.
• Association for Individual Development’s Individual, Independent, and Integrated program served 130 Elgin area clients of which 127 of the clients maintained employment for at least 90 days.
• Community Crisis Center’s Economic Crisis program provided 1,520 individuals with a nutritionally balanced supply of food; 109 households were provided with financial assistance to avoid utility disruption and 76 households were provided with rental assistance.
• Ecker Center for Mental Health’s Case Management assisted 278 individuals with applying for benefits; a total dollar amount for benefits received was $483,560.
• Family Services’ Consumer Credit Counseling program helped 24 clients reduce their credit card debt by a total of $48,648 and 21 individuals avoided foreclosure.
• Literacy Connection’s Adult Volunteer Literacy program provided ESL and basic tutoring to 113 adult learners; at least 45 students received one hour per week of tutoring.
• Northern Illinois Food Bank’s BackPack program provided 1,616 backpacks on Fridays to 222 Elgin students ensuring that they and their siblings' nutritional needs were met during the weekends.  
• PADS of Elgin provided over 6,630 nights of shelter to 264 clients and 72 clients participated in educational opportunities. Through the Homeless Meals program, 20,154 meals were served.
• Salvation Army’s Emergency Assistance program provided 89 households with rent and utility assistance which totaled $8,729 in assistance.
• Senior Service Associates screened 2,260 seniors with applying for benefits.  The total value of benefits received was $635,535.

Health

The Health Impact Council strives to ensure that individuals are healthy and safe. 

United Way dollars helped achieve the following during the past six months:

• Community Crisis Center’s Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault program provided safe shelter to 152 victims; 837 clients received education on safe lifestyles.
• Ecker Center for Mental Health’s Therapy program provided services to 173 individuals; 55 individuals improved their coping skills.
• Family Services’ Therapy program provided therapy to 245 clients. 55 clients improved their coping skills.
• Salvation Army Golden Diners’ program delivered 10,176 meals to 188 senior residents ensuring that their nutritional needs were met and also provided daily wellbeing and safety checks.
• Well Child Center’s Pediatric Dental program provided preventive and restorative dental services to 2,121 children. Of the patients that returned for their six month check-up, 80% were cavity free.

Read more about all the programs and initiatives United Way of Elgin is supporting.

Volunteer-driven councils

Volunteers are vital to the United Way of Elgin’s funding decisions. These decisions aren’t just made by United Way staff and board members. There are many community volunteers who offer their time and talent to ensure that donors get the best possible return on their investment. 

Fifty-five volunteers, including some partner agency executives, serve on one of three councils that are organized around United Way’s priorities of need in the Elgin community. The councils are:

• Education, focusing on helping children enter school ready to learn and to succeed in school and in life
• Income, strengthening families – providing for basic needs in times of crisis and helping individuals reach financial stability
• Health, ensuring all people have access to affordable, quality medical care including mental health and dental care and fostering a healthy life style, free of violence and neglect

With agency executives prohibited from participating in the investment process, a total of thirty-six volunteers will serve on one of the councils’ review teams.

Investment process

The investment process, which began in November, is open to all health and human service organizations serving our area. In a highly competitive environment, 40 letters of intent were submitted. Of those, 32 programs were approved to complete a full application. The funding requests total $942,280. 

Under the guidance of Betsy Cappas, Education council chair, Mary Martini and Sue Ehlers Income council chair and co-chair, and Ed Hunter and Tina Link, chair and co-chair of the Health council, the volunteers have the rigorous task of evaluating the written applications. Agency leaders also have the opportunity to sit down with council volunteers to answer questions that were not covered in the application.

Program evaluation

The key criteria for investment decisions include:

• alignment with the strategies set by the Vision Council and the community
• program quality
• capacity to deliver results
• appropriate performance measures and improvement plan
• a reasonable budget with diversified funding

After careful deliberations each council will present its funding recommendations to the Vision Council, which oversees the impact councils’ work and reports directly to the United Way Board of Directors. The United Way Board of Directors has the final vote on recommendations.   

The community goals and strategic partnerships combine to create a cohesive investment plan for the Elgin area, says Lynne Bosley, United Way of Elgin President. “The residents of our community entrust us with their dollars, and we owe it to them to invest those dollars for the maximum positive impact. Our partners will be accountable for results, and United Way will be accountable to donors. It’s that simple. We understand that United Way dollars alone will not move the needle on the community’s most pressing issues. We hope our investment plan will serve as a catalyst for investment by other funders.”

“The program has been extremely successful,” said Lynne Bosley, President of the United Way of Elgin. “This program increases the percentage of children entering kindergarten who are prepared to succeed and have the skills necessary to learn to read.” In a 2011 survey, 61% of parent respondents claimed that they read to their child more often since enrolling in the program, and 93% believe it has helped prepare their children for kindergarten.

To celebrate the three year anniversary, the United Way of Elgin will give away a set of Imagination Library Train Bookends. Any new registration received in February will be entered to win.

The United Way of Elgin and community partners have a goal of reaching 5,500 children by the end of this year. Parents can learn how to register their children to receive books here.

If you would like more information, please call the United Way office at (847) 741-2259 or e-mail Diane O’Connor, Director of Community Impact, at doconnor@uwelgin.org.

The Dolly Parton Imagination Library

The Dolly Parton Imagination Library was started by Dolly Parton in 1996 in her hometown, and launched as a national program in 2000. The goal is to foster a love of reading by providing all children, regardless of family income, with a library of books. At United Way of Elgin, the program is sponsored by JPMorgan Chase Foundation, EFS Foundation, and Fideliter Club of Elgin.  The program is one of many Education Initiatives that work to give families the capacity to act as primary caregivers, with particular focus on creating home and school environments where children and youth have every opportunity to become literate, secure, and prepared for productive adulthood.

• In August, members of YUW sold water, juice, snacks, and popcorn at the movie in the park as a fundraiser.
• In September, YUW helped with the Centro de Informacion Gala dinner auction.
• October's project was helping with the set up and clean up for Elgin's inaugural Nightmare on Chicago Street.
• In November, YUW baked and bagged over 800 cookies that were donated to the Soup Kitchen as a treat for the homeless. 
• December's projects included a food drive and volunteering at the Toy Give Away at Hemmens. Carloads of food were delivered to the Community Crisis Center and to Feeding Greater Elgin. YUW volunteers helped sort toys the day before the Toy Give Away and helped parents select toys on the day of the event.

Now, the youth are taking a much-deserved break and enjoying the holidays. We are excited for the new year, which certainly will offer more opportunities to volunteer and give back to the community.

1. 32,381 books were delivered to 2,763 Elgin area children, thanks to our sponsors: JP Morgan Chase, EFS Foundation, Provena Saint Joseph Hospital, Elgin Township, KCT Credit Union, and the Fideliter Club of Elgin.
2. 8,000 Getting Ready for Kindergarten calendars and 500 Math is Everywhere kits were distributed to families thanks to our partnership with Allstate Insurance and PNC Bank.
3. 541 preschoolers were assessed for developmental milestones and school readiness at area childcare providers.
4. 27,031 Kane County residents were connected to local health and human services through KaneCountyGuide.org, and more than 2,500 Help for Hard Times Guides were distributed throughout the Elgin area.
5. 48 Reading Buddies volunteers read to 225 preschoolers in 2 Elgin preschools every Friday.
6. More than 50 members in United Way’s Youth United volunteered at Movies in the Park, Thrones of Summer, Food Drives, Reading Buddies, Cookie Bake, and Nightmare on Chicago Street events.
7. 310 corporate and community volunteers donated a total of 1,240 hours of service valued at $26,523 to 32 Day of Caring Projects throughout the Elgin area.
8. 1,850 students received backpacks filled with school supplies thanks to the support of community partners.
9. 9,041 low-income Elgin area children received school physicals, immunizations, sick care appointments, and dental exams.
10. 1,236 tax returns were completed for a total value in Federal and State refunds of $2,150,217.
11. 200 unemployed/underemployed residents have taken the WorkKeys®, workplace assessment to enhance employment opportunities. 

• Nearly 1 in 3 Illinoisans are now considered poor or low-income. Median income has steadily declined in Illinois and stands at $52,972, down 3.4 percent from the recession.
• Unemployment in Illinois skyrocketed 82.3 percent during the recession, and since then unemployment has held steady around 10 percent.
• The average length of time Illinois workers are unemployed has nearly doubled since 2007, with unemployed workers spending an average of nearly 37 weeks unemployed in 2010.
• 1 out of every 4 households in Illinois is now considered to be severely rent burdened with housing costs comprising more than half their income.
• In 2011 the average debt of Illinoisans increased 37 percent over 2003 to $13,416

“These living arrangements are unsustainable in the long run and are the last step before homelessness for many,” according to Amy Rynell, Director of the Social IMPACT Research Center. These conditions have also led to a considerable erosion of assets and mounting debts, increasing the economic vulnerability of families across Illinois for many years to come.

Illinois Safety Net Assistance Stats

Without government assistance, nearly twice as many people nationally would have experienced poverty. Unfortunately, not all of Illinois’ safety net assistance programs responded quickly and effectively to growing hardship. And even the most responsive programs have not grown commensurate with need.

• 64 percent more households (a total of 874,109 households) are now receiving assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps).
• The Earned Income Tax Credit, a refundable federal income tax credit, has grown 10 percent from pre- to post-recession.
• The caseload for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in the year before the recession remained about the same during the recession. Since the end of the recession, the caseload has grown 64 percent to 46,694 families.

“Personal, social, and economic costs of low family incomes are far too great, compromising Illinois’ economic strength, human capital, and future well-being,” said Sid Mohn, President of Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights. “State policies and investments need to support an economy that works for everyone, promote work that pays a living wage, ensure that all have access to a quality education, and that families are able to access adequate income supports to help make ends meet.”

Download the report and access county-level data.

What began in January as a mobile pantry service has now expanded into a permanent facility at 1553 Commerce Drive, Elgin, IL 60123. After 16 mobile pantry food distributions that provided over 125,000 pounds of food to 2400 Elgin families, the organization leased a 9400 square foot facility and held its first food distribution on November 12th.  The space is split between a warehouse for food storage and office space for both pantry staff and volunteers as well as space for other local social service agencies to conduct information and outreach.  This gives the pantry a one-stop-shop feel, where clients can receive food as well as other information on assistance, services, and programs that they may be eligible for.

Feeding Greater Elgin is unique in that they operate on a Client-Choice model, allowing clients to choose food items themselves, rather than getting a pre-packed bag.  This will allow families to exercise more control over their food and take any dietary needs or preferences into account.  

The pantry is currently open for Food Distribution on Tuesdays from 9-11am, Wednesdays from 11am -1pm, Thursdays from 6-8pm, and Saturdays from 9am -1pm.  It will hold a Grand Opening on Saturday, December 10th from 2-5pm; the community is invited to attend and get a tour of the new facility. The pantry will be staffed primarily by volunteers, who anticipate helping 1000 families each month.  Clients must have photo ID and proof of residency in Elgin or South Elgin.

Volunteering

Volunteers are needed to help with food distribution shifts and also with warehouse stocking and replenishment. Please contact Susan Ericson, Executive Director at 847-931-9330 or director(at)FeedingGreaterElgin.org for more information, or visit the website.

"We are thrilled and grateful that JPMorgan Chase Foundation has chosen to continue supporting this important program," said Lynne Bosley, President of the United Way of Elgin. "This grant is critical foundation to a program that helps our local children enter kindergarten prepared to succeed." The JPMorgan Chase Foundation’s goal is to be the catalyst to meaningful, positive and sustainable change within high-need neighborhoods.

Since launching in the area in February 2009, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library has sent over 72,000 books to 4,500 children in Elgin, South Elgin, Burlington, Hampshire, and Pingree Grove. The United Way of Elgin and community partners have a goal of reaching 5,000 children by 2012. Parents can learn how to register their children to receive books here.

The Imagination Library was started by Dolly Parton in 1996 in her hometown, and launched as a national program in 2000. The goal of the program is to foster a love of reading by providing all children, regardless of family income, with a library of books. At United Way of Elgin the program is one of many Education Initiatives, which work to ensure that the families in our community have the capacity to act as primary caregivers, with particular focus on creating home and school environments where children and youth have every opportunity to become literate, secure, and prepared for productive adulthood.

In addition to this grant, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in the Elgin area is supported by grants from local groups like the EFS Foundation, The Fideliter Club of Elgin, and donations from community members.

Highlights

Elgin’s Meijer had a fantastic campaign this year: Not only did they exceed their total from last year, but they had the TOP campaign in their region!  As an incentive, Store Director Grant Sjoberg agreed that employees would get to choose a fun ‘stunt’ for him if they met their goal.  The results?  Employees contributed over $13,300 – almost $2,000 more than their goal – and Grant will fulfill his promise, which we have heard involves blue hair for a day!  So if you are in Meijer this fall and see Grant dressed strangely or with multi-colored hair, be sure to thank him for his store’s great support of United Way of Elgin!

Hoffer Plastics Corporation employees raised $21,790 this year; this total, coupled with the company’s generous 1-to-1 match, resulted in over $43,000 for United Way programs.  Hoffer Plastics was also honored this fall with our Jack Shales Spirit of Community Award for their many contributions to the community—as a United Way supporter, annual Day of Caring sponsor, and willing volunteers for community projects.

Remember, your gift to United Way of Elgin helps a broad range of local programs and services as we strive to improve the community.  By helping us to make positive, lasting changes in the areas of Education, Income, and Health, you are creating a community that we are all proud to call home.

Please consider making a donation to United Way and help us continue to have a positive impact on our community.

Dan is a well-known member of our community.  With over 30 years as an Employee Benefits Broker/Consultant, he is a Senior Vice President at Lundstrom Insurance, a premier insurance agency now in their 6th decade of serving clients. Lundstrom has been a Gold-level United Way campaign supporter for several years.

Dan and his wife Cathy, an employee of Provena Saint Joseph Hospital, have been committed United Way supporters for over 15 years.  About 5 years ago, Dan started volunteering with United Way in several capacities, including serving on program investment committees and sitting on the Education Impact Council.  Dan has also been active in our Day of Caring activities.  On his involvement with United Way of Elgin, Dan states that he is “most enthused about the recent transition to impact based awards,” and that he “appreciates having the opportunity to help allocate funds to programs and services that have a meaningful impact in our community and holding organizations accountable for that performance.”

In addition to his United Way involvement, Dan’s experience includes two elected terms on the Kane County Board and Kane County Forest Preserve District, founding member of the South Elgin Economic Development Council, former President of the South Elgin Chamber of Commerce, former Advisory Board Chairman for the World Vision Storehouse-Fox Valley, former Board President for Westminster Christian School, a founding Board member of the U46 Educational Foundation and has served on several other non-profit boards or committees. These organizations, along with Lundstrom Insurance, the United Way of Elgin Board and Christ Community Church have provided a forum to give back to the community.

Dan saw the timing as being right for Board membership because, “The community’s support is needed now more than ever. At a time when the State of Illinois has been appallingly negligent in meeting its commitments, I want to assure members of the community that there is significant diligence in seeing that their dollars accomplish what they hoped for when they committed to giving.” 

We are thrilled that Dan has agreed to lend his talents and voice to the United Way’s mission of Building Community, Improving Lives, and Making Every Contribution Count.

Click here for a full list of the 2011 United Way of Elgin Board Members.

I volunteered with United Way to try to show kids that books are an invaluable part of growing up. Forming a friendship with them early on can be a recipe for success in the future. The kids I read to were wonderful listeners, and I hope they'll be wonderful readers someday soon.

-Luke Trayser, Demi & Cooper Advertising

You can sign up to volunteer at either Elgin Child and Family Resource Center or Illinois Park Elementary School.  Multiple times are available!

Cost of 1 call to Community Crisis Center’s Crisis Line - $8
Cost of saving 1 life – priceless

Cost of 8 to 10 pounds of food for a child and their siblings for a weekend - $9
Cost of preventing hunger – priceless

Cost of 1 year membership to Boys and Girls Club of Elgin - $10
Cost of saving one middle school boy or girl from gang involvement – priceless

Cost of assuring a long-term care patient is not being abused - $14
Cost of knowing grandma or grandpa is safe – priceless

Cost of 1 day of child care for a baby - $35
Cost of giving a single parent opportunity to support a family – priceless

Cost of providing 5 individuals with health care services - $78
Cost of catching cancer early – priceless

Cost of providing laboratory test for 7 babies - $130
Cost diagnosing and preventing future health problems for babies – priceless

Cost of 1 call to domestic violence crisis line - $7
Cost of 1 night at a domestic violence shelter - $57
Cost of counseling, house advocacy, job training and restraining order - $86
Cost of saving a woman and her children’s lives – priceless

Cost of making a gift to United Way – you decide
Cost of knowing you have saved lives – priceless

As you consider making a gift to the United Way of Elgin this year, keep these costs in mind.  To you, it may be just a few dollars out of every paycheck, but to those who receive assistance or care from a United Way member agency, it may be the difference between a basketball game or a gang, a bed or the streets, a safe shelter or abuse at the hands of a partner.  Our mission is clear: Building Community.  Improving Lives.  Making Every Contribution Count.  With United Way, your contribution counts.  Your contribution matters.  Your contribution improves the lives of everyone in our community.  

We asked our board members and staff for thoughts, memories, and tributes to Munson:

Steve Munson was unflappable. Even during his difficult illness he viewed the glass as half full not half empty—a lesson we could all stand to learn from and remember him by.
-Mark Seigle, President, Seigle's Cabinet Center

Steve was a steady, consistent presence in the Elgin community, always willing to assist and lend his expertise in any way he could. I mostly knew Steve as the greatest supporter of his wife Ruth, while she was State Representative; also as the finest advocate DNA could have had as their leader. Finally, Steve and Lynne Bosley met with me prior to my coming on the United Way Board. His cool, calm yet clear and decisive explanations regarding United Way were a large part of my decision to join the Board. His presence around our Board table will be dearly missed.
-Laurie Totten, RN, MS, Director of Corporate Health Services, Sherman Health

He was a kind man who was always there to help whenever we needed it.
-Christina Pearson, Office Manager, United Way of Elgin

Steve embodied the idea of helping others. No matter what was going on, he always had time to stop and help a friend or neighbor. I think that spirit was reflected in the way his friends and neighbors rallied around him when he needed help.
-Elissa Kojzarek, Resource Development and Special Initiatives, United Way of Elgin

Steve was a true advocate for United Way of Elgin. We would always run into him around town or wearing his Live United T-shirts or, at meetings, proudly wearing his United Way of Elgin nametag. He was a great person to have on our team.
-Diane O'Connor, Director of Community Impact, United Way of Elgin

He was a great asset because he knew the community so well. He was familiar with so many of the organizations and what was going on in the community. He always seemed to, through his connections, have his finger on the pulse of what was happening.
-Lynne Bosley, President, United Way of Elgin

Read more:

• Daily Herald: Elgin entrepreneur, software guru was 'unflappable'
• Chicago Tribune: Steven B. Munson, 1956-2011
• Elgin Courier: Obituary

Steve was extremely active in the Elgin community, particularly in the technology arena. Steve co-owned Everyware Inc., a downtown Elgin software development company that develops software applications to promote productivity at businesses. He was a programmer, and then served as chief innovation officer since 2002. He also cofounded BocaJump, a website focused on the happenings in Elgin. And he was a board member and served as president to the Downtown Neighborhood Association for several years, where he helped launch their current technologies, including their first website, a blog, and their enewsletter.

He is survived by his wife, Ruth Munson, and two adult children, Ryan and Olivia.

This year, we gave out our second annual “Champions for Children” award to an organization that has helped United Way of Elgin sustain the Dolly Parton Imagination Library book program here in Elgin. The EFS Foundation has supported the program for the last two years, and allowed us to expand our enrollment.  To date, the Imagination Library has served over 4,300 children in the Greater Elgin Area.  Without generous sponsors like EFS Foundation, we would not be able to continue to provide these free books to local children.

Every year we also recognize one company with the “Jack Shales Spirit of Community” award, which honors a company’s achievements in both campaign and community service. This year’s award was presented to Hoffer Plastics Corporation for their decades of support for United Way of Elgin, both financially and through volunteerism, as well as to celebrate all their work in the local community.

Other awards included our Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze Campaign Awards, which are given based on per capita gifts within a workplace. A full list of award winners can be found here.

Along with the breakfast, the kickoff also includes the Day of Caring volunteer event, which gives our supporters a chance to see firsthand what their donations and volunteer efforts mean to local agencies. This year we put volunteers at the forefront of the actions, sending them to 35 different projects throughout the Elgin area.  These projects ranged from outdoor landscaping and yard clean-ups to indoor painting and providing lunch and fun for social service agency clients.  Projects were completed for the Association for Individual Development, All People’s Interfaith Food Pantry, Boys & Girls Club of Elgin, Boy Scouts of America Three Fires Council, Community Crisis Center, Easter Seals of DuPage and the Fox Valley: Jayne Shover Center, Ecker Center for Mental Health, Elgin Child and Family Resource Center, Family Service Association of the Greater Elgin Area, Feeding Greater Elgin, Housing Authority of Elgin, Northern Illinois Food Bank, The Salvation Army, The Salvation Army Golden Diners, Senior Services Associates, Two Rivers Head Start, Well Child Center, YWCA Elgin, City of Elgin Parks & Recreation, Hanover Township Food Pantry,  and Harriet Gifford Elementary School.

You can watch a slideshow of the day's events here.

The economic hardships that have plagued the Elgin community for the past few years may still be affecting families’ lives, but it is not affecting Elgin’s heart or spirit. Please consider a gift to United Way of Elgin this year. Together we can continue to provide help and hope to our entire community.  For more information about giving to United Way or holding a campaign in your workplace, please contact us.

United Way needs volunteers (either as individuals or teams) to read to small groups of preschool or kindergarten children. Volunteers are trained and asked to commit to a minimum of 30 minutes per week reading to children at Illinois Park Elementary School or Elgin Child and Family Resource Center under the supervision of a classroom teacher. If you are in a team, your group could coordinate schedules so that each volunteer takes a week that works for them.

This is a great opportunity to help enrich a child's life and ensure that they develop age-appropriate language and literacy skills.  The program will last the duration of the school year, so we ask individual and team volunteers to make sure they can commit for a full school year. 

To sign-up, complete the Volunteer Form and return it to United Way by mail, email, or fax.  You can also visit our volunteer opportunities page. For more information about the program contact Diane O’Connor at 847-741-2259.

This year for the Day of Caring, volunteers gathered to work on group projects within the community. Over 30 projects were submitted by Greater Elgin area agencies and nonprofits.  Almost 100% of the projects were assigned, with over 300 volunteers signing up to help.  Projects included outdoor activities such as landscaping group homes, painting, and client picnics as well as indoor activities such as sorting clothing donations, distributing food to families in need, reading to preschoolers, and packing meals for homebound seniors.

The Day of Caring marks the beginning of United Way of Elgin’s annual campaign.  The morning always starts with a free breakfast for all volunteers and supporters, graciously hosted by the Grand Victoria Casino.  The breakfast program gives supporters a chance to hear how their contributions have made a difference in the lives of local families.  Awards are also given out to local businesses for their prior year campaign results.  19 local businesses were honored for their accomplishments in the 2010 campaign.  A special award, Champions of Children, was given to the EFS Foundation for their support for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. The 2010 Jack Shales Spirit of Community Award, United Way of Elgin’s highest award, was given to Hoffer Plastics Corporation for their decades of support, both financially and through volunteerism. 

You can also read about our Day of Caring activities courtesy of the Daily Herald and the Elgin Courier News.

At United Way of Elgin, we focus on health because we believe that a strong community is a healthy, safe, and active one.  We seek to impact the community's overall well-being by promoting access to quality, affordable medical, dental, and mental health care for all.

2018 National Health Goal is to increase by a third the number of children, young people and adults who are healthy and avoiding risky behavior.  A national committee of United Way staff and experts in the health field identified five focus areas as key components that impact the overall health goal:  Safe Home and Community, Healthy Beginnings, Healthy Eating and Physical Activity, Supporting Healthy Choices, and Access to Health Care. 

United Way of Elgin’s Health Impact Council supports programs that address these components.  Work done by the Community Crisis Center’s Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault program not only supports the victims but also seeks to counsel the offenders to prevent repeat incidences.  Programs such as Greater Elgin Family Care Center and Well Child Pediatric Dental promote healthy beginnings for moms-to-be and babies as well as general access to quality healthcare for the community.  Salvation Army Golden Diners ensures that home-bound seniors receive warm nutritious meals daily as well as provides a congregate site for seniors to get out and socialize with others.  And thanks to therapy programs from Ecker Center for Mental Health and Family Service Association, individuals and families have better coping strategies, allowing them to make more positive choices in their daily lives.

United Way also supports the Kane County Fit For Kids initiative,  a collaboration between local agencies and the Kane County Health Department to reduce the instances of childhood obesity in Kane County.  The ‘Fit for Kids’ strategic approach includes: Providing up-to-date information regarding healthy physical activity and eating habits; supporting a culture of wellness in workplaces, schools and other institutions; developing land use, planning and other public policies that foster and support physical activity for all in the community; and assuring fresh fruits and vegetables are affordable and accessible to all families.  You may have seen or heard about several community gardens sprouting up around Elgin; you can learn more about these gardens and how to get involved here.

A new nation-wide initiative, Text4baby, aims to provide expectant and new mothers with important reminders and tips for a healthy pregnancy and first year.  By signing up, mothers will receive 3 texts per week with important reminders about topics such as finding a good prenatal vitamin, seeing a doctor regularly, and getting help to quit smoking, drinking, and other drugs that may be harmful to the baby.  The service is free.  You can register by visiting their website linked about or simply by texting BABY to 511411.

And don’t forget to download and print a copy of the FamilyWize Prescription Discount Card. Accepted at all major pharmacies, you can save up to 30% off the cost of prescriptions not covered by insurance.  So whether you have no insurance or are underinsured, this card can help.  So far, Elgin area residents have saved over $140,000 on the costs of their prescriptions.

4th Quarter Cumulative Outcomes were due to United Way in July for services provided in the past year, from July 2010 to June 2011.  These outcomes are the culmination of a year's worth of programming by United Way's Partner Agencies.  We would like to share with you a few examples of the progress that your dollars have made towards strengthening the Elgin community. 

EDUCATION: The two goals of the Education Impact Council are that children enter school ready to learn and that youth succeed in school and in life.  This two pronged approach focuses on both early childhood education by making sure that kids start school ready and excited to learn, and youth succeeding by engaging parents in their children's education and motivating students to stay in school.  Here are some of the accomplishments of the education programs:

• Easter Seal’s Early Intervention program served 262 children during the year.  100% of the parents developed and participated in a Family Service Plan. 83% of the children reached the developmental milestones as determined in their family service plan.
• One Hope United’s Elgin Child and Family Resource Center provided a total of 279 infants, toddlers and preschoolers quality childcare, 63% met literacy expectations, 72% met math expectations, and 100% met social/emotional expectations.
• Boys and Girls Club Elgin’s Building Future Leaders program provided tutoring, mentoring and leadership skills to 849 youth.  An average of 63% of the youth maintained or improved their grades.
• YWCA’s Family Literacy’s program reported that 93% of the 61 preschool children were at or above appropriate English literacy skills for their age; 76% of parents gained a complete NRS level for English language learning. 
• YMCA’s Parental Engagement program at Highland Elementary School had 97% participation during the year in a parent/child education program.  These programs include classroom orientations, parent/teacher conferences, and other educational opportunities for parents and their children.
  

INCOME: The Income Impact Council’s goals are to increase income, assets, and access job training for improved employability and to help meet the basic needs of people by stabilizing lives through safety net services.  Outcomes to achieve these goals will address people’s basic needs of food, shelter, safety, and inclusivity and move people towards financial independence.  Here are some highlights from the past year: 

• Association for Individual Development’s Individual, Independent, and Integrated program served 124 Elgin area clients.  100% of clients improved their skills, and 95% of clients maintained employment for at least 90 days.
• Family Services’ Consumer Credit Counseling program helped 29 clients reduce their credit card debt by 25%, for a total of $139,355.
• Northern Illinois Food Bank’s BackPack program provided 5,105 backpacks on Fridays to 219 Elgin students ensuring that they and their siblings' nutritional needs were met during the weekends.  The program benefitted a total of 552 children.
• PADS of Elgin provided over 13,000 nights of shelter to 417 clients.  29% of these clients participated in educational opportunities, and 76% of clients were able to secure housing outside the shelter.
• Senior Service Associates screened 4,188 seniors and ensured that 90% were receiving their maximum benefits.  These benefits value at over 2.8 million dollars.

HEALTH: The Health Impact Council strives to ensure that people achieve optimal health through promoting safe lifestyles and access to health care. The steps toward this goal are to make sure that individuals have access to quality health care services, both preventative and urgent care, and see that individuals and families live a safe and healthy lifestyle free from domestic violence and abuse.  United Way dollars helped achieve the following in the past year:

• Community Crisis Center’s Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault program provided education and services to 1,482 individuals; 92% are more aware of community resources that will enhance their safety.  Over 300 women and children were provided with safe shelter in the past year.
• Ecker Center for Mental Health’s Therapy program provided services to 294 individuals; 80% were able to improve their coping skills.
• Family Services’ Therapy program provided therapy to 481 clients. 81% of the 155 clients who completed therapy improved their coping skills.
• Salvation Army Golden Diners’ program delivered 45,512 meals to 615 senior residents ensuring that their nutritional needs were meet and also providing a daily wellbeing and safety check.
• Well Child Center’s Pediatric Dental program provided preventive and restorative dental services to 2,692 children.  59% of patients returned for their six month check -up and 82% of those children were cavity free.
  

You can read more about all the programs and initiatives United Way of Elgin is supporting with your dollars on our website.

Mark has been involved with United Way of Elgin for over 18 years.  He served 13 years on the Board of Directors, beginning in 1993 and ending with his retirement in 2006.  During that time, he served as Campaign Chair in 1994, becoming the first chair to raise over $2,000,000!  He also served a two-year term as Board Chair from 2004 to 2005.  Since leaving the board, Mark has continued to be an active volunteer and advocate for United Way of Elgin.   He and his wife Robin are members of the Alexis de Tocqueville Society, which is a national recognition program for United Way donors who give $10,000 or more each year.

Mark currently serves as the CEO of Seigle’s Cabinet Center here in Elgin.  He is also involved with The Seigle Family Foundation which supports charitable programs in Elgin and the surrounding communities.  

Please join us in welcoming Mark as a Lifetime Director here at United Way of Elgin.  Our community is truly strengthened through Mark’s work and dedication to Elgin.

This year, 1,170 current year and 66 prior year returns were done resulting in over 2.1 million dollars in state and federal refunds.  1.3 million dollars stemmed from Earned Income Tax Credits, which people often miss when preparing their own returns. 

These returns could not have been done without the help of 57 local volunteers who spent over 1,600 hours meeting with families and individuals to prepare and file their returns.

The Free Tax Preparation Program relies on volunteers, trained by the Center for Economic Progress, to prepare tax returns for local families who make less than $50,000 per year and individuals who make less than $25,000 per year.

The program begins each October when volunteers can register to receive the free training.  Once completed, they are a certified tax preparer and can assist others with tax preparation.  The Center asks that volunteers commit to 20 hours during tax season.

Watch the United Way of Elgin website this fall for information on how to register to volunteer for the 2012 tax season.

In 2008, United Way Worldwide announced their Campaign for the Common Good, and ambitious set of 10-year goals to help move our communities forward in the areas of education, income, and health.  The United Way Worldwide’s 10-year income goal is to cut in half the number of lower-income families who are financially unstable. 

As many as one-third of working Americans do not earn enough money to meet their basic needs. Wages have not kept pace with the rising cost of housing, healthcare, and education and currently, 40 million Americans are working in low-paying jobs without basic health and retirement benefits.  For families walking a financial tightrope, unable to save for college, a home, or retirement, United Way is here to help.  By 2018, United Way believes that we can help 1.9 million working families get on the road to economic independence.

To accomplish this goal, United Way will focus on the following policy priorities: Family-Sustaining Employment, Affordable Housing, Savings and Assets, Manageable Expenses, and Income Supports.

You can read more about United Way Worldwide’s Income Strategies and Approaches here.

Locally, the United Way of Elgin’s Income Impact Council supports programs that help families deal with debt, improve their employment opportunities, and weather emergency financial storms to lead more financially independent lives. 

How Can YOU help?

There are many ways that you can help families in our community become more financially stable.

You can GIVE:  A gift to United Way of Elgin goes a long way in ensuring that families have access to debt management programs, financial counseling, and emergency assistance.  Our programs have helped families save their homes from foreclosure, helped an adult with special needs obtain and retain employment, allowing them to live as independently as possible, and provided homeless individuals with a safe place to sleep, a hot meal, and case management to help turn their lives around.

You can ADVOCATE:  Learn about all the programs and initiatives that United Way supports and then share that knowledge with your friends, neighbors, and relatives.  Keep copies of our Hard Times Guide around in case a friend is ever in need.  Tell your out-of-work neighbor about the 1,000 Worker Skills Initiative.  Let others know about the Free Tax Preparation Program offered every January-April. 

You can VOLUNTEER: Become a literacy tutor.  Help check guests in and serve meals at PADS of Elgin.  Receive free training to become a tax preparer.  Teach a life skill to an individual through AID.  The possibilities are endless.  You can make a difference simply by giving some of your time, talent, and attitude to someone in need. 

Every two years, agencies apply for funding from United Way of Elgin.  Grants are awarded for two years—the second year is contingent on the success of the program in the first year and the amount available from the following campaign.  Under the community impact model, agencies are required to submit quarterly outcome reports.  These reports detail their progress towards the expected outcomes and let us know more about what their programs are—or are not—achieving. Each program is unique in the amount of time it takes to see results.  Some programs will have results in as little as three months—for others, it can take the full year for real results to appear.  Each program reports their progress towards their goals, and each report is evaluated, in context, by the Impact Council under which they applied.  Recommendations are made for programs not seeing their expected results.

Third quarter outcomes were due to United Way in April for services provided from January to March 2011.  We would like to share with you a few examples of the progress that your dollars have made towards strengthening the Elgin community. 

EDUCATION: The two goals of the Education Impact Council are that children are prepared to succeed in school and that youth succeed in school and in life.  This two pronged approach focuses on both early childhood education—making sure that kids start school ready and excited to learn—and on school-age support—keeping kids in school to ensure they succeed.  Here are some of the accomplishments of the education programs:

• Easter Seal’s Early Intervention program served 57 new children during the 3rd quarter.  Parents learned what needed to be done on a daily basis to reinforce the therapy.  90% of the children reached the developmental milestones as determined in their family service plan.
• One Hope United’s Elgin Day Care provided a total of 243 infants, toddlers and preschoolers quality childcare.  During the 3rd quarter 100% of the new parents were assisted with applying for and received State subsidy.
• Boys and Girls Club Elgin’s Building Future Leaders program provided tutoring, mentoring and leadership skills to 899 youth.  An average of 63% of the youth maintained or improved their grades.
• YWCA’s Family Literacy’s program reported that 89% of 54 preschool children improved their English literacy and social skills.
• YMCA’s Parental Engagement program at Highland Elementary School had a 41% participation rate during the 3rd quarter in parents attending a parent/child education program.
  

INCOME: The Income Impact Council’s goals are to increase income, assets, and access job training for improved employability and to help meet the basic needs of people by stabilizing lives through safety net services.  Outcomes to achieve these goals will address people’s basic needs of food, shelter, safety, and inclusivity and move people towards financial independence.  Here are some highlights from the third quarter:

• Administer Justice’s Project Home assisted 75 individuals at the Kane County Foreclosure Court House in navigating the system. 
• Association for Individual Development’s Individual, Independent, and Integrated program helped 128 Elgin area residents with disabilities retain their jobs and succeed; taking strides toward fiscal independence.
• Ecker Center’s Case Management program assisted 349 clients in obtaining their eligible benefits that increased their income.
• Family Services’ Consumer Credit Counseling program helped 69 clients reduce their credit card debt by a total of $35,701.
• Northern Illinois Food Bank’s BackPack program provided 2,245 backpacks on Fridays to 207 children ensuring that their nutritional needs are met during the weekends.
• Salvation Army Elgin provided 27,808 meals through their Friday Food Distribution activity of the emergency Assistance program.

HEALTH: The Health Impact Council strives to ensure that people achieve optimal health through promoting safe lifestyles and access to health care. The steps toward this goal are to make sure that individuals have access to quality health care services, both preventative and urgent care, and see that individuals and families live a safe and healthy lifestyle free from domestic violence and abuse.  United Way dollars helped achieve the following in the third quarter:

• Community Crisis Center’s Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault program assisted 408 victims of abuse; 87% are more aware of community resources that will enhance their safety.
• Ecker Center for Mental Health’s Therapy program provided services to 203 individuals that help them improving their coping skills.
• Family Services’ Therapy program continued therapy to 129 clients, in addition to 59 new clients.  83% of clients improved their coping skills.
• Greater Elgin Family Care Center’s Summit and Seneca Health Centers provided 12,842 medical appointments to 7,020 individuals.  The patients were seen an average of 1.87 times during the 3rd quarter.
• Salvation Army Golden Diners’ program delivered 9,851 meals to 153 senior residents ensuring that their nutritional needs were meet and also providing a daily safety check.
• Well Child Center’s Pediatric Dental program provided preventive and restorative dental services to children.  49% of patients returned for their six month check -up and 85% of those children were cavity free.
  

You can read more about all the programs and initiatives United Way of Elgin is supporting with your dollars on our website.

Plans for 2011

EDUCATION: HELPING CHILDREN AND YOUTH ACHIEVE THEIR POTENTIAL

Less than 40% of children enter school with the skills needed to succeed. Research shows preschool-age years are critical for cognitive and social development, along with providing a foundation for future success. To effectively reduce the high school drop-out rate, we must begin by improving access to quality and affordable child care and early childhood education.

United Way of Illinois supports:

• Consistent, high-quality and affordable early learning opportunities for all children.
• State programs for infant and toddler home visitation.
• Early learning standards and benchmarks for children to be ready for kindergarten.
• The development of broad-based coalitions and partnerships to position schools as centers of communities focused on increasing student academic achievement.
• Policies to enable ongoing support for children, from birth to college, and collaboration with an array of service agencies committed to improving conditions that support learning.
• Uniform measurement and data collection for all elementary, middle and high school students, as well as dropouts.
• Implementation of the Common Core State Standards, which revise K-12 learning standards to better prepare Illinois students for success in college and careers.

INCOME: PROMOTING FINANCIAL STABILITY AND INDEPENDENCE

The first step toward financial stability is ensuring access to tools and resources that help individuals and families reduce debts, increase income, build savings and grow assets.

United Way of Illinois supports:

• Evidence-based workforce training and job creation programs that help people move forward financially.
• Supportive programming (childcare, transportation, counseling, crisis management, etc.) that helps families with lower-wage jobs address personal and family challenges.
• The creation of a financial literacy service-learning program that incorporates U.S. Department of Treasury Core Competencies.
• Incentives for employers to provide workplace financial literacy courses.
• Enhanced statewide quality standards for K-12 financial literacy curriculum.
• Policies and practices that help eligible lower-income individuals and families enroll in the public, private and informal benefits and ensure that state, local and federal programs and processing systems are structured to facilitate enrollment.

HEALTH

Access to quality, integrated health services and addressing the common underlying factors of chronic disease are key to the health of our community. However, low-income populations do have the same access to needed care as their higher-income counterparts.

United Way of Illinois supports:

• Access to affordable health services for children and low income adults.
• Comprehensive health coverage, which helps to remove barriers to care and improves overall health outcomes.
• Policies that support wellness and healthy lifestyles for children, youth and older adults.
• Efforts to combat childhood obesity, including improvements in school wellness/physical fitness programs.

HUMAN SERVICE SECTOR STRENGTHENING: BUILDING CAPACITY TO ADVANCE THE COMMON GOOD

In order for communities and families throughout Illinois to succeed and prosper, we must repair and strengthen the essential services that protect public health, improve public safety, revitalize local economies and enhance learning.  

United Way of Illinois supports:

• A state budget that preserves the current level of investment in Illinois’ health and human services system.
• Policies and procedures that ensure prompt payment to community service providers and require reasonable notice of any material changes to their contracts.
• Fair, efficient and transparent contracting practices between service providers and government funders.
• Efforts to reduce unnecessary state administrative burdens on human service providers and their programs.
• The development of a statewide 2-1-1 information and referral system to connect Illinois residents to needed health and human services.

Read the entire 2011 Public Policy Agenda. 

Join United Way in advancing the common good by advocating for issues important to you and your community!

The message reiterated at the Education Town Hall was that it is not just the parents, students, and teachers who are responsible for shaping education, but the whole community.   When a community values education, the system reflects that.  We can all be a part of the movement to get education back on track for our children.  This is part of the LIVE UNITED call to action.

At United Way of Elgin, Education is one of our three impact areas.  In 2010, United Way invested more than $180,000 in six local programs to promote education for our children and families.  In 2011, we are involved with a local coalition of educators, government, and community leaders to focus on early childhood education and making sure that our youngsters are ready for kindergarten and beyond.

Read more about the importance of Education on our blog.

How YOU can get involved:

There are many ways for each of us to get involved in Education.  A good place to start is to take our Education Pledge to become part of the conversation to improve education in our community. 

Then, get involved!  There are so many ways to get involved to improve the educational climate for our children.  Get involved at your child’s school.  Join the PTA, attend parent/teacher conferences, and take your family to school sponsored events.  Find out what is going on in your child’s school, and keep track of your children’s own progress. 

If you do not have children in school, you can volunteer at the Boys & Girls Club to help students with their homework or teach them a new skill.  You can tutor elementary-aged students at the Salvation Army, providing them with one-on-one help in subjects they may be struggling with.  Or you can be a classroom assistant at Elgin Child and Family Resource Center, reading with children in small groups and being an extra set of hands to help the teachers.

You can also make sure that your friends and neighbors are accessing these two great resources United Way of Elgin has to offer: Our Getting Ready For Kindergarten Calendar and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library!

However you choose to get involved, our community will only be bettered through engagement and involvement of all of us!

Raise your hand for education today by taking the Education Pledge. Taking the pledge means you believe that Education Matters and that you support our community’s effort to ensure that all children grow into successful adults.

Every two years, agencies apply for funding from United Way of Elgin.  Grants are awarded for two years—the second year is contingent on the success of the program in the first year and the amount available from the following campaign.  Under the community impact model, agencies are required to submit quarterly outcome reports.  These reports detail their progress towards the expected outcomes and let us know more about what their programs are—or are not—achieving. Each program is unique in the amount of time it takes to see results.  Some programs will have results in as little as three months—for others, it can take the full year for real results to appear.  Each program reports their progress towards their goals, and each report is evaluated, in context, by the Impact Council under which they applied.  Recommendations are made for programs not seeing their expected results.

Second quarter outcomes were due to United Way in January for services provided from October to December 2010.  We would like to share with you a few examples of the progress that your dollars have made towards bettering the Elgin community. 

EDUCATION: The two goals of the Education Impact Council are that children are prepared to succeed in school and that youth succeed in school and in life.  This two pronged approach focuses on both early childhood education—making sure that kids start school ready and excited to learn—and on school-age support—keeping kids in school to ensure they succeed.  Here are some of the accomplishments of the education programs:

• Easter Seals’ Early Intervention program helped 93% of children served reach their developmental milestones.  
• One Hope United ensured that parents have access to quality childcare by assisting parents with applying for a state childcare subsidy; 100% of families who applied were approved.
• The YWCA’s Family Literacy program increased the number of children at or above the standard for English literacy skills from 10 to 55.
• The YMCA’s Parental Engagement program at Highland Elementary school had 99% of parents attend at least one parent/child education program.

INCOME: The Income Impact Council’s goals are to increase income, assets, and access job training for improved employability and to help meet the basic needs of people by stabilizing lives through safety net services.  Outcomes to achieve these goals will address people’s basic needs of food, shelter, safety, and inclusivity and move people towards financial independence.  Here are some highlights from the second quarter:

• The Association for Individual Development’s Individual, Independent, and Integrated program helped 100% of the 113 clients improve their skills and 100% of these clients maintained employment for at least 90 days.
• The Literacy Connection increased the number of hours volunteers were assisting adult learners from an average of 7 hours per student to an average of 17 hours per student.
• Senior Services Associates screened 1,229 seniors and assisted 90% in receiving their maximum benefits, totaling over $550,000.  They also helped 1,366 vulnerable seniors remain in their homes longer through case management and volunteer networks.
• The Northern Illinois BackPack program distributed 1,180 backpacks to 154 children at 6 Elgin elementary schools.
• PADS of Elgin provided 3,530 nights of shelter to 92 individuals, 28 of which are participating in educational opportunities.  Their collaboration with the Wayside Homeless Meals program provided 221 individuals with 10,117 meals.

HEALTH: The Health Impact Council strives to ensure that people achieve optimal health through promoting safe lifestyles and access to health care. The steps toward this goal are to make sure that individuals have access to quality health care services, both preventative and urgent care, and see that individuals and families live a safe and healthy lifestyle free from domestic violence and abuse.  United Way dollars helped achieve the following in the second quarter:

• Through Ecker Center’s Therapy services, 81% of clients improved their coping skills and strategies.
• Greater Elgin Family Care Centers provided 12,524 medical appointments to over 6,700 individuals at their Summit and Seneca Health Centers.
• Well Child’s Pediatric Dental program helped 980 uninsured/underinsured children receive preventative and restorative dental care—up 15% from the first quarter!
• The Salvation Army’s Golden Diners program was able to deliver two daily meals to 100% of seniors in need; they delivered 11,401 meals to our senior residents.
• The Community Crisis Center assisted 395 domestic violence and sexual assault clients; 80% now know more about community resources in order to enhance their safety and safety planning.  Safe shelter was provided to 47 adult victims and 49 children.

You can read more about all the programs and initiatives United Way of Elgin is supporting with your dollars on our website.

The WorkKeys® assessment is available, free of charge, through the 1,000 Worker Skills Initiatives, sponsored by United Way of Elgin and Elgin Community College. All unemployed and underemployed residents of the Elgin Community College district are eligible to take the test and receive free training and personalized career guidance. Over 60 companies in the Elgin area have signed on to the program, agreeing to use the certificate as a valid proof of skill levels. 

If you are interested in taking the assessment, we encourage you to attend the Key Train Open Lab Workshops at Elgin Community College. These workshops will provide information on the WorkKeys® system, including how to register for the assessment, support and training on the computer and the Key Train test preparation program at your own pace, information on the skill levels recommended for thousands of jobs, personalized career guidance, and potential job leads. The workshops are held every Friday from now until April 29th from 10:00 a.m. to noon in the Instruction Center Room 129. No registration is required to attend a workshop, but you can call 847-214-7399 for more information about the sessions. 

Other partners in the program include the Gail Borden Library, which has practice tests available as well as test prep materials, and School District U-46, who now offers the WorkKeys® additional units to seniors taking the regular ACT exam.

If you or someone you know could benefit from the 1,000 Worker Skills Initiative, please download and print this brochure. The WorkKeys systems was brought to our community by Elgin Community College, United Way of Elgin, Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce, the City of Elgin, Gail Borden Public Library, School District U-46, the Illinois Department of Employment Security, and the River Valley Workforce Investment Board.

Does your business currently accept the National Career Readiness Certificate?  If not, download this brochure to learn why signing on to recognize this important certification is crucial for building up your skilled workforce.

The campaign to decrease obesity in our community really began back in 2008, when the Fit For Kids program was first proposed by the Kane County Health Department through a Leadership Summit attended by over 100 leaders of the Kane County community.  At this summit, the Health Department presented 4 Strategic Action Principles around which the plan would be developed: Providing parents and children with reliable, up-to-date information in multiple settings regarding healthy physical activity and eating habits; Supporting a culture of wellness and health  promotion in our workplace, schools, and other institutions; Develop land use, planning and other public policies that foster and support physical activity for all in our community; and Assure that fresh fruits and vegetables are affordable and accessible to all families in our community.  United Way has been at the table since this summit, providing a $10,000 grant to help establish the plan and to raise the funds necessary to implement the plan’s action steps.  The plan has even attracted national attention with a $360,000 four-year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The Fit For Kids 2020 Plan represents 6 months’ worth of research, discussion, and planning to develop the steps necessary to combat childhood obesity.  The action steps needed to address the 4 Strategic Principles are centered on 9 Workgroups: Schools & Education; Mobility; Food Policy; Faith Community; Economic Strength; Family, Culture & Community; Built & Natural Environment; Healthcare & Medicine; and Recreation & Lifestyle.  Representatives from each field will design programs and initiatives to address the plan’s goals relevant to their sector. 

Currently, the program is accepting grant applications from local organizations that have a great project to implement the strategies listed in the 2020 Plan.  That application can be found on Fit For Kids’ website.  The site also contains lots of great tips and ways to get your kids healthy and moving!

At times like this, many of us feel helpless.  We know we cannot ourselves make up the money that these agencies need to keep their services going, but we want to do something.  Here at United Way, we believe there are three things you can do:

GIVE:  There is still time to make a difference with a donation to the United Way of Elgin. We’re committed to making sure that every dollar truly does make a difference for Elgin through our partner agencies.  Additionally, many organizations are also accepting donations of clothes, food, office supplies or furniture, and other items that can be used for the organization’s mission.  If you cannot contribute money but do have items to give, contact individual agencies to see what their needs are.  

ADVOCATE: Your most powerful tool is your voice.  Let your elected officials at all levels of government know that these services are important to Elgin’s well-being, and that all our residents deserve to have access to the help they need.  Let them know that you believe it is crucial for the state to pay their bills on time in order to have no disruption in general health, mental health, and basic needs services.  Here in Elgin, our local representatives include State Representatives Keith Farham and Tim Schmitz, and State Senators Michael Noland and Chris Lauzen.  All our elected officials are always willing to listen to their constituents about the issues concerning the community. 

VOLUNTEER: Many agencies have turned to volunteers for help to continue their operations.  A volunteer can do tasks such as after school mentoring, filing, cleaning, even answering phones, which allows service providers to remain focused on helping others.  For a full list of the volunteer needs in our area, please visit our Volunteer Opportunities page.

DONUT HOLE, FamilyWize Card Helps Seniors

For anyone entering the Medicare “donut hole” in 2011, the FamilyWize Prescription Discount Card may help with the cost of Generic Drugs while in the coverage gap. If you enter the donut hole in July or later, you probably won’t spend enough to exit the donut hole and qualify for new, lower rates through catastrophic coverage.  In that case, the FamilyWize card can be a big help. 

GENERIC DRUGS IN THE DONUT HOLE
Under Medicare Part D, you pay 93% of the cost of your medicine with only a 7% discount.    Discounts on generic drugs with a FamilyWize card can be up to 70% making it the better option in many cases.  Always ask your pharmacy to do a price comparison between Medicare and FamilyWize cards to be sure you are paying the lowest cost. For specific questions regarding your plans details be sure to check with your Plan Sponsor.

BRAND NAME MEDICINE IN THE DONUT HOLE
** FamilyWize Prescription Discount Cards should NOT be used for Brand Name Drugs**
Seniors who fall in the coverage gap will receive a 50% discount on brand-name drugs covered by Medicare Part D from the brand drug manufacturer. However, the full, non-discounted amount counts toward your out-of-pocket costs.  When purchasing branded drugs it is usually in your best interest to not use any discount cards.

MEDICINE NOT COVERED BY MEDICARE
The FamilyWize card can always be used for any FDA approved medications which are not covered by Medicare whether in the “donut hole” or not.
Specific questions should be directed to your Plan Sponsor.  Additional details regarding the 2011 Medicare Part D can be found at:
https://www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan/questions/home.aspx
http://www.cms.gov/

Pastor Edmond has served in numerous leadership positions within community organizations. His services include the National Alumni President of Xavier University of Louisiana; Board of Governors’, Xavier University; Board of Trustees, Judson University; Board of Directors, United Way of Elgin; Board of Directors, National Association for Sickle Cell Disease, Basileus of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and Board of Directors, Sherman Hospital.

During the ten years that Rev. Nathaniel L. Edmond has served as the Pastor and Spiritual Leader of Second Baptist Church of Elgin, Il, he has been an advocate for the youth in the community and the classroom. Under the leadership of Pastor Edmond, the church began a partnership with Sheridan Elementary School on January 9, 2006 with 24 trained volunteers who serve as mentors and tutors to 45 students identified as "at-risk." In 2007, the Sheridan School Partnership was expanded to include Larsen Middle School, and renamed the SBC School Partnerships. On January 19, 2008, the ministry received the M.L.K. Humanitarian Award from the City of Elgin. They also received the Alpha Kappa Alpha Award for Volunteerism in the spring of 2008 and in November, 2009, the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce honored the Second Baptist School Partnership Mentors for donating 1,712 volunteer hours to students since 2006.  He encourages others to give as much of themselves as they can.  “There’s more than enough of you to go around if you let it happen.”

Read more "Live United" stories on our blog. To submit your "How I Live United" story, or to nominate someone else to appear on our website, please contact us.

With no family or friends to turn to for financial help, Joy contacted Community Crisis Center in a last attempt to stay in her home.  She never relied on United Way of Elgin’s funded programs in the past, but she became desperate with the threat of being removed from her home.  She was assigned an Economic Crisis program case manager who explained all of her options.  Thankfully, the case manager was able to determine that Joy qualified to receive rental assistance though stimulus funds from the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing program which they administered for Northern Kane County.   Joy received three months of rent which saved her from eviction.  Joy was also given emergency food and referred to other food pantries in the area to supplement her food supply.  Joy worked with the Crisis Center’s staff on budgeting and life skills.  Through the wrap-around services provided Joy had the support necessary to regain stability.

The Economic Crisis Program receives United Way funding to help individuals and families avoid homelessness and assist with other unexpected crisis.  The money is directly invested in cases like Joy’s where people who have never asked for help before are suddenly in need of assistance.  Thanks to our donors’ generosity, UWE is the safety net people needed when times were the toughest.

All donors who make an annual contribution of $156 or more to United Way of Elgin's Community Fund (non-designated) will receive this discount card, good at restaurants and businesses all over the Greater Elgin area. Donate Now.

For $3 a week, you will not only help out your community, but you will also receive the discounts listed on this page!  Be sure to check back often, as more discounts will be added throughout the year.  All discounts are valid from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012.

Dining:

Alexander's Restaurant (1725 N. State Street, Elgin): 10% off total bill (excluding alcohol, beer, and wine).

Big Apple Bagels (561 N. McLean Boulevard, Elgin): Buy 6 bagels, get 6 free.

Country Donuts (3091 US Rt. 20, Elgin): Buy 12 donuts, get 6 free.

Domani Cafe (109 S. Highland Avenue, Elgin): 5% off total bill.

Elgin Public House (219 E. Chicago Street, Elgin): $2.00 off purchase of $20.00 or more--dine in only (not to be used with any other certificates or discounts, not valid with weekly/nightly specials).

Grand Victoria Casino (250 S. Grove Street, Elgin): 20% off food purchases at GVC Restaurants. Alcohol and gratuities not included. Present your official United Way of Elgin Caring Club card at restaurant to receive offer. Some restrictions apply. Not valid for any participant of the Illinois Gaming Board Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program. Dine-in only. May not be combined with other discounts, offers, or comp dollar purchases. Non-negotiable. No cash value. Subject to availability. Excludes holidays. One coupon per table. Grand Victoria is not responsible for any typographical errors or misprints or for lost, stolen or expired offers, and reserves the right to modify or cancel this program at any time without prior notice. Redeemable only at Grand Victoria Casino, Elgin, Illinois. Must be 21. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1.800.GAMBLER.

Porters Pub (1250 Bowes Creek Boulevard, Elgin): $5 off purchase of $20 or more (excluding alcohol, does not include tax or gratuity).

Rookies Bar & Grill (2486 Bushwod Drive, Elgin): 10% off total bill (excluding alcohol, beer, and wine).

The Culinary Fox Cafe (2090 Larkin Avenue, Elgin): One free can of pop with the purchase of any sandwich, salad, or special.

The Village Squire (480 S. Randall Road, South Elgin & 125 Washington Street, Dundee): 10% off total bill (excluding alcohol, beer, and wine)

Wienerville III (1785 Larkin Avenue, Elgin): 10% off total bill.

Services and Retail:

Brittain's Express Oil & Lube (1570 Larkin Avenue, Elgin): $7 off any full service oil change.

Elgin Books (209 E. Chicago Street, Elgin): 20% off all books.

THE National Bank (3151 US Highway 20, Elgin): Open a Totally FREE Checking Account and receive a FREE Gift and FREE Cash! Bring in your old checks or debit card from another financial institution and we will pay you $25.00 on a personal checking account and $50.00 on a business checking account to help offset the cost of your new checks. Visit www.thenb.com to view our latest FREE Gift. Member FDIC.

Wewetzer Landscaping & Snow Removal (8709 S Rood Road, Kingston): 7% off total bill for any landscaping project.

Please note that all discounts are not valid with any other offer or discounts, unless noted.  Exclusions do apply, and are listed after the discount.

___________________

Local Business Owners!  Looking for a new, FREE way to attract more customers?  Consider signing up to be part of the Caring Club©.  As a Caring Club© merchant, you will be featured on this website and promoted throughout the community to thousands of United Way supporters!  Please contact Elissa Kojzarek for more information about the program and how you can get involved to help United Way help Elgin!

• Learn more about how we’re working to improve Education, Income, and Health in the Elgin area, and which programs were supported using your donations.
• Read our financial accountability data.
• View the results of our many partnerships and their impact on the community.

United Way of Elgin is creating real, lasting change here in Elgin by focusing
on the building blocks of a healthy community—Education, Income, and
Health. Building community. Improving lives. Making every contribution count. That’s what it means to Live United.

Check out our virtual tour:

The building is owned by IHC Construction Companies, LLC. “This was a fabulous opportunity for United Way,” said Lynne Bosley, President. “By reducing our occupancy costs, we are able to invest more in the community."

Thank you to:

• The Rakow family and IHC President Dave Rock for their continued friendship and generosity.
• Members of our board
• Several IHC employees, including Terry Bryant and Kevin Huyvaert
• Shaw Industries for donating the beautiful tile in our kitchen
• All our other friends who helped with the move—whether contributing time, talents, or furniture.

In the area? Stop by and see the new place!

Our new address:

United Way of Elgin
1797 N. La Fox Street
South Elgin, IL 60177

Click for MapQuest Driving directions.

• 2004 Seigle's
• 2005 ITW
• 2006 City of Elgin
• 2007 IHC Construction Companies
• 2008 First Community Bank

This year’s recipient of the Jack Shales Spirit of Community Award is Sherman Health. Founded in 1888 by the Elgin Woman’s Club, Sherman Health remains an independent, community-governed organization. From its humble beginnings in a two-story house to its brand-new, 255-bed facility on Randall, Sherman Health’s mission has always been to make a positive difference through outstanding healthcare and service—every life, every moment, every day.

Sherman Hospital has been a supporter of United Way of Elgin for many years, and that didn’t change past year—even while they were in the process of moving/opening a new hospital.

Sherman’s reach in the community goes far beyond the bricks and mortar of their new facility. Nowhere is this more evident than in all of the different community initiatives and organizations that Sherman Health supports.

Every year, Sherman breaks new ground in giving back to the communities it serves through support for crucial health and wellness programs, such as:

• The Women’s Organization for Wellness (W.O.W.), which educates and provides free screening, diagnostic and ultrasound breast care resources for hundreds of underserved and underinsured women in the community. In 2009, W.O.W. provided over 300 screening mammograms, 12 Diagnostic mammograms, 6 ultra sounds and 1 biopsy to women in the community.
• Activate Elgin, which is helping to fight childhood and adult obesity in Elgin through fitness programs and nutritional education in the schools. In 2009, Sherman and Activate Elgin helped to implement “5-minute fitness” programs in local schools. Teachers now include 5-minute exercises in lesson plans each day, from jumping jacks to jogging in place. The group is also working to add healthier meal options in school cafeterias and vending machines, and is creating exercise programs that students can bring home and try with their family.
• SafeKids of Kane County, which helps to educate the community on injury prevention, specifically with the use of car seats and bike helmets. In 2009, Sherman provided free bike helmets and instruction to over 150 children at the Kane County SafeKids Safety Day in August.

These are simply a few of the many health and wellness initiatives Sherman supports in the community.

Last year, Sherman Health provided over $9.2M in care, valued at cost, for which it received no payment whatsoever. This represents a mere portion of Sherman’s commitment to meet the health needs of individuals and families throughout the Fox Valley region.

Internally, Sherman promotes a culture of service, and many of its own employees give time and talent as dedicated volunteers in our community. In 2009 alone, Sherman Health and its employees were involved with over 25 community organizations, including:

• American Cancer Society
• Boys and Girls Club
• Centro de Informacion
• Community Crisis Center
• Downtown Neighborhood Association
• Ecker Center for Mental Health
• Elgin Hispanic Network
• Greater Elgin Family Care Center
• Kane County Safe Kids
• Little Angels
• McKinley School
• Northeast Neighborhood Association
• Renz Addiction Counseling Center
• TRIAD
• Two Rivers Head Start Agency
• U-46 Educational Foundation
• YMCA
• United Way of Elgin

Thank you, Sherman Health, for your service to the community. You truly represent what it means to Live United.

This national program was founded by the United Way of Greater Kansas City as a way to thank donors year-round for their commitment to United Way.  The United Way of Elgin decided to join the program this year because we feel it is tremendously important to let our donors know that we appreciate their gift not just during the active campaign season, but every single day of the year.

The program itself is simple: when a donor makes a gift to United Way’s Community Fund (non-designated) of $156 or more, they will be eligible to enroll in the Caring Club©.  They will receive a plastic card and key tag, which will entitle them to discounts at many local businesses.  All they have to do is show their card at participating locations!

For just $3/week, you can enjoy discounts at the following location establishments:
Books at Sunset
Brittain's Oil Change
Card N' Camera
Elgin Books
Elgin Public House
First Family Dental
In The Neighborhood Deli
Primavera Salon
Quizno's (Downtown Elgin)
Salon Couture
Swizzle Inn
Taylor Family Branch YMCA
The Culinary Fox Café
Wienerville
….and many more to come!

To find out more about the discounts being offered by these and other participants, please visit our Caring Club© website.  All discounts will be valid from January to December 2011.

Are you a local business owner?  Contact us to find out more about the benefits of participating in this program.  The Caring Club© does not charge merchants anything to be a part of the program, so you can have access to free marketing and promotion throughout the Elgin area, as well as have the potential for more customers diverted to their business, just for providing a discount!  We’d be happy to meet with you to explain the club and the benefits of helping United Way of Elgin.  The discount you offer is your choice, and we will always welcome new participants to the program.

The 1,000 Worker Skills Initiative consists of an assessment called WorkKeys®, which is used to determine a person's current skill level and identify gaps in their training.  The assessment measures a person’s abilities in three essential skill areas: Applied Mathematics, Reading for Information, and Locating Information.  Those who complete the assessment are awarded a National Career Readiness Certificate, which records their individual skill levels and abilities, and enables them to access a local database of currently available jobs whose needs match their skill levels.  Vocational counseling and additional job skills training will also be available to those who complete the assessment.  For those who score low on the assessment, further training and courses will be available at ECC to bridge those gaps.  They will then be able to retest and get certified at higher skill levels, thus making them more eligible for currently open jobs.

The plan for the 1,000 Worker Skills Initiative flowed from EACC’s Workforce Development Committee. The committee, made up of business representatives from industries throughout the Elgin community, is currently engaged in educating other Elgin area businesses of the advantages of the WorkKeys® program and the benefits to using the certificate in their hiring process.  "This initiative, as well as the National Career Readiness Certificate program for high school seniors, demonstrates the vital role played by the partner organizations involved in our Workforce Development Committee," Leo Nelson, President of the Chamber, commented.  Businesses who partner with the program agree to recognize the value of the National Career Readiness Certificate in their hiring process, and can recruit new employees from the pool generated by the program. 

United Way of Elgin Board Chair Mickey Brown said in support of the $10,000 grant "the initiative is to secure stable employment with family-supporting wages for participants, reducing the unemployment rate and providing a skilled labor force for the Elgin businesses.  This unique collaboration provides another opportunity to assist Elgin residents in achieving long-term financial stability, one of United Way’s primary goals."

Along with the leadership of the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce and the $10,000 grant from United Way of Elgin, other key partners include Gail Borden Library, Illinois Department of Employment Security, River Valley Workforce Investment Board, City of Elgin and School District U-46.  Additionally, ECC will provide $5,000 towards the cost of the testing, administer the testing and issue the certificates.  ECC will also offer pre-test tutoring and special remediation courses for those who wish to improve their scores.  The Elgin Office of the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) will provide additional information and referral services for the unemployed in Elgin.

The WorkKeys® assessments began on Tuesday, June 15 at ECC's Main Campus; on Wednesday, June 16th at the Fountain Square Campus; and Thursday, June 17th at the Streamwood Village Hall.  Individuals interested in taking the assessments must register, as time and dates of testing will vary for each site.  Please contact the United Way of Elgin for information on registration.

“Competition for United Way funds has never been more intense,” said Lynne Bosley, President, “Demand far exceeded supply in this case and we had to make some extremely difficult decisions about where our donors’ dollars could have the most impact.” 

The United Way’s community investment process engages impact council volunteers to review every application for funding.  This year, 38 impact council members were trained and spent a total of 1,710 hours reviewing applications, and attending agency presentations and meetings. While United Way staff attends agency presentations, it is the responsibility of the impact council volunteers to establish funding levels.

Mickey Brown, chair of the Community Vision Council, emphasized that the determination not to fund certain programs in no way diminishes their significance, “We are fortunate to be part of a community where so many good organizations offer outstanding services to residents. But the United Way can’t be all things to all people.  In these demanding times, we feel obligated to direct our resources toward programs that clearly address identified, local problems and that demonstrate measurable results.” 

Like many United Ways across the country, the United Way of Elgin has undergone a fundamental shift in the way they approach local priorities.  Known nationally as “community impact”, this philosophy denotes a change from the United Way’s traditional role as a fundraiser to a more active role as an agent of change. 

United Way of Elgin president Lynne Bosley explained, “Community Impact simply means we want to make a real difference.  It means identifying the most critical problems in our community, engaging the community, both individuals and organizations, and working together to find real solutions that result in lasting, positive change for the people who live right here in Elgin.”

Impact councils prioritize funding for programs that addressed the priority issues, which include creating home and school environments for preparing successful children, promoting financial stability and independence and increasing access to quality, affordable health care and providing safe life choices for everyone in our community.

In addition to the $665,000 in agency allocations, the United Way of Elgin supports several special initiatives such as the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, Getting Ready for Kindergarten calendar, Free Tax Preparation program, FamilyWize Prescription Drug Discount program, Kane County Fit for Kids, and 1,000 Workers Skills Initiative.

For more information on the United Way of Elgin or the Community Vision Council, please visit www.uwelgin.org.

View the complete list of the 2010-2012 investments here.

In its 2010 Report on Illinois Poverty–the 10th annual comprehensive analysis of poverty indicators in Illinois–the Social IMPACT Research Center documents challenges to economic security across a variety of indicators including health, education, and employment.

More than 1.5 million Illinoisans, 12.2 percent of the state’s population, were living in poverty in 2008. An additional 16.0 percent—more than 2 million people—were on shaky financial ground with incomes between the poverty line and twice the poverty line.

We put together a blog series that summarizes some parts of the report that stand out to us, as they relate to our continuing work in the Elgin area. Read our 5 part blog series:

• Illinois's poorest residents hit first and hardest by the recession
• Human services threatened, learn how you can help.
• Education stats, see how education level affects poverty
• Health update, see choices those who used food pantries had to make between food and other items
• Income update, see demographics-based unemployment stats

We've been urging you to "Live United", but what exactly does that mean? Watch the video to find out several ways you can work to Live United. From making someone laugh to advocating for a cause, you can find opportunities to Live United every day. Do your part. Plant a seed. Watch it grow. Live United.

Because of these record numbers, we thought we'd remind you of a few resources available to those experiencing difficult times, as well as some job hunting tips.

Elgin Area Community Resources

• United Way of Elgin's Hard Times Guide. The guide includes:A quicklist of resources for emergency services, utility help, foreclosure help, food resources, rent/mortgage assistance, and employment services, tips on evaluating finances and job search, and more.
• Familywize Prescription drug discount card. This free card is accepted at most local pharmacies and can save a family up to 30%.
• Our Community Resources page. Here you'll find a listing of some of our impact programs that can help you, from health services to financial counseling to daycare and more.

5 Job Search Tips

Searching for a job can be an overwhelming process. Here are 5 steps you may be able to take to get the process going.

1. Set up an appointment at Illinois workNet Center by calling 847-888-7900.
2. Take advantage of career counseling offered by your company or other community groups.
3. Utilize various employment agencies (fee paid by the employer), job listings, Job Services, etc., for job leads. Visit the Kane County Department of Employement and Education website or the Illinois WorkNet website for more information and help.
   
4. Maintain contact with former co-workers, union, church, or other community groups for emotional support as well as job leads.
5. File for Unemployment Insurance. File online at the Illinois Department of Employment Security or visit your nearest IDES or Illinois workNet Center (in the Elgin area, it’s at 30 DuPage Ct.). You will need: your Social Security card or some ID that has the number on it; a second form of ID; if claiming dependents, you will need their SSN and date of birth; if you are not a United States citizen, your Alien Registration Information; and if you worked since Sunday of this week, the amount of gross wages earned this week. Once you’ve filed, you’ll need to call 888-337-7234 bi-weekly to certify that you are unemployed and are approved for benefits.

Job Hunting Resources

• Gail Borden Public Library Job Hunting web page
• Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce Job Posting download
• The Federal Government's Official Jobs site

How does the BackPack Program work?

Backpacks are distributed to students (1 pack per family) on Friday afternoons with enough food for 3 children for 3 days.  The food in the backpacks will be nutritious, child-friendly and nonperishable. Some examples are pop-top soup, pasta, cereal, peanut butter, jelly, canned fruits, bread, tuna, apples and granola bars. NIFB will provide roughly 8-10lbs of food per backpack.  Personal care and non-food items like soap, gloves and hand-lotion may also be included as it is available.  This ensures that families struggling with food resources have enough food for their children to get the through the weekend when most other food resource sites (pantries and soup kitchens) are closed.  Without this program, many of these children would have their last nutritious, full meal on Friday afternoons at school; some would not have any food until the next Monday’s breakfast at school.  Students are selected by school social workers using guidelines provided by the Northern Illinois Food Bank.  More information, including common indicators of chronic hunger in children, can be found on NIFB’s website.  

Companies looking for an easy, streamlined way to conduct their United Way of Elgin Employee Campaigns now have the option of using the new E-Pledging Module.  This module gives employers more freedom and options to create the best campaign for their staff.  E-pledging allows companies to bypass the traditional paper pledge forms, saving time, money and the environment!  Employers simply need to assign each employee with an ID number and the module automates the rest. 

The module is now available for companies running fall campaigns.  It takes about seven to 10 business days to get a company registered and customize the module for their company.  Any employers who are interested in running their campaign via the E-Pledge module should contact the United Way of Elgin today!

“Elgin is lucky to have so many agencies that are equipped to help people who may be struggling financially,” said Diane O’Connor, Director of Community Impact at United Way of Elgin. “This guide compiles where people should look for the help they need, and offers some financial budgeting guidance and a prescription drug discount card as well.”

The United Way of Elgin has put together a “Help for Hard Times” guide. You can download the guide here. The guide includes:

• A quicklist of resources for emergency services, utility help, foreclosure help, food resources, rent/mortgage assistance, and employment services
• A descriptive list of community support from various agencies for Health and Wellness, Financial Stability and Legal Matters, and Emergency Assistance
• Tips on evaluating finances
• Tips on job search
• A prescription drug discount card available for all to use.

In September, 186 families used the card for a total of $5,791.17 savings. The average saved per family was 46%, around $31.13 per prescription.

When you present this card and your prescription to a participating pharmacy, you pay either the discounted or the pharmacy’s retail price, whichever is lower. Your card can be used often as needed.

"We wanted to make it as easy as possible for people in our community to save on prescription drugs. Too many people have insufficient or no prescription coverage or need medications not covered by their insurance, Medicare, Medicaid or VA benefits," said Director of Community Impact Diane O’Connor, United Way of Elgin.

Healthcare costs are one of the top concerns for people in our community, and the FamilyWize prescription drug discount cards will help individuals and families who otherwise could not afford to buy the medicine they need. One out of every five people in the United States has no prescription coverage.

Living United for better nationwide healthcare

United Way of Elgin has joined with 550 United Ways in all 50 states in lowering the cost of prescription medication for people who need help with their prescription costs. This partnership is saving over $1 million every month with a goal of saving $100 million over the next 5 years. More than 4 million cards have been distributed and over $7 million have been saved to date. There is more information on the program’s website at www.familywize.org, such as a tool to look up drug prices, participating pharmacies, and the option to print additional cards for family, friends, and co-workers..

The FamilyWize cards are accepted at

• CVS Pharmacy
• Fox Valley Hematology and Oncology LTD
• Elgin Pharmacy
• Medicine Stop of Elgin
• Meijer Pharmacy
• Osco Drug
• Target
  
• Wal-Mart

"It’s truly amazing what we can accomplish when we all work together. So many people and organizations have joined together to make this possible," said Mickey Brown, Chair of the Community Vision Council.

How it works

The participating pharmacies in the community have agreed voluntarily to accept the FamilyWize cards and provide these savings to people in need. Two Pennsylvania printers, Independent Graphics of Pittston, PA, and Brown Printing of Bethlehem, PA, have donated the printing for the cards, Fed Ex Express donates the shipping of the cards, and the pharmacy benefit manager provides a portion of the processing to cover the administrative costs. United Way of Elgin is coordinating the distribution of the cards locally.

"We hope everyone in the community will thank their pharmacist, United Way of Elgin, and everyone else involved for the difference they are making in the lives of so many people in the community," said Dan Barnes, Co-Chair, The FamilyWize Community Service Partnership.

Additional information about this program is available at United Way of Elgin and online at www.FamilyWize.org.

ABOUT THE FAMILYWIZE PARTNERSHIP

The FamilyWize community service partnership was established in 2005 and coordinated by Membership Services Corporation of Lehigh Valley, PA, to reduce the cost of medicine for people who live and work in the Lehigh Valley. We believe that stronger, healthier, and happier people make healthier, better communities and a stronger, gentler nation.

Now, more than ten thousand community and faith-based organizations, county agencies, doctors, pharmacies, companies, and individuals across the country are joined together in this partnership to distribute free FamilyWize prescription drug discount cards in their communities, reducing the cost of medicine for people in one out every four counties in the United States. More than 535 participating United Way agencies, America’s Promise Alliance Partners, and individual counties in all 50 states and Puerto Rico have volunteered to coordinate these distribution efforts.

The savings on the cost of the medicine is provided by the more than 53,000 participating local pharmacies that have agreed voluntarily to accept prices for medications that are close to the prices they make available to large insurance companies and employers. All other program costs, including materials, printing, shipping, programming, distribution, reporting, administration, network pharmacy services and customer service are provided by in-kind donations from the program sponsors and by part of the processing fee included in the cost of the medicine.