UNITED WAY OF SOUTHERN WV INC

United Way of Southern West Virginia is working to accomplish significant change in the area of child poverty in southern West Virginia. With the decline in the coal market, nearly 1000 coal miners have lost their jobs in January, 2016 alone. Increased unemployment brings additional challenges to an already depressed economy. United Way partners with over 44 other nonprofits in seven surrounding counties. Our immediate goals include improving grade level reading and using our relationships to build collaborative partnerships to decrease duplication in the areas of social services. Thus allowing more funds to be directed toward long term solutions to our biggest challenges.

Our strategy in relation to grade level reading has several components. We are in the middle of a 10 year reading initiative which includes providing new books annually for our highest poverty elementary schools, grades 2 -5, for each student to take home. In addition, our Untied Way provides volunteer readers monthly to encourage reading and better support the needs of this population. We continue to expand this program to other elementary schools as funds allow.
Our Equal Footing Shoe Fund, now in it's third year, goes one step farther, ensuring that these children have appropriate shoes for physical activity and better health. In 2015 we spent over $13,000 on shoes for children from early head start to middle school.
Most recently, we have engaged with seven county boards of education to improve grade level reading. In West Virginia, only 35% of our children are able to read at the third grade level when they get to third grade. Realizing that improving grade level reading for our children will directly impact their chances of success. Those students unable to read properly at the third grade level increase their chances of dropping out, criminal activity and generational poverty. Our grade level reading strategies have included support of the Dolly Partner Library in several of our counties, a Pre-K expo to support parents and help them understand additional opportunities that may be available to them and reading corners at Farmers Markets, pools and daycares in our area.

We believe we are highly capable of making significant impact in our areas of work. We have a small but effective staff, a highly motivated board of directors and community volunteers who strive everyday to make a difference. We are financially strong and deeply committed to positive change. We have built strong relationships with our local media, civic groups and government agencies to allow our partnerships to be most effective. We use private and public partnerships to bring the most beneficial people to the table to work on these issues. We are focused on solutions in 2016, by making sure time and effort will be spent on shifting the message in our communities from gloom and despair to a message of hope. Together, we can make a difference in the future of southern West Virginia.

Efforts to improve behavior and attendance in several county elementary schools have already been documented. Our grade level reading campaign began in earnest at the beginning of the 2015/16 school year. Thus we have seen an increase in attendance during the first semester. Key factors in this included incentives used for schools with improved attendance (such as Chick-fil-A coupons, pizza parties, etc.) which also built team work and school spirit. Plans are underway for our 2023 Pre-K Expo, budgeting for additional Dolly Parton Library sites and additional schools to participate in reading initiative.

However, efforts are still needed to lessen the impact of child poverty in southern West Virginia. An epidemic of prescription drug abuse along with generational poverty have increased the challenges facing our children. New and outside the box thinking will be necessary to see a decline in this area. That said, we are working now to host conferences for area nonprofits as well as the business community to introduce working, successful models. Models that could provide additional methods of sustainability for shelters, food pantries, etc., while joining together to provide ideas on potential long term solutions to these and other social issues in our communities.