UNITED WAY OF THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS INC
Leading Change in Our Community
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The United Way of the Laurel Highlands (UWLH), is a volunteer-driven, community leading organization responsible for creating, expanding and accelerating positive social change in Cambria and Somerset Counties. We strive to build a community in which all residents' health and human services needs are met. UWLH aims to create equitable, sustainable solutions that build healthy foundations for children, youth and families. Our core focus initiatives are Early Childhood Development, Parental Engagement, & Youth Drug & Alcohol Prevention.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Nurse-Family Partnership
Evidence-based program available for first-time, income-eligible mothers. This program will take the mother and unborn child from 28 weeks of pregnancy, until the child's second birthday. The goal is for the mother to develop the skills of healthy parenting, knowledge of early childhood development, and long-term sustainable parenting practices.
Parents as Teachers
Parents as Teachers is an evidence-based home visitation program for families and children. Enrollment is from pre-birth to age 5 and there are no income guidelines. The goal of the program is to improve parent knowledge of early childhood development and care, provide early detection of developmental delays and health issues, prevent abuse and neglect, and increase the child’s school-readiness.
Botvin LifeSkills Youth Drug & Alcohol Prevention Program
Botvin LifeSkills is the number one nationally ranked evidence-based youth drug & alcohol prevention program. It promotes anti-drug behaviors, teaches drug refusal skills, and fosters the development of social-emotional skills and resiliency.
UWLH Diaper Bank
In response to community need, we created a Diaper Bank serving Cambria and Somerset Counties.
We have raised more than 100,000 diapers from community diaper drives and distribute diapers at 13 locations, providing approximately 5,000 diapers to families once a month.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of youth receiving evidence-based drug and alcohol prevention programing in grades three through eight in our school districts
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Botvin LifeSkills Youth Drug & Alcohol Prevention Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Number of youth received Botvin LifeSkills drug and alcohol evidence-based prevention program in our schools. The population has been declining. We plan to reach the same number of children.
Number of parents who increase their knowledge of child development and care
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Families, Women and girls, Children and youth
Related Program
Parents as Teachers
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Families and children enrolled in the evidence-based programs, Parents as Teachers and Nurse-Family Partnership. Both of these programs are funded by United Way of the Laurel Highlands.
Number of families and children age pre-birth to 5 enrolled in evidence-based home visitation programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women and girls, Children and youth
Related Program
Parents as Teachers
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Parents and Teachers and Nurse Family Partnership evidence-based programs. Enrollment was down due to the pandemic.
Number of children socially, emotionally, and academically prepared for kindergarten
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Infants and toddlers, Children
Related Program
Nurse-Family Partnership
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
High-quality preschool programming, Parents as Teachers, and Nurse-Family Partnership participants. Includes pre-school scholarships, children's vision screenings and early childhood mental health.
Number of children enrolled in quality preschool programing
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Infants and toddlers, Children
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The United Way of the Laurel Highlands strategic plan features three broad goals in community impact: fund development; brand development; and operational excellence.
These goals strengthen the resources available to successfully address our three core initiatives (youth drug and alcohol prevention, parental engagement and early childhood education) among other health and human services.
This work also provides funding support for the crucial PA 211 call center network. Within the next three years we aim to enhance advocacy efforts for programs and services for the residents of Somerset and Cambria Counties.
An example of key performance indicators include increasing school readiness of students enrolled in Parents as Teachers and Nurse Family Partnership by 10% by 2023.
Improve comprehensive case management or access to community resources for families identified as most at-risk by 10% by 2023.
Increase access to fresh and local foods to families served by local food pantries or community meal programs by 20% by 2023.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We have built a framework for delivering effective social change called the Enhanced Community Impact Model©. Following this model, we 1. Identify Priority Community Needs, 2. Mobilize Key Community Stakeholders, 3. Implement Evidence-Based Programs, 4. Fund Programs to Scale & Build Sustainability, 5. Track, Measure, Evaluate, and Report Community Change. As a foundation for our work, community needs assessment have been conducted which have allowed us to provide further validation of driving funding into our 3 top Initiative Areas. As an organization we continue to build collaborative efforts within the community. Through the strategic implementation of Grant Writing and Data Analysis, we are able to further secure additional funding for our region. We continue to grow our annual fundraising campaign, look for non-traditional funding sources, and look at regional and national funding sources. All funding secured allows us to deliver strategic and focused funding into implementing and administering high-quality, top-ranked "evidence-based" programming through our partner agencies.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Strong brand name recognition, solid reputation in the community, utilization and development of the Enhanced Community Impact Model, be known as a leader for community change, knowledgeable, diverse, and engaged Board of Directors (23) with strong Committee participation, solid and dedicated staff (5), over 150 volunteers on an annual basis assist with fundraising and community impact initiatives, strategic plan that guides the overall direction, aligning and focusing our Partner Agencies on addressing the identified needs in the community, establishing goals and measuring outcomes for each program UWLH funds, continuing to build partnerships throughout Cambria and Somerset Counties to further address specific areas of concern, strong financial condition and community support.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Community investment in our work has touched the lives of more than 58,354 people in Cambria and Somerset Counties, many of them through our core work of early childhood development, parental engagement and youth drug & alcohol prevention education (7,244 children educated).
In addition to our core initiatives:
5,259 safe nights were provided to women and children who escaped domestic abuse.
4,226 people received medical care or treatment for a mental illness.
2,354 victims of sexual violence crimes were helped with supportive services.
7,244 students participated in Botvin’s drug and alcohol prevention program.
1,097 men, women and children avoided homelessness.
5,000 diapers were distributed, on average, monthly from our Diaper Bank Newtork.
36,245 -- the number of times families obtained food from a pantry.
We also added SNAP benefits to our local Farmer's Market.
Have Not Accomplished
• Reaching every family in need of Nurse-Family Partnership and/or Parent as Teachers programming.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Reaching people who do not have access to technology and reaching people in marginalized communities
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
UNITED WAY OF THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS INC
Board of directorsas of 07/24/2023
Dr. Gerald Zahorchak
University of Pittsburgh, retired
Term: 2023 - 2025
Jim Huerth
AmeriServ Trust & Financial Services Co.
Sue Mann
1889 Foundation
Pam Tokar-Ickes
Community Foundation for the Alleghenies
Deb Barron
NFP Corporation
Becky Flyte
Daily American
Kim George
AFSCME Council 83
Melissa Musarra
Utz Quality Foods/Snyder of Berlin
Andy Rush
UPMC Somerset
Dr. Jerry Zahorchak
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
Jeffrey Wood
Kongsberg
Zachary Craig
First National Bank
Karen Mento
1st Summit Bank
John Augustine
Greater Johnstown Career and Technology Center
Natalie Kurchak
Community Foundation for the Alleghenies
Tracy Selak
Cambria County Behavioral Health
Matt Deal
St. Paul's United Church of Christ
Dennis Hutchison
Somerset Farm Bureau
Dr. Toni White
Cambria County Probation Bureau
Dr. Elizabeth Dunmore
Conemaugh Health System
Sharon Paterson
Concurrent Technologies Corporation
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 04/14/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.