BOOST!

ING NEW HAVEN SCHOOLS

THE KEYS TO JOB TRAINING

A BETTER SAFETY NET

LIVE UNITED

READER

2012 REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY

Working To Build a Stronger Community

TABLE OF CONTENTS
In the Community, 3 Learning United, 5 Post-K, 12 The Art of Engaged Reading, 14 Rebuilding Lives, 16 The Risk Factor, 20 The Keys to a Better Future, 23 Building a Better Safety Net, 26 Meet the SAM Coaches, 30 What a Wonderful Experience, 32 Financial Focus, 33 Companies that Live United, 34 Individual Donors, 35 Community Partners, 37 Results, 40

JOIN THE OPPORTUNITY

TO CREATE A BETTER LIFE FOR ALL

United Way brings together the caring power of people to create change in our community and to improve lives with a focus on the building blocks for a good life EDUCATION, INCOME AND HEALTH.

OUR COMMUNITY INCLUDES 12 TOWNS IN GREATER NEW HAVEN:

Orange, Woodbridge, Bethany, Hamden, New Haven, West Haven, East Haven, North Haven, North Branford, Branford, Guilford and Madison.
Editor: Joshua Mamis Design: Katney Bair Writers: Cara Rosner, Cara McDonough, Uma Ramiah, Gwyneth Shaw, Melinda Tuhus Photography: Kathleen Cei Printing: Phoenix Press, on 100% recycled paper

LIVE UNITED

To make a difference, please consider a donation. Call 203.772.2010 or go to uwgnh.org/give.

GET CONNECTED
Visit uwgnh.org/signup to get email updates and learn how you can help.

FIND US 203.772.2010
facebook.com/unitedwayofgreaternewhaven twitter.com/uwgnh

CLOSING
T

his has been percolating in our region for some time and has taken on a new urgency thanks to the impact of the Great Recession. Were familiar with the challenges: ten years ago, United Way of Greater New Haven asked civic and business leaders and community residents what they viewed as the most pressing concerns in the region. The issues on everyones mind: the disparity in education and income. The issue on our mind: how do we best meet those big, thorny challenges? As we did our work, we became aware of our own gap between the need we saw in the community, and the difference we knew we could make if we reinvented ourselves. We were no longer satisfied with raising money and making grants to worthy non-profit organizations. We wanted to have more impact. We needed to see more results. So we retooled. Our grant-making process became open and competitive to ensure that we were investing in the most effective programs. We continued to refine the ways we were measuring outcomes to make sure that our investments were making a difference. We formed partnerships with other organizations for greater impact and to reduce duplication of effort. We brought on new staff, with deep knowledge in education and economic development. And we went to work. In this, our 2012 Annual Report to the Community, we take a look at some of the impact of our efforts and talk with some of the people whose lives have been affected. Heres a preview of some of the stories you will read about on the following pages:

Lately, weve been hearing more and more about Gaps. Specifically, the Income Gap, the Achievement Gap and the Opportunity Gap.

THE

GAPS

We help to coordinate non-academic support services to New Haven students by working with New Haven Public Schools, New Haven Promise, and the non-profit community through Boost!, part of the nationallylauded New Haven School Change Initiative. We have seen early and encouraging results in the 2010-2011 academic year, including rising test scores and a dramatic decrease in behavior issues. We mobilize volunteers to tackle community issues, including an effort to talk to the families of every child in New Haven about to start kindergarten, mobilizing 216 volunteers and connecting with more than 1,200 families, giving them the information they need to help their children succeed in school.

We address a shortage of affordable, quality early childhood education by managing an Early Head Start program that provides full-day, full-year child care and comprehensive support services for infants and toddlers and their families.
continued

Diane Young Turner and Jack Healy We support programs that serve long-term unemployed people by teaching the skills they need to fill jobs that are actually available in Caption to comethe community. We train budget coaches and match them with low-income households to help them get the most out of their hard-earned resources. We help New Haven agencies serving the homeless identify those most vulnerable and get them shelter and services they need to stay healthy.

Because we and the other non-profit agencies working for change cant do it alone. It takes a whole community to effect the change we need. We can all contribute. If you are a parent, you can instill in your child the importance of going to school and having a vision for the future. If you are a child care provider, you can instill a love of reading and positive social interaction. If you are a community or business leader, you can instill in your employees the value of volunteering and giving back to your community. If you are recently retired, you can stay connected to your community by going to meetings and being knowledgeable about your community. If you are a young person, you can build a network of friends who care about the community.

n short, United Way of Greater New Haven is immersed in strategic thinking and strategic action about how to move the needle on some of the most difficult challenges in our communities. We also know that it takes more than smart investments in effective strategies to make a difference. Real change requires people coming together who understand that everyone benefits when we provide economic opportunity, good education and basic needs for all our neighbors. Thats why another key part of our mission is bringing together volunteers to help people in need, whether its by tutoring children, collecting diapers or school supplies, or helping low-income families complete their taxes. We hope youll be inspired by how the people weve written about have transformed their lives. 2

o what is the role of United Way? It is to enable these connections to happen. To be a catalyst that affects long-term, positive change in our community. Our motto is Live United for a reason: This kind of transformation requires people working together for the benefit of all. We invite you to be a part of the change. You can support United Ways work in three ways: You can GIVE your contribution makes the work possible; You can ADVOCATE your voice helps raise awareness; And you can VOLUNTEER giving your time and talents to help those in need. We know the Gaps are going to be hard to bridge. After all, the achievement gap and the income gap took years to grow this far apart. But we are chipping away at them, with every tool in our arsenal. Were proud of the work that we are doing. We know its what we should be doing. And we are committed to success. We hope you will become part of the change, and Live United.

Diane Young Turner, Chair, Board of Directors Jack Healy, President & CEO

IN THE
COMMUNITY
The Power of Women

United Way Womens Initiative Leadership Council members visit the Food Truck (left to right): Barbara Healy, Lawanda Leslie, Sharon Milikowsky, Diane Turner, Maria Arnold, Lindy Lee Gold, Linda Masci (Chair).

Food Truck in the News

ou might have heard about it on National Public Radios food blog. Or you might have been aware that it has been awarded the best convenience retailing concept by the trade publication Food Management. Cleanplates.com called it The summers coolest food truck. Even the First Lady got into the act praise appeared on Michelle Obamas Facebook Fan page: Projects like this highlight the innovative ways that communities across the United States are working to improve childhood nutrition, a post read in 2011. Whats all the buzz about? The New Haven Food Truck. Its an innovative solution to a puzzling problem. How do you get free meals to students dependent on school food programs when school isnt in session? The answer: bring it to them. United Ways Womens Initiative bought the truck, and, with funding from the USDAs summer feeding program, New Haven Public Schools provided the food. The truck went into underserved New Haven Neighborhoods throughout the summer, bringing healthy, nutritious food to any New Havener under 18 years old. In 2011, it served more than 17,000 meals.

omen in Greater New Haven wanted to be a part of change they could call their own. So a group of engaged women got together and partnered with United Way of Greater New Haven to form the Womens Initiative. The goal: to unite, engage and support our local women leaders, and to focus our contributions of time, talent and treasure to make a difference. The Womens Initiative meets regularly to discuss local needs and decide what issues to address. To date, the group has focused on the challenge of access to high-quality nutritious food in underserved neighborhoods. In their first project, United Ways Womens Initiative bought a Food Truck to bring free meals to city youth in the summer when access to school lunch programs is problematic. This year, the Womens Initiative is working on bringing better nutrition and cooking skills into the home. Cooking Matters provides nutritional education and instruction geared for teens, parents and child care providers throughout the region. To get involved with United Ways Womens Initiative, go to uwgnh.org.

As Long as There is Need

eighbor-to-Neighbor LifeLine (N2N) was born during the financial crisis in 2009 to address the urgent housing and hunger needs in Greater New Haven. While the economy has since been stabilized, the recovery has been slow enough that many people still require emergency aid. Through the partnership between United Way and The Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, last year, N2N diverted 550 people from homelessness and into stable housing, and provided more than 200,000 meals at soup kitchens and shelters. For more information, or to contribute to N2N LifeLine, go to n2nlifeline.org.

IN THE
COMMUNITY
Many Happy Tax Returns

The Best of Intentions

olunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), a free tax preparation program, saved local residents over $517,000 in tax preparation fees. This year, trained volunteers prepared over 3,500 tax returns at 14 locations in New Haven, West Haven, and Woodbridge, helping residents claim over $5.8 million in tax refunds. VITA, a partnership between many local organizations, is part of a nationwide initiative that has been serving Greater New Haven residents for more than a decade. It provides free federal and state tax preparation to households earning less than $50,000 per year. VITA gets critical money into households that need it and who have earned it, without family members paying fees or falling prey to predatory lending. When a family has the money to meet their basic needs, and invest in their future and our community, we all win. United Way brought two coalitions of VITA service providers together to help streamline their efforts. United Way also provided important marketing and volunteer support. This work is at the core of what we do to mobilize community in this case volunteers to be a part of a community-wide effort to change peoples lives, said Amy Casavina Hall, United Ways senior director of Income and Health Initiatives. 4

ut a child at a table with paper and scissors. You can either let the child play, or you can watch carefully, determine the childs fine motor skill ability, and gear a specific activity with tools that will allow the child to learn and develop. Its called intentional teaching, and its one area where child care centers of today are different than in the past. Many child care centers have incorporated this type of learning activity into their daily activities as part of a dynamic approach to early childhood education, supported by United Way, and work of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). NAEYC has developed an accreditation process that provides coaching and gives caregivers the tools they need to keep children developmentally on track. For a child care center it can mean the difference between simply watching children and providing a dramatic lift to the childrens long-term chance for success in school and in life. It can also help child care centers attain financial viability. But keeping up with certification requirements can be challenging. A few years ago, NAEYC revised its requirements and many centers were worried that they might lose their accreditation. And it wouldnt affect just the child care center. Accreditation is required for child care centers to qualify for state subsidies that enable them to serve lowincome families. The loss of funding would mean that more than 1,000 families were in danger of losing access to affordable child care. Quality matters, says Jennifer Heath, executive vice president of United Way of Greater New Haven, and if the centers didnt get accredited they would not have gotten the state dollars that make it possible for the kids who need it the most low-income children to benefit from those early learning programs. United Way provided funding for consulting services to help child care centers gain the skills they needed to maintain or receive crucial NAEYC accreditation. So far, 19 early care and education programs in the region have done so, benefitting about 1,200 children. The process is one of continual growth and quality improvement, says Marge Weiner, the director of Gateway Community College Early Learning Center, whos been in the field for more than 30 years. Staff observe children and determine their needs and individual differences, says Weiner.Its holistic, not just reading and math, and includes four categories: personal and social; physical development, cognitive, which includes language and math, and creative expression. Many areas contribute to a person being successful, she says. Parents experience this as well. A mother at the NAEYC-accredited West Haven Child Development Center reported, When I chose WHCDC, I really liked that they were accredited by NAEYC. I think [my daughter] gets a lot more enrichment here than if she was just with a babysitter. I have definitely noticed improvements in her speaking abilities. I think she has really blossomed here. Melinda Tuhus

EDUCATION

We will be successful, we will be the model.

LEARNING UNITED
T

his was the rallying cry of Jack Healy, United Way president and CEO, to an audience of invited guests convened last May to hear a representative from the Obama administration hail New Haven as one of six places in the country where school-community partnerships are making a difference in student performance. The White House was impressed by the

efforts of many in the community working to improve New Havens schools. A major component was Boost!, United Ways partnership with the City of New Haven and New Haven Public Schools to support students in their outsideof-school lives so that they are ready and able to learn when they come to school. As Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. said, We know that students do their best in school and are able to maximize their possibilities when their personal, physical and emotional needs are met. The following stories look at the impact of Boost!, United Ways contribution to New Havens broad and ambitious School Change Initiative.

JULIE FRAENKEL ILLUSTRATION

HOW BOOST! HELPS STUDENTS LEARN AND COMMUNITIES GROW

BY JOSHUA MAMIS

yann Sousa is getting ready to dismiss her third grade class at the end of a September day. The children are restless, animated, anxious to go. At barely a whisper, she sing-songs an instruction to quiet down. In a moment, the children are calm, and sent on their way. Sousa is a second career teacher who knows how to manage a classroom and clearly has a gift for connecting with children. Nonetheless, her 2011-2012 third grade class at Barnard Environmental Studies Magnet School had her worried. In September and October, she says, she was overwhelmed with behavior issues. There was a lot of back and forth across the room; a lot of Above: Students at Barnard Environmental Studies Magnet School. 6

negativity. One child was so upset he flipped a desk. She could hardly teach because she was constantly managing disruptions. She worked hard to bring the class together, but problems lingered. Then in November it started to change. Thats when the Foundation for Arts and Trauma began working in the school, thanks to Boost!, a partnership between United Way, New Haven Public Schools and the City of New Haven. Boost! works with schools to identify their biggest challenges around students non-academic needs, and then helps schools team with local non-profit organizations to provide those services. (For more on Boost! see accompanying story, Boost!ing New Haven Students.) Through this process, Boost! was able to link Barnard with the Foundation. The Foundation placed trained drama therapists at Barnard to be available as needed when students are having a rough day. Teachers can call on the therapists to do quick 15 minute inter-

EDUCATION

ventions with students as needed through-out the school day. In an urban district like New Haven, the scope of student need is extensive, says Susan Weisselberg, New Haven Public Schools chief of Wraparound Services. Through the districts ongoing efforts and now its partnership with the United Way, Boost! opens the door to a whole world of support services and programs that many of our students might not have had. The Foundations work at Barnard is one of more than 120 programs serving city schools coordinated by Boost!, which provides strategic glue to make sure the work of all the youth service providers is targeted to have maximum impact and delivers results. Boost! kicked off last year in five schools and has expanded to 10 this year. The goal is to add schools each year until it is active in all 47 New Haven public schools. By addressing students needs holistically, paying attention to the kinds of issues that impact students in their lives outside of the classroom, Boost! also has the potential to impact the community as a whole. The idea of New Haven School Change, says Mayor John DeStefano, Jr., started with a simple premise, which is the idea that the city could not be successful as a community, that we wouldnt be able to grow wealth, that we wouldnt be able to reduce violence and achieve our potential as a community, unless we were promoting the skills and talents of all the people who live here, particularly our younger people.

appreciated the transformation. (See illustration, next page.) For Sousa, especially, it made all the difference. It turned her most challenging class into the favorite class of her teaching career. This kind of intervention has led to remarkable results throughout the school. Barnard, for example, saw a 64 percent decrease in referrals to the principals office among students receiving counseling in the 2011-2012 school year. And Barnard isnt alone. Each Boost! school had similarly positive results. (See accompanying story, Boost! By the Numbers.)

hanks to Boost!, schools have integrated dozens of programs into their in-class and after-school schedules. Few have done so more aggressively than Metropolitan

Boost! has had a big impact on school culture. Kids seem happier, more comfortable, they have less stress. Judith Puglisi, Principal of Metropolitan Business Academy
Business Academy (MBA), a magnet high school on Water Street in downtown New Haven. At MBA, Principal Judith Puglisi has found that Boost!, through both counseling and after-school programs, helped transform the school culture. With the help of Boost!, MBA was able to bring in partners to offer over 26 different after-school activities, such as Yale Model Congress, SAT Prep Classes, Hip-Hop Dance, a Students in Free Enterprise club, and non-contact boxing, as well as an ever-growing roster of official and near spontaneous things to do including just hanging out in the music teachers room and playing guitar. When I first came here two years ago, staff and students left at the end of the day, Puglisi 7

ousas experience reflects these ideals. And her work with the Foundation for Arts and Trauma last year is encouraging: She would indicate to the counselor, known as Miss Renee to the staff and children, which student or students needed help that day. Miss Renee would take the child out of the class to a playroom to talk. Miss Renee knows how to get the child to open up about stress he or she is experiencing at home. Within 10 or 15 minutes, the student is ready to return to class. As the disruptions stopped, Sousa was able to focus on teaching. Even the well-behaved students

EDUCATION

says. Since MBA is a magnet school, with a population that comes from across the region, kids did not feel as connected to the school, she laments. But once they make that connection, through the afterschool programs and the nurturing environment, it is harder for them to take their frustrations out during the day. Boost!, she says, had a big impact on our school culture. Kids seem happier, more comfortable, they have less stress. The schools suspension rate has been cut in half. Puglisi says that she has seen a tremendous decrease in the number of behavioral issues, which has enabled her to spend more time in classrooms, coaching and mentoring teachers. As students start to stay at the school longer, Puglisi says, teachers respond. It starts to build stronger ties and relationships between the children, the teachers, and ultimately the families. The improved school culture was evidenced in the most recent annual school Learning Environment Survey conducted by New Haven Public Schools. The numbers are impressive. Some 82 percent of students report that they feel there is at least one adult at this school that knows me well, a measure that improved 10 points over the previous year. A significant number 74 percent report that, Overall, I feel good about this school, an increase of 25 points from when the same question was asked two years previously. The survey also reports that 93 percent of MBA parents said that Overall, I would recommend this school to other parents, up 5 points from the previous year, and 21 points from the 2009-2010 school year. You can feel the energy in the corridors of the school. Students greet visitors in the hallways

A student at Barnard Environmental Magnet School recognized the positive impact of a Boost!-sponsored program. On a drawing she wrote: Thank you Miss Renee For making my classmates feel better Because when my classmates are happy I can work betternow I can work My face is like this. with confidence and maturity. It would be easy to mistake MBA for an elite private school. Its an impression that makes Puglisi proud. And one that gets to the heart of what is happening in the schools, the kind of energy that leads United Way president and CEO Jack Healy to proclaim, We will be successful we will be the model. As third grade teacher Sousa put it about her turnaround class, To see the growth, not only academic growth, but to become a family, to have a social connection, she says, beaming, her students have learned to live in a society.

BOOST!ING NEW HAVEN STUDENTS

n 2010 New Haven launched its School Change Initiative, a comprehensive package of education reforms with ambitious goals:

Eliminating the achievement gap by raising test scores to the state average; Cutting the high school dropout rate in half; Ensuring every student is academically prepared and financially able to attend and succeed in college. Key elements of the plan included reforming and turning around schools and changing the way teachers are evaluated, developed and retained. However, as Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. and School Superintendent Dr. Reggie Mayo met with stakeholders, it became clear that focusing on what was happening within the schools could only take students so far. They realized that in order to reach the ambitious School Change goals, schools would have to take on the challenges that many students face outside of school. DeStefano and Mayo asked United Way of Greater New Haven to lead the effort to design a system for providing comprehensive wraparound services to New Haven Public School students. This was the beginning of a new partnership: Boost!, an effort to address the social, emotional and physical needs of students in partnership with the City of New Haven and New Haven Public Schools, and to engage parents and families, as well as business and community leaders, in the hard work of turning around the schools. Every day our teachers face challenges in the classroom that have to do with the personal and emotional issues students are dealing with at home, explains Susan Weisselberg, the chief of Wraparound Services for New Haven Public Schools. Those issues can translate to behav-

ioral problems at school and ultimately, impediments to learning. Boost! tackles these problems head-on by coordinating and developing programs in the schools to help make sure that every child has an opportunity to succeed. To do this, Boost! schools incorporated into the daily schedule programs that address four domains which have been demonstrated to contribute to childrens ability to succeed in school: Physical health and wellness Social, emotional and behavioral health Family support and engagement Student engagement/Academic Enrichment Boost! kicked off in the 2011-2012 academic year with a pilot program in five schools Augusta Lewis Troup School, Barnard Environmental Studies Magnet School, Clinton Avenue School, Metropolitan Business Academy, and WexlerGrant Community School. While many already had existing programs that addressed some of these critical areas,

Our ability to address students social, psychological and emotional needs through Boost! enables them to focus on learning in the classroom. Susan Weisselberg, chief of Wraparound Services for New Haven Public Schools
Boost!s role was to strategically coordinate the work, facilitate communication, and identify youth service providers that could fill in the gaps. Each school appointed an existing staff person as Boost! coordinator. And United Way recruited AmeriCorps VISTA and Episcopal Service Corps workers to provide extra support and to help engage families.

BOOST! BY THE NUMBERS

Boost! schools showed significant improvement in reducing behavioral issues, increasing parent engagement, and raising standardized test scores for the 2011-2012 academic year.

THE BASICS

5 Boost! schools 5 Boost! Service Corps members volunteering full-time

in Boost! Schools

59 Youth service organizations providing services to

Boost! students

129 Programs available to Boost! students 2,500 Students impacted 2,553 Parents visited by 359 volunteers at their homes
through Boost!/Promise/NHPS canvasses at the start of the 2012 academic year

Boost! conducted a comprehensive survey of organizations in the region that provide youth services, then worked with the five schools to identify needs specific to each school that would help get students the support they required. The schools could then choose from the menu of programs that matched their requests. Remarkably, some agencies were willing to supply services without additional funding. The first year results are promising behavioral problems diminished and test scores and school satisfaction improved. (See sidebar, Boost! By the Numbers.) Our ability to address students social, psychological and emotional needs through Boost! enables them to focus on learning in the classroom, says Weisselberg. It ultimately helps the school district make more progress toward its School Change goals of eliminating the achievement gap, cutting the drop-out rate and ensuring every student is college and career ready. Note: In the 2012-2013 academic year, Boost! added 5 new schools: Celentano Museum Academy, Hill Regional Career High School, John S. Martinez School, Strong School and Truman School. The goal is to bring Boost! to all 47 New Haven public schools.

THE RESULTS

3 Boost! Schools in the top 10 most improved CMTs

in the District

7.4 Percentage points gained by Wexler-Grant students

on the 2012 CMTs, an increase 7 times the state average and 3 times the district average

19 Percentage points gained by Troup school students

on the literacy portion of the CMTs

OPENING DOORS

The community mobilizes to go door-to-door to talk with parents about kindergarten.

42% Students participating in Boost! activities at

Metropolitan Business Academy high school who improved their attendance

64% Students receiving counseling who had a decrease

in office referrals at Barnard Environmental Magnet School

64% Parents who attended Spring 2012 parent-teacher

conferences at Clinton Avenue School up from 28% in Spring 2010

97% Students at Barnard participating in enrichment

activities with external partners

amily engagement and support is a Holy Grail of school reform, and a key element of United Ways Boost! Initiative. Get the parents involved, and student performance will follow, the thinking goes. But getting parents involved in their childs academic career can be a challenge one that teachers and school administrators have wrestled with for years. There are many reasons parents might be disconnected from their childs school experience, says Laoise King, vice president of Education Initiatives at United Way of Greater New Haven. Parents may have had a negative experience in their own school career, may be struggling to juggle multiple jobs while taking care of

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Research shows that with a few simple steps parents can help students thrive. Boost!, United Ways partnership with New Haven Public Schools and the City of New Haven, boiled the research down to a promotion called The ART of School Success, and delivered the following message on the sides of buses, street banners, on posters, and on bookmarks: THE ART OF SCHOOL SUCCESS Attend: Send your child to school every day Read: Read with your child for 20 minutes every day Talk: Enjoy family talk time every day

their families, or may be experiencing frustration around navigating a complex bureaucracy like a large school district. The problem called for a radical new approach: engaging the parents where they live at their homes. And so the first-ever city-wide Kindergarten Canvass was born. The idea: mobilize hundreds of volunteers and knock on the doors of the 1,500 New Haven families with a kindergarten student before the start of school. Ask the families what they need to know about their schools, talk with them about where they could turn if they had any questions. Let them know how important it is to establish good school habits for children of all ages. Last August, community volunteers paired with school district employees hit the streets armed with a book for every child (in English and Spanish), a refrigerator magnet with key school-related phone numbers, and answers to commonly asked questions. It was one of three successful canvasses last fall organized by United Way, New Haven Public Schools and New Haven Promise aimed at parent and family engagement with the schools. It took one full Saturday and two weekday evenings, but the canvassers achieved their goal. Some 216 volunteers knocked on 1,497 doors representing about 1,200 individual families (some doors were visited twice if the family was

not home on the first day). The street teams left information for, or spoke with, more than 80 percent of the incoming kindergarten class. The effort was a powerful collaboration between United Way, New Haven Public Schools, New Haven Promise, the City of New Haven, and community leaders, and was evidence of what can happen when the whole city comes together with a common purpose. Teachers were energized, parents delighted and kindergarteners thrilled with their back to school gift. Volunteers enjoyed themselves, too. Having this much fun should be illegal, said canvasser Lee Cruz, a parent of a too-young-forkindergarten child. Feedback from parents was positive as well. The Kindergarten Canvass, said Britt Anderson, a parent at the East Rock Community Magnet School, made us feel welcome at ERCMS, and it was incredibly helpful to be able to get answers to gnawing questions.

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EDUCATION
Tyree Dickey believes her son Christophers years in chlid care have helped him succeed as he got older.

POST-K
Parents reflect on how their childrens vital pre-kindergarten experience shaped their lives.
BY CARA ROSNER

T
12

yree Dickey loves and adores all four of her children but there is something, she says, that stands out about Christopher and not just because he is the youngest child and the lone boy of the group. Christopher, 15, entered high school this fall. His mother sees characteristics and a maturity in him that she attributes to time he spent more than a decade ago in a child care center she ran as part of All Our Kins network. I see a difference with Chris, she says.

Hes very articulate; problem solving comes easier to him than it did to his sisters. About 12 years ago, Dickey was among the first women to become a licensed home-based child care provider through All Our Kin, a New Haven-based nonprofit that trains, supports and helps sustain community child care providers. United Way of Greater New Haven supports All Our Kin, and the agency is a key partner in United Ways Early Head Start program, helping to meet the tremendous need for additional affordable infant and toddler care in New Haven. I was trying to find work and I was struggling because I didnt have child care for my son, and even if I could find child care I couldnt afford it, she remembers. She was drawn, she says, to All Our Kins focus on child development, the concept that quality child care goes way beyond babysitting and delves deeply into substantial early childhood issues. Soon after graduating from All Our Kins program and running her own center, she joined the organizations staff as an education consultant, where she works with newly licensed providers to teach them the importance of

having a curriculum, establishing a routine with children and other skills. Providers like Dickey have a profound impact not only on the children they serve in their centers but also on their own families, by becoming better parents, says Janna Wagner, All Our Kins co-founder and chief knowledge and learning officer. Co-founder and Executive Director Jessica Sager, agrees. Its really a two-generation transformation, she says, with both children and parents benefitting. The impact that (child care) providers can have on parents is really huge. The impact on children also is significant. Research shows that early childhood education is essential, as the years between birth and age six are a time of huge growth and development, and childrens earliest experiences have a profound impact on the structure of their brain and affect their ability to learn, along with their emotional and behavioral well-being. Dickey has seen the lasting effects on her own son. Attending her child care center helped give him the structure of routine, and taught him how to thrive in a diverse group of children. While he may not realize it, seeds for life skills Christopher has acquired over the years were planted when he was a two-year-old playing at his moms child care. When Christopher encountered racism while attending suburban elementary and middle schools, for instance, he handled the situation maturely, by telling school officials and his mother. The social, emotional and problem-solving skills she began imparting to him back in his child care days impacted how he reacted, she says. I just moved on, Christopher says, remembering a time in second grade when another child wouldnt let him play with a toy simply because Christopher is African-American. I didnt want anything to just make me give up. Those skills came into play again, as he unfortunately faced racism and prejudice throughout his suburban schooling, he says. Its clear when talking to them that Christopher and Dickey share a very tight bond. I spent equal time with all of my children, but I think with Chris going through All Our Kin, it was more quality time, Dickey says.

Likewise, P. Marie Gibson, owner of Butterfly Child Care in New Haven, continues to see All Our Kins impact on her 12-year-old daughter Jolene, who attended the center when she was little. Gibson opened Butterfly Child Care in 2004 and currently has four children, ages 20 months to 3 years old, enrolled. Prior to opening her business, the stay-at-home mom already found herself taking care of other peoples children, so it made sense to become licensed and better educated about the process, she says. I recommend All Our Kin. It brought me a new challenge, Gibson says. Its an intensive program. I had to open my mind to other ways

While he may not realize it, seeds for life skills were planted when Christopher was a two year old playing at his moms child care.
(of doing things). It was difficult in the beginning, but I got it. Along the way she has benefitted from workshops, trainings and support the organization offers in entrepreneurialism and working with children. Today she serves families from West Haven and throughout New Haven. She was also able to participate in hands-on training with Jolene when she was younger, as well as with other mothers and their children. Gibson says the effects the program had on Jolene remain evident. Among them, the child care center introduced her to children beyond her neighborhood and taught her how to interact in a group while still being her own person, Gibson says. Shes very independent, she says of Jolene. Very! Jolene interjects, proving her mothers point and happy to tout the benefits shes noticed from the program. Im becoming more creative. Now I can draw really well because of All Our Kin. 13

THE ART OF ENGAGED READING

S

The WORDS Project helps kids build tools that will last a lifetime.
BY CARA MCDONOUGH
andra Dill is proud to say that the children at the home day care she runs now regularly grab a book and say, Read, please to the staff. The kids have grown to really love books, says Dill. And thats thanks to the WORDS Project. We know that the achievement gap starts early long before children enter kindergarten, explained Jennifer Heath, executive vice president at United Way. Through our Success By 6 initiative, United Way is working to ensure that children enter school developmentally on track so that they do not start behind. The WORDS Project was a natural fit for Success By 6 support because it is based on extensive research that shows that children who are read to more frequently, and have books in their homes, have bigger vocabularies and become better readers.

Juan Aquilar has made reading books a focus of his Felicitas Family Home Daycare. Photo courtesy of Juan Aquilar

14

EDUCATION

The United Way-funded program is in its third year, with rave reviews from providers, parents and the kids themselves. WORDS, which was designed by the New Haven Early Childhood Council, serves 10 licensed child care centers and 10 licensed family child care homes in New Haven, providing children with literacy and vocabulary tools that will last a lifetime. Sandra Malmquist, director of the Connecticut Childrens Museum, is one of the projects two reading coaches, visiting selected home day cares once a week for four weeks. On each visit she brings a picture book and a fun prop, such as a stuffed animal or puppet. The idea is to give dimension to these books, says Malmquist. The goal is to bring inspiration and excitement to reading. Participating centers receive two sets of 12 new picture books usually colorful board books for the 0-3-year-old age range and props for acting out or accentuating the story. One set stays in the center while the other is used to create a WORDS Family Lending Library, so that parents can check the books out and read them to their children at home. Getting parents involved is crucial to the successful coaching model. When Malmquist or Adrenna DOrlando, the second WORDS reading coach, visit a home care or child care center, theyre not only reading a story; theyre modeling the most engaging way to read that story to young children. Providers learn from seeing them in action and parents, in turn, learn from them. A puppet, for example, accompanies the book, Wheres the Cat? When Malmquist reads the book, she shows the children how to look for the bold black and white illustrated cat in the pages of the colorful board book and also hides the cat puppet behind her back, or under a chair. The story comes alive, the young children are captivated and suddenly the simple act of reading a book is an interactive experience. Not only does this make reading more fun, but showing teachers and parents how to effectively engage young children in reading means its likely to happen more often.

This level of excitement truly benefits children in the long run, says Malmquist. The gold standard for a young child is reading five books a day, exposing them to hundreds of new words that will become building blocks of their vocabularies and enrich their education. Parents are excited by the program, says Dill, and are often surprised that their childrens

The idea is to give dimension to these books. The goal is to bring inspiration and excitement to reading. Sandra Malmquist, Connecticut Childrens Museum
vocabulary has increased so much through reading. As a result, theyre checking out the WORDS books from the centers lending library and trying the methods at home. Other participants share similar stories. Laura Sandstrom, whose two-year-old son attends Felicitas Family Home Daycare, says that since so many of the books in the WORDS program are bilingual, her son often asks to read books in Spanish after theyve read them in English. Books from the program are prominently displayed at the cozy daycare, which is owned by Juan Aguilar. A kid-sized bookshelf means they are always within reach so that children can pick their favorites when its time to settle down for stories. The end result is a high quality reading environment for children when they are at home and when they are with their caregivers, says Malmquist. And the caregivers agree. Cardery Alexis, who owns Baby Bear Day Care, had her first WORDS reading coach visit this month. She said that after the session was over the six children in her program were completely enthralled with the toy and the book presented to them that morning; they played with them all day long. 15

16

INCOME

REBUILDING LIVES
BY UMA RAMIAH

Meet Dan Jusino. His idea: Teach ex-cons how to think differently. His program is working. And so are his guys.

he house at 153 Starr Street is being taken apart, from the inside out. Chunks of plaster, splintered two-by-fours, paneling and fixtures and insulation: they fly out second story windows and land with a satisfying crash to the brimming

dumpster below. This is a good thing a rebirth for the home, and in many ways, a rebirth for the 12 people dismantling it. Ernie Northrup, 26, is clad in work boots, an orange vest and hard helmet. Hes an ex-offender. If I wasnt here, Id be back on the streets. Being here, its not just about work. They teach you stuff on decision making. Since Ive been here, my whole way of thinking is different, he says. Now, hes back in school at Gateway, and looking forward to finding full-time work. Ernies one of many ex-offenders at Emerge CT a re-entry, transitional work program for ex-offenders with low education levels and limited work experience. Emerge CT steps in to support men and women leaving the prison system to re-enter the world and the workforce, providing job training, educational opportunities and life skills support in real time. This isnt just transitional work yes, we get them on job sites, we get them reading, we get them training. But this is about changing how they think, and how they make decisions, says Executive Director Dan Jusino, standing on the first floor of the nearly gutted house. His business manager, Mark Wilson, nods enthusiastically. If after 26 weeks all weve

This page, from left: Dan Jusino and Mark Wilson in front of 153 Starr Street. Opposite: Felix Torres, Emerge crew chief. 17

given them is a paycheck, then weve failed them. Theyre not better off. Were looking to change patterns in behavior. No small feat for a small organization. When Emerge was established in 2009, Jusino and Wilson found themselves on-call 24 hours a day. Our guys problems dont happen 9-5, Wilson says. And because weve made a commitment to them to be there, helping them out in tough situations along the way, we were pretty much working around the clock. That included sourcing jobs for the crew, getting them to and from worksites, overseeing the educational component of the program, and responding to problems at all hours. Then, United Way of Greater New Haven stepped in with a grant specifically structured for a program designed to give people the support they needed to enter the

If after 26 weeks all weve given them is a paycheck, then weve failed them. Theyre not better off. Were looking to change patterns in behavior. Dan Jusino
workforce and remain employed over time by combining access to services (child care, transportation, etc.) with a curriculum that would result in industry-recognized credentials. That grant, Jusino says, has greatly improved organizational capacity. Emerge crew, front row, left to right: Ernest Northrup, Dan Jusino and Jamal Lockman. Back row, left to right: Roger Johnson, Don Williams and Tywain Harris. 18

New Haven nonprofits dont always know how to play well together, he explains. But now, because of a United Way grant we have an employee on our payroll who works over at Workforce Alliance for us, on behalf of our guys, helping them through the process to find employment or training. This is like, perfect! Upon arrival, most participants are reading at a 6th or 7th grade level. That dooms them to a cycle of poverty, says Jusino. So they complete a literacy component (about 100 hours) at partner Workforce Alliance boosting them to at least a 10th grade level. With that reading level, and with help from an Emerge employee at Workforce Alliance, they can access training and support programs that require higher levels of proficiency. This was a tough thing to build, but weve come a long way, Wilson says. Sixty guys have moved through the program so far. Theyre able to work up to 24 hours a week on payroll, paying taxes, for up to 26 weeks. Before they can work, theres an upfront requirement of 16 hours of community service, followed by another 34 over the course of the program. When they first arrive, we try to stabilize them get them to sleep well, to eat well. We assume because theyre adults that they do this. But they dont. Nobodys taught them. The small things sometimes seem insurmountable, but we work with them to ease their fears and change those patterns, Jusino says. Emerge, Jusino says, ascribes to the theory of degrees of less failure. If somebodys robbing cars last week, and today hes coming in late, I can work with that.

Theres going to be a sanction, but we dont kick people to the curb for that. The good thing is they called out. They didnt just disappear. Thats changed behavior for these guys, he says. Jusino is talkative, affable, passionate about Emerge and its mission. The organization serves mostly men alongside a few women Jusino refers to the crew as the guys. Ex-offenders are referred to Emerge by the justice system, Workforce Alliance, or alumni of the program. On a hot weekday morning, 12 workers are extremely focused on the project at hand despite cameras, microphones and visitors streaming in and out of the house. Theyre friendly, kind, respectful, easy to engage. Thats the kind of attitude we encourage here, Jusino says. Thats whats necessary to move on to the real world. Theyre gutting the home on Starr Street a project for Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven (NHS), which buys and rehabs homes in underserved neighborhoods, reselling them to low-income families. Jusino and Wilson reached out to the organization, looking for work. Onsite is Henry Dynia, director of design and construction for NHS. At NHS we believe that solutions for these neighborhoods must be multi-pronged, he explains. So if we can reach a little bit outside our mission, were happy to do it. We believe that a lot of people from the neighborhood whove ended up in the criminal justice system are not bad people. They need guidance, continued nurturing and their problems are not forever.

EMPLOYMENT BY NUMBERS
6% Madison unemployment rate* 13.3% New Haven unemployment rate* 18.34% Unemployment rate in
the 06519 zip code, which includes the Hill neighborhood*

34.8% Residents of New Haven

defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as not in the labor force

12% Entry level postings for

South Central Connecticut, including Greater New Haven, on Monster.com in the second quarter of 2012

39.1% New Haven workforce

employed in educational services, health care and social assistance**

39% New Haven job seekers with a 70%

New Haven job postings seeking candidates with a Bachelors Degree or Higher***

f the 60 men whove completed the program, 33 have found long-term work. Four have gone on to further certified training or education. We lost some of them in the beginning with the intense learning curve, Jusino explains. But were getting stronger, particularly with the help from United Way, Workforce Alliance and organizations like NHS. Don Williams is an Emerge success story: he came to the organization after an 8 year prison sentence for armed robbery, eventually taking up a position as a full-time supervisor. The reason I decided to leave the streets behind? I realized I was hurting a lot of people, family members, and I was tired of not contributing to society, he says. Once I got my reading score up, there were so many other opportunities. Jusino, Williams explains, pushes him and the others to take on bigger tasks and challenges each week. Williams son was shot in Ansonia six months ago. It was a telling episode for the Emerge crew he called Jusino and Wilson from the ambulance, angry and scared. Out of town, they sent another member of the Emerge staff to be with Williams. The guys supported me, they were willing to support me with everything, counseling, time off. And they asked me to talk through what I was feeling, the decisions I was going to make. They kept me from doing anything to harm my progress, he says. Ive been through many programs. Aint none of them been like Emerge. They gave me a chance.

Bachelors Degree or higher (the lowest in the region)***

100 Approximate number of

job-seekers who will receive a national career readiness certificate in 2013 as a result of programs funded by United Way

18 Organizations United Way works

with on issues related to economic opportunity

77 Individuals with multiple barriers

to employment who have found longterm work through United Way efforts last year

*Connecticut Department of Labor, as of August, 2012. **U.S. Census Bureau, 2010. ***According to the Workforce Alliance.

19

A new tool is helping the most vulnerable homeless people get off the street and into stable, long-term housing.

THE RISK FACTOR

BY GWYNETH SHAW

ine years ago, Avery McFadden had a happy, stable life: a strong relationship with his girlfriend and their three young children, and a house in New Haven. Then, in the wake of one tragic twist, everything shattered. McFadden woke up one morning to find his girlfriend dead in bed beside him, felled by a brain aneurysm. His grief sent him a little bit off the deep end, he says now. In short order, several dominoes fell. He lost the house. He had to sign over guardianship of the kids to their grandmother. And he found himself first as an inpatient, being treated for a deep depression, and then on the street. McFadden resisted going to a homeless shelter for years. To me, if I go to a shelter, thats an admission that Im destitute, so to speak. McFadden slept behind whats now the After 12 years without a home, David Pardy (top of page) and Avery McFadden are now both living in stable housing. 20

INCOME

360 State Street building. Thats where Kenny Driffin first made contact with him, calling out over a foot and a half of snow. Driffin is an outreach worker for Columbus House, a New Havenbased nonprofit that operates shelters and apartments and provides a range of services to adults who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. McFadden declined Driffins offers of help, but Driffin and another member of Columbus Houses street outreach team, Betsy Branch, kept at it. One day, Branch took advantage of McFaddens love of coffee and got him into a downtown Dunkin Donuts. For some reason, he said, that day he was ready to accept assistance. Branch worked with McFadden to fill out a bunch of papers, including a relatively new tool the social-service agency is using to prioritize people like McFadden: the Vulnerability Index. The Index aims to identify the most at-risk people, considering the length of time theyve been homeless, their mental health and substance abuse situations, and a number of other factors. Once a homeless person has been evaluated, theyre added to the prioritized list of housing applicants, with those who score highest on the Vulnerability Index at the top. Then, Columbus House caseworkers scour the area for a housing unit thats the right fit individual apartments for those who are self-sufficient, or group placements for those who need in-home services, for example. We have targeted our housing resources to individuals who are the highest on that vulnerability scale, so those folks that are most at risk for dying get housed first, said Anne Carr, the former director of program development at Columbus House. We have this group of chronically homeless folks, and so this gives us a tool to say, this person is in the highest priority group, so that you are selecting not the easiest person to house but the most vulnerable person to house, Carr said. It really helps in us prioritizing how we utilize our housing stock. It also helps answer questions with hard numbers, rather than anecdotes. I think data tell our story, Carr said. And that data is providing some early good news:

Thanks to the Vulnerability Index, Carr and her co-workers at Columbus House have gotten 15-20 deeply at-risk people off the streets and into stable, long-term housing. The Vulnerability Index, which was developed by the nonprofit housing group 100,000 Homes, is one piece of the effort to end chronic homelessness locally. United Way of Greater New Haven is helping local agencies toward that goal. United Way supports the Greater New Haven Regional Alliance to End Homelessness, whose mission is to end chronic homelessness and homelessness for veterans within five years and homelessness for families within 10 years. United Way has played another role, through Neighbor-to-Neighbor LifeLine, or N2N, which was launched in 2009 as a partnership with the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven. The partnership has raised more than $2 million since then -- $100,000 of which went

We have targeted our housing resources to individuals who are the highest on that vulnerability scale, so those folks that are most at risk for dying get housed first. Anne Carr, Columbus House
to Columbus House to help find housing for people like Avery McFadden. Amy Casavina Hall, United Ways senior director of Income and Health Initiatives, said the regional approach is essential, because the homeless dont hail just from New Haven. The region has a lot of challenges that tend to come to a point in New Haven, even though they are regional challenges, Casavina Hall said. The ultimate goal, Casavina Hall said, is to end chronic homelessness. If the area has a population of about 120 chronically homeless 21

HOMELESSNESS IN GREATER NEW HAVEN BY THE NUMBERS

$23.96 Hourly household wage required to be able to
afford the Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom apartment in New Haven*

people, she said, that means placing 30 people a year into housing over each of the next four years a daunting but doable challenge.

$8.25 Minimum wage in the state of Connecticut $13.30 Average wage for those working in retail
in New Haven**

24% Homeless people in Connecticut who reported

a need for substance abuse services

33% Homeless people in New Haven who had been

hospitalized in the past for mental health conditions

610 Homeless population in Greater New Haven,

according to the 2011 point-in-time survey (this includes children, adults and single adults, both in emergency shelters and living outside)

106 People who are considered chronically homeless 93 Homeless veterans in New Haven living in shelters or
on the streets thats nearly 30 percent of all homeless veterans in Connecticut

351 At-risk people interviewed using the Vulnerability

Index as of mid-August, 2012

15-20 Approximate number of the most vulnerable

people who have been placed in housing since March

550 Homeless people who were diverted into stable

housing in 2011

5 Year goal for the Greater New Haven Regional Alliance

to End Homelessness for veterans

10 Year goal for the Greater New Haven Regional

Alliance to End Homelessness for families *Fair Market Rent is determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. **U.S. Department of Labor

fter seeing him around for years, Columbus House Outreach Workers Driffin and Branch found David Pardy living in a storage container with another homeless man over the winter. Pardy, 47 years old, had spent more than 12 years without a home, a slide that started with losing a good job managing an Olive Garden in Orlando and accelerated by a long battle with drug use. Pardy said he liked living outside -- being close to nature, especially wild animals, which he still feeds when he has the opportunity. His extended homeless stint, as well as his substance abuse issues (Pardy says he still drinks beer but no longer does drugs) put Pardy high up on the housing priority list driven by the Vulnerability Index. He got into housing relatively quickly. And while he describes the transition as difficult, he feels lucky, too. Kenny (Driffin) and Betsy (Branch) found me out in the wilderness, said Pardy, and brought me back to reality. McFadden, whos now 50, tells a similar story. He scored as a high priority on the Vulnerability Index, largely because of his many years without a stable living situation. When he left Branch after their coffee break, McFadden said he assumed hed hear from her in a year or two. It was only a few weeks later when she handed him an envelope as he waited outside a shelter to get a bed for the night. Whats this? he remembers asking. Its your housing voucher, Branch told him. McFaddens mother died shortly before his girlfriend one reason, he says now, that his support network was so shaky. When Branch told him he had a place to go, McFadden said, I remember closing my eyes and saying, thanks, Mom, thanks for sending her to me. Hes now happily ensconced in an apartment in West Haven, close to a bus line so he can visit his children -- two girls and a boy -- frequently. Even during his years on the streets, McFadden never lost touch with them, and longs to have them back in his own place. For now, living solo is enough. McFadden proudly shows off a cellphone video of his apartment, where he brews his own pot of coffee every morning and relishes a daily shower. I love my man-cave, he said.

22

THE KEYS TO A BETTER FUTURE

BY CARA ROSNER

A program that bridges the gap between the skills employers need and the skills jobseekers have.

on Harrington is among the first to admit he hasnt always made the best choices in life. But when the 56-year-old recently started a new job as a customer satisfaction worker at an area auto parts store, he brought with him something he hadnt had in a long time confidence that he could do the job, and do it well.

Harrington, a U.S. Air Force veteran and recovering addict who struggled to find work for about five years, landed the job after completing a job skills training program known as WorkKeys and KeyTrain. He found WorkKeys through Harkness House, a transitional housing program that serves veterans and is part of Columbus House Inc., a New Haven-based nonprofit, which provides a range of services to adults who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. I didnt know anything about (the program) until I came here, says Harrington. I found out that Im qualified for a lot more than I thought. I went in there (to the job interview) more confident. The WorkKeys and KeyTrain programs were introduced in New Haven in 2011. They are Web-based skill assessment and job training systems from ACT Inc., best-known to most for its college

Veteran Ivan Valez, at keyboard, works with Employment Specialist Bernadette Barbour while Ron Harrington looks on. 23

INCOME

readiness exams. The goal is to bridge the gap between the skills employers are seeking and the skills jobseekers have. (See accompanying story, The Key to WorkKeys.) The program fits well into Columbus Houses mission, which is not only to provide shelter, but also to foster personal growth and independence. A recent grant from United Way of Greater New Haven has allowed Columbus House to

I made a lot of wrong choices in my life; right now I just want to get (on) my feet, says Ivan Velez. He hopes that WorkKeys will help him get back into the kitchen and have my passion again.
expand its WorkKeys center from two shared computers to 10 new laptops on which jobseekers can access the program, a printer and a WiFi hotspot. Harrington believes the impact of the additional computers will be great, saying, There are probably going be eight to 10 times as many people using this (program). Prior to the training, Harrington saw himself as someone who was getting old and had a limited skill set. Working in customer service never occurred to him before, but now he looks forward to going to work, which he says has reinvigorated him, and credits Columbus House with connecting him to the opportunity. Certain Columbus House clients are more likely to benefit from the program than others, Veteran Donald Moore (left) and Ron Harrington both received a National Career Readiness Certificate under the Pathways to Independences Employment and Enrichment Centers job readiness program. 24

according to Bernadette Barbour, the organizations employment specialist. It works better for those who are ready to find out what they want to do with their life, she says. Jobseekers who meet certain standards through the program earn a National Career Readiness Certificate, which they bring to potential employers to prove their work-related competencies. It gives you a nationally recognized certification thats good here, its good all over the country and, in many parts of the country, is the certification that employers look for, says Amy Casavina Hall, United Ways senior director of Income and Health Initiatives. Anne Carr, Columbus Houses former director of program development, hopes more employers in Connecticut will embrace the program and the certificate, but knows it will take some time to gain widespread traction. It makes really good business sense for companies to hire workers trained with the specific skill sets the companies need, she says, but there is a learning curve that needs to happen in the employer community. Adds Casavina Hall, Organizations of all sizes that have used the system can demonstrate great savings and better results in terms of the outreach, the hiring process, training and promotion (at their businesses). The program, she says, helps employers find the right people

for the jobs quickly and helps keep them in the right positions. A major benefit of the training program is that it is customized for jobseekers, depending on the occupational field they want to enter. Donald Moore, a 48-year-old Army veteran who completed the program and earned his certificate, is seeking work in the medical field, which has more stringent requirements than some other occupations. Taking the training helped me refresh my skills, says Moore. The program is segmented into levels that get more difficult as they progress, and theres a sense of accomplishment that comes with completing each one, he says. He recently moved into permanent housing, is studying at Branford Hall to become a medical assistant, and is seeking a job that will work around his class schedule. For Ivan Velez, a 54-year-old U.S. Army veteran living at Harkness House, the decision to work through the program was an easy one. A recovering alcoholic who earned the National Career Readiness Certificate, he currently is looking for work and says he would like to get back into the kitchen and have my passion again. I made a lot of wrong choices in my life; right now I just want to get (on) my feet, he says. WorkKeys, he says, broadened my spectrum of possibilities. Having access to the program, and the determination to complete it, is something that will pay dividends for him far into the future, he says. It was something that I wholeheartedly wanted to do because its going to affect my life, not only now but in the long run, he says. The certificate can carry me a long way.

The Key to WorkKeys

WorkKeys and the supplemental KeyTrain together form a Web-based program that assesses jobseekers skills and provides training to help them find employment in their desired fields. WorkKeys identifies skills needed to succeed at a wide variety of jobs accountant, butcher, hotel desk clerk or automotive specialty technician, to name just a few and assesses job seekers current skill levels. Job seekers are assessed in three main areas: applied mathematics, locating information and reading for information. Participants take a test; those who meet certain standards earn a National Career Readiness Certificate. To receive the certificate they must attain bronze, silver, gold or platinum levels of proficiency. Different occupations require different skill levels. An accountant, for instance, needs a platinum score in math, and gold scores in both locating information and reading for information. Butcher or meat cutter jobs require a bronze score across all three areas. Along the way, jobseekers have access to the average scores needed for the occupation they want, so they know from the outset the benchmarks they need to reach. A supplement to WorkKeys, KeyTrain is a targeted curriculum written to help people master the workforce skills as defined by the WorkKeys system.

25

HEALTH

BUILDING A BETTER SAFETY NET

BY JOSHUA MAMIS

Andy Eders drive to make things better. Really better.

ndy Eder inherited two things from his father and uncle. The first was the family business: Eder Brothers Inc., a West Haven-based wine and spirits distributorship. The second: A deep commitment to philanthropy. Its a commitment that Eder has honored, not just with dollars, but with personal investment of time and a passion for making a difference. Eders resume is rich with experience and generosity in community service. A brief summary includes: He is a past president of the Greater New Haven Jewish Community Center and Tower One/ Tower East, and he founded the Eder Leadership Institute, which provides development and leadership training to current and future Jewish community leaders. He has been honored for his commitment to the community by the Jewish Federation, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the ADL with its Torch of Liberty Award, and United Way, which honored him in 2010 with our Alexis de Tocqueville Society Herbert H. Pearce Award. He and Eder-related foundations have contributed to causes and non-profit agencies too numerous to list here.

26

among the many agencies in the area. The Service Delivery Improvement Initiative, set to launch in January 2013, was born. We talked with Eder recently about the project and the motivation for his commitment to improve the lives of people in need. UNITED WAY: Can you describe the scope of

the initiative you are working on?

EDER: The idea is to try to change the

way social services are delivered in New Haven and that includes the way the clients are treated from the minute they walk in the door, meaning how they are greeted, and what kind of screenings they go through, to try to understand various needs that they might have, instead of simply addressing the one thing they supposedly walked in the door for.

So, if I were screening for eligibility for a food pantry, I would screen you to see if you had health needs or child care needs?
Correct. An analogy is, and this is a true story, that I once needed a very simple 15 minute operation on my index finger. But before the surgeon would perform the procedure, I needed a physical exam and blood work done to assess my overall health. It could very well have been that there were other things going on in my body that contribute to my overall health and the surgeon needed to know that. And from what I am told, people at the lower levels of the economic scale tend to have multiple problems. Its important to ferret these problems out, otherwise were throwing money at one particular thing, on that particular day, and the client is still going to have other problems.

Eder deepened his involvement with United Way of Greater New Haven when he helped found Neighbor-to-Neighbor LifeLine four years ago. It was at the height of the financial crisis, and many families in our region had lost their jobs and were at risk of losing their homes. Many needed help with heating costs and getting enough food to eat. The Jewish Federation, where Eder was a member of the Board of Directors, and United Way formed Neighbor-to-Neighbor LifeLine to raise money and provide emergency assistance to those in critical need. Its an effort that continues to this day, as families are still trying to recover while the economy looks for traction. Neighbor-to-Neighbor LifeLine brought Eder into direct contact with the people providing social services in the area. While he admired their work and their commitment to helping people, he couldnt help but notice flaws in the system, and ways that the delivery of service could be improved. As he tells it, his brain started spinning. And nearly two years ago, it started him on a journey that has birthed an ambitious new enterprise designed to streamline the delivery of services, treat people with respect and coordinate care

What motivated you to do this?

27

Neighbor-to-Neighbor LifeLine. Neighborto-Neighbor got me closer to the street, so to speak, and I didnt like what I saw: In addition to what I just described, there is also very little inter-agency cooperation. The simple hypothesis I came up with is: What would it be like if we had an all-star team of providers cooperating having first performed triage on the client in trying to look at the patient and the whole family? While I dont want to speak in absolutes and say no one does that at all, its extremely rarely done. And the instances of inter-agency cooperation are minimal.

talking about here? And so I went to United Way and said, Make me a list please of the best social service agencies in town which operate at a very high level and second, make me a list of executive directors who are really excellent in their particular field. And sometimes those lists crossed. On top of that, there were some other people who made my list I went out and did a face to face personal interview with I think 31 executive directors and other types and I gave them the same hypothesis that I gave you. And I listened to the answers. I was able to find out the following: 1. Maybe I wasnt so crazy. 2. That everybody thought this could be a wonderful thing if you could pull this off, and 3. This would be awfully difficult to try to do, and 4. What can I do to be of help because this sounds pretty amazing. I think people gave me some respect because I wasnt a government agency and I wasnt an institution, I was simply someone who was willing to devote some energy and some money to see what we could do to make things better. I got pretty honest feedback from everybody. That led me to form a team of people who are really involved and know a heck of a lot more than I do. We changed it a little bit, we narrowed the focus. I really listened to what people were saying and I used that to form the management team.

You dream this up, you see the problem, you offer

There is not anybody in the business of helping people who does not wish they could help the entire person or the entire family. Thats what they train for, thats what they went to school for. What this project is going to allow them to do is to fulfill that wish they had back when they were in school.
your solution, generously fund it. Most people would stop there. But you also are intimately involved with creating it.
Let me go back a step. I could dream up things, and that doesnt mean that they are practical or good. I actually scared myself with this dream because, and this is not me being modest, because I said to myself: What do you possibly know about this other than having chaired the Neighbor2Neighbor piece, which really was minimal involvement in terms of what were

What motivates you to not just identify the problem and fund it, but to actually get your hands dirty at this level?
Its the way I operate. I enjoy -- Im not trying to minimize in any way the people who write a check, and Im not trying to minimize in any way the people who do the work but Im the type who likes to write the check and do the work. I find that brings me a lot of satisfaction. I dont really expect with this project that were going to have it perfect and that were going to have a

28

HEALTH

whole new dawn after were finished with it. But I do expect to learn an awful lot and to be able to make some recommendations and move forward and attract other public and private funders to what weve learned from this.

How will you gauge success? Its not like a literacy project where you can take people who are semiliterate and at the end they can read. This is a lot more vague than that.
Its definitely more vague. Thats why as part of our team we have hired someone to measure outcomes. What are the stats and measures that we need to be sure to collect on the front end to make sure we have an actual accurate measure on the back end? There would be nothing worse than spending your time, effort and energy on this, whatever the outcome is, and having someone say, but you didnt measure the right things.

Hopefully, this will make a huge difference in the lives of people who could really use some help.
They are going to have permission to learn things slightly differently. They are going to have permission to and they are going to find out how to perform the triage to understand whats going on with that particular person or family and they are going to have the training to know where to send those peopleI think that is such a turn on for most people its not what I think, theyre the ones who are saying this. Thats why I think they would all like to be part of this project.

What do you get out of it?

Satisfaction, I hope. When you think about it, here, quite by accident I just really saw things I didnt like, I thought of some way of trying to address it, I processed that with people who knew a heck of a lot more than me. They gave me encouragement and many of them participated in the management of this, and some of them are going to participate as heads of agencies that are going to be part of this. Its going to be a team of people who have never really worked together like this that hopefully makes a huge difference in the lives of people who could really use some help. How could you not get excited about that?

Is it realistic to think you can change the way people and institutions do their jobs?
Heres why I think the answer is yes. I was not trained in social services, so I cant answer this first hand. But of everybody Ive spoken to -- and not just the 31 executive directors -- there is not anybody in this business, meaning the business of helping people, who does not wish they could help the entire person or the entire family. Thats what they train for, thats what they went to school for. But the minutia of running a particular agency, or having a particular job at a particular agency with certain guidelines, has prevented these people from being able to perform those tasks. They have had to conform to whatever the standards are of that particular agency because they need to get grants and they need to do things to stay afloat. What this project is going to allow them to do with the blessing of their executive director is to fulfill that wish they had back when they were in school. And it is going to renew that.

29

MEET THE SAM COACHES

Theyll teach you how to be Smart About Money.
BY CARA ROSNER

A
Budget coaches Jennifer Hanley and Tim Gomer (below).

s a personal banker, Jennifer Hanley is used to helping people manage their money. But her financial guidance became even more personal and reached an entirely new demographic during her time as a volunteer budget coach in United Ways Smart About Money (SAM) program. SAM helps families work toward their financial goals through one-on-one sessions with trained volunteer budget coaches. The free program is offered by United Way in partnership with The Annie E. Casey Foundation. For Hanley, who works at Wells Fargo in Seymour, it was a truly rewarding experience helping a single woman identify financial goals and outline steps toward achieving them. She created short-term goals which were basic, such as getting her prescriptions filled, as well as more long-term objectives like getting a large hole in her homes roof repaired, Hanley says. While there are no income restrictions to receive the programs services, SAM is geared toward low- to middle-income households. It is particularly helpful for those who have income but need some help living within their budgets or meeting financial goals, such as saving for college or buying a home. Working with the woman from April through July, Hanley saw a dramatic transformation in her from someone prone to dwell on her past and present troubles, to a woman who

30

VOLUNTEERS

was empowered to take more control over her finances and looked increasingly toward her future instead of her past. She really just was opening up to me in the beginning, telling me more of her life (than her finances), Hanley says. In the end, she seemed to gain a clearer sense of not only where she wanted to go, but what she needed to do to get there, Hanley says. One of the first things the pair worked on was keeping better tabs on where the woman spent her money. The woman at first was resistant, claiming she didnt spend much money so didnt need to make a written list of expenses. But keeping track of bus fares and other seemingly small costs was eye-opening for her. Passing along that knowledge is empowering, Hanley says. It wasnt (me) telling her what to do. It was (me) guiding her in what she wanted to do. In the end, she was very grateful because of the awareness. It gave her kind of a kickstart. While her professional background in banking helped, Hanley says anyone interested in helping others on the path to financial security can be a SAM budget coach, particularly with the training provided by United Way. Since SAMs inception, volunteers have donated their time to help families in need. While some come from financial companies like Start Community Bank, Connex Credit Union and Peoples United Bank, others are employed by places such as Yale University, the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority and Charter Oak State College, among others. For Tim Gomer, a budget analyst at YaleNew Haven Hospital, volunteering as a SAM budget coach last fall and this past spring brought a new experience and perspective. It was definitely different; its not something that Id done before, Gomer says of his two experiences, each time helping low-income women. Both the women he coached were previously employed but suffered financial setbacks due to health issues. They had major restrictions on what they could actually do, despite their good intentions,

he says, so he helped them lay the groundwork needed to gain more solid financial footing. Mostly, I tried to express the importance of a budget. Through his coaching, for instance, one woman set up a bank account that she used solely to save money. She wanted to buy a car and, though she had a bank account previously, she didnt have one dedicated to savings before the SAM program. The second participant

Small steps have the potential to be truly life-changing, setting people on the path toward financial independence.
Gomer worked with also started saving money to have as a financial safety net. Though they may seem like small steps to some, that behavioral shift has the potential to be truly life-changing, setting people on the path toward financial independence. The second woman that I worked with actually saved more money than she had before, Gomer says. That was pretty significant. He recommends volunteering as a budget coach, even for those with no formal financial background. It was interesting to meet different kinds of people, especially people from the local area that need some help. SAM also provided an eye-opening experience for Hanley, who admits she didnt know much about United Way and its programs before learning about SAM through an email her employer circulated in her office. United Way blows me away, she says. Working with United Way, and seeing more of what they do, its just really exciting to see all of the efforts. I would definitely do it again. To learn more about SAM, visit uwgnh.org/sam

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VOLUNTEERS

WHAT A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE!

Reflections on volunteering

Tom Sansone One of the best experiences Ive had volunteering in a long timeA great way to get outside of the boardroom and make some personal connection. Alex Johnston, Kindergarten Canvass, August, 2012 Volunteering with United Way has given me my best opportunity to put my charitable dollars to work to bring about the most substantial positive impact in my community while also keeping me connected and engaged with the meaningful work to make the New Haven region a stronger, safer, better educated and more sustainable place. Tom Sansone, Carmody & Torrance Day of Caring at the Barnard Environmental Studies School, 2011 What a wonderful experienceNot only did it build teamwork amongst our colleagues at the Knights of Columbus, but it provided a greater awareness of Autism. It was wonderful to meet the staffas well as the men and women who have autism. Providing a workplace and grooming them for a future job is priceless. Lori Foster, Knights of Columbus Day of Caring at Roses for Autism, 2012 There is no better way to get to know folks than when you get together to provide service for a worthy causeThank you to United Way for providing such an enriching opportunity to provide service to the community. The more often we consider the needs of others the stronger our communities grow. Michael Ahlers, Knights of Columbus Day of Caring at Life Haven, 2012

The highest reward for a persons toil is not what they get for it but what they become by it. John Ruskin

Having this much fun should be illegal. That was one volunteers comment after participating in a citywide door-to-door canvass of families with kindergarteners last August. Its not an unusual response. Our experience tells us that volunteers get more than merely a sense of accomplishment from their work. In most cases, they also get a powerful feeling of connection to the community. They come away with the belief that together we can make a difference. Volunteers play a crucial role in our effort to strengthen the community. Collectively, volunteers contribute $2.1 billion in sweat equity to nonprofit and civic organizations every year in Connecticut. Many of the organizations United Way of Greater New Haven works with count on volunteers to do big jobs they could not afford otherwise. They also appreciate the individual volunteers that come to them via our online volunteer database, available at uwgnh.org/volunteer. When you volunteer, you help knit the fabric of our community together. Volunteering brings people from different walks of life side-by-side, making the kinds of connections that help us advance the common good. It is, in short, one way to LIVE UNITED.

32

FINANCIAL FOCUS

Neighbor to Neighbor $273,321

Other Grants $387,895

,572

Other1 $733,139

FINANCIAL FOCUS
nited Way of Greater New Haven is a nonprofit organization, supported by contributions from individuals, corporations, funding agencies and the government, who back our mission to strengthen the community through strategic investments in programs that deliver long-term change. United Way is a fully transparent organization. All of our finances are posted on our Web Neighbor to Neighbor $273,321 site, uwgnh.org. This financial information is a snapshot from our most recent, audited financial report, from fiscal year 2010 through 2011. Other Grants $387,895 The full 2011 through 2012 financial report will be available after November 1 on our Web site.
Other1 $733,139

REVENUE AND FINANCIALS

534

Institutions/Companies $989,764

Federal Grants $1,343,078 Individuals/Employees $3,742,830 TOTAL REVENUE $7,470,027

Allowance for uncollectibles $188,572

Management and General $671,534

Institutions/Companies $989,764

Development $739,584

Federal Grants $1,343,078 Individuals/Employees $3,742,830 TOTAL REVENUE $7,470,027

EXPENSES

Program2 $5,140,740

TOTAL EXPENSES $6,740,430

1 Other revenue includes investment returns and pension benefit changes. 2 Program expenses include donor directed gifts, direct grant expenses and program services.

United Way staff, including additional workers contributed by AmeriCorps VISTA, and the Episcopal Service Corps. United Way is grateful to AmeriCorps and the Episcopal Service Corps for their support.

33

COMPANIES THAT LIVE UNITED

COMPANIES THAT LIVE UNITED

We recognize and celebrate the following companies and organizations for demonstrating their commitment to creating lasting change in our community through their United Way employee giving campaign and leadership.
AAA Aetna* Agilent* Albertus Magnus College Alcoa Amphenol Products Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield* Area Cooperative Educational Services AT&T* Bank of America* The Bank of Southern Connecticut Best Buy* Big Y The Bilco Company* Blakeslee Prestress, Inc.* Bonton* Brenner, Saltzman & Wallman LLP Brescome Barton, Inc.* C. Cowles and Company* C.A. White Carmody & Torrance LLP Chubb Group of Insurance Companies Citizens Bank City of New Haven Comcast* Connecticut Container Corp.* Covidien* CT State Employees Deloitte & Touche LLP Donald L. Perlroth and Company Durol Co.* East Haven Board of Education Eder Brothers Inc.* Enterprise Rent-a-Car FedEx* First Niagara Bank Foundation* George Ellis Company* H. Pearce Real Estate Halsey Associates, Inc. Hamden Board of Education Hartford Financial Services Hopkins School Knights of Columbus* Kohls* KX Technologies L.L. Bean* Laticrete International, Inc.* Liberty Bank Foundation* Macys* Marriott Mason Inc.* McKesson Health Solutions* Murtha Cullina LLC Nationwide* The Naugatuck Savings Bank Foundation* NEU Specialty Engineered Materials, LLC./PolyOne* The New Haven Register* NewAlliance Foundation* Newman Architects, LLC* Northeast Utilities* PCL Civil Constructors Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects* Peoples United Bank* Pfizer* Phoenix Press Pratt & Whitney Principal Financial Group* Quinnipiac Bank & Trust Quinnipiac University Regional Water Authority Sargent Manufacturing* Seward & Monde* Shuster-Mettler Corporation* Sikorsky Aircraft* Stop & Shop* T.J. Maxx Target* TD Bank* Town Fair Tire Centers* Town of Branford Town of East Haven Town of Guilford Town of Hamden Town of Madison Town of North Haven Town of Orange Town of West Haven Town of West Haven Fire Dept. Town of Woodbridge Travelers Companies, Inc. UBS United Aluminum Corporation* United Health Group* United Illuminating Company/Southern CT Gas* United Parcel Service* United Technologies* University of New Haven Vine Products Manufacturing* Walmart* Webster Bank* Wells Fargo* Wiggin and Dana LLP Woodbridge Board of Education Yale-New Haven Hospital Yale University*

2012 CORPORATE COMMUNITY CHAMPION

FIRST NIAGARA
Doing Great Things for Greater New Haven

nited Way of Greater New Haven has named First Niagara the 2012 Corporate Community Champion for their philanthropic support and civic leadership. This recognition is given annually to an organization that has made significant contributions to advance the common good in the community. First Niagara was selected for its leadership as a corporate sponsor, its engaged and generous workforce, and its strategic grant-making in New Haven. Among its investments with United Way, First Niagara has provided essential funding to support the New Haven School Change Initiative, including a $3 million 3-year grant. A key piece of that investment is in Boost!, a partnership between United Way, New Haven Public Schools and the City of New Haven that addresses the social, emotional and physical needs of students. First Niagara employees also contribute additional support for United Way through their workplace giving campaign and volunteerism.

Bank Foundation

*Recognized for their additional support through a corporate contribution Listing is based on the best information available as of Sep. 4, 2012

34

INDIVIDUAL DONORS

INDIVIDUAL DONORS
We are pleased to present the members of United Ways Tocqueville Society and recognize their exemplary level of commitment with deep gratitude and sincere appreciation. Members of the Society include philanthropists who support United Ways work in helping to transform our communities. ORDRE DINDEPENDENCE ($250,000 - $499,999)
Helen Kauder and Barry Nalebuff

United Way Tocqueville Society

ORDRE DE LIBERTE ($25,000 - $49,999)

LA SOCIETE NATIONALE ($100,000 - $249,999)

Anonymous Guido and Anne Tyler Calabresi William C. and Jean M. Graustein The Seedlings Foundation

ORDRE DEGALITE (50,000 - $99,999)

Nancy and Hank Bartels Linda Lorimer and Charles Ellis Frank Turner* and Ellen Tillotson

Bruce D. Alexander Marna and Eric Borgstrom Dr. and Mrs. Harold D. Bornstein, Jr. Ruth Lord Carol and Bob Lyons, Jr. Margie and Ed Pikaart William and Wendy Platt Anne F. Schenck Pavur R. Sundaresan, M.D., Ph.D. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Zaccagnino

MEMBRES DE LA SOCIETE ($10,000 - $24,999)

Anonymous Robert J. Alpern and Patricia Preisig Charlie and Lisa Andriole

Donald and Joyce Calcagnini Judith Chevalier and Steve Podos Maureen and George Collins William E. Curran Andrew and Eileen Eder Robert L. and Linda J. Fiscus Chris and Toddie Getman Dr. Peter and Maureen Herbert Edward Kamens and Mary Miller Frank and Joan Kenna Gretchen and Charlie Kingsley Candice and Donald Kohn Nancy Kops Jean M. LaVecchia David and Cindy Leffell John M. Leventhal and Beverly J. Hodgson James and Kirsten Levinsohn Ms. Patricia Lewis

James E. Marshall and Patricia A. Jackson-Marshall Ms. Linda A. MasciW Dr. Jennifer and Mr. Michael McNiff Sharon and Daniel MilikowskyW Minot and Alycyn Nettleton Michael A. Peel and family Gerald Rosenberg and Cheryl Wiesenfeld Thomas J. Sansone and Ruth Beardsley Robert and Virginia Shiller Jim and Cathy Smith Jeffrey and Clarky Sonnenfeld Stedman and Patricia Sweet Cynthia Walker

Leadership Circle Members

GOLD ($5,000-$9,999)
Emily Aber and Robert Wechsler Anonymous (3) Donald and Anne Andrews Mary B. Arnstein** Urs Bertschinger and Janelle McElhany Shannon Callaway and Phil Haile David and Michelle Fusco John Goldin Dr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Hoos Miles and Elizabeth Lasater John Lichtman Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Lyons, Sr. Michael R. Mauro Paul and Cynthia McCraven Andrew Metrick Ronald Netter William Michael Reisman Kerala and Richard Snyder Alexander Welsh Sue and Ray Fitzsimons Mrs. Constance Fleming Paul Genecin and Victoria Morrow Earl Glusac and Marie Robert Julie R. Grant Jack and Barbara HealyW Martha C. Highsmith Paul Hudak and Cathy van Dyke Marcia K. Johnson E. Neill Jordan Roger and Connie Joyce Susan J. Keefe Jean Russell Kelley John J. Kennedy Penelope Laurans-Fitzgerald Pericles Lewis and Sheila Hayre Janet Lindner James Lynch Bernard Lytton Amy and Jonathan Macey Walter Maguire Mr. and Mrs. Charles T. Mason Jr. William R. Massa, Jr. Reginald R. Mayo, PhD Debbie McGraw Mr. and Mrs. Daniel E. OSullivan Diane A. Palmeri and Albert M. Rossini Dorothy Robinson Charles R. Rogers Lynda Rosenfeld and Richard M. Weiss Stephen L. Saltzman Agnes Siniscalchi John Skelly Mark and Judy Sklarz Alfred E. Smith and Adrienne Milli Smith Ronald and Sigrid Smith Stephanie Spangler and Robert Shulman Elizabeth Stauderman Caesar Thomas Storlazzi The Sunshine Fund Tamar Szabo Gendler and Zoltan Gendler Szabo Mark J. Troidle Honorable John and Diane Young TurnerW Barry J. Waters Harold and Janis Attridge Lesley Baier and Richard S. Field Tom Balcezak and Soni Clubb Betsy H. Barnston Barbara Barrett Gayle T. Bassick Kathedral Bayl Thomas and Kim Beckett Barbara and Jack Beecher Meg Bellinger and Jim Rhodes Mark Bergamo Donald A. Berkowitz Memorial Fund BJ Bernblum and Barbara Fallon Tim Bertaccini C. Bradford Bevers, AIA and Nancy B. Samotis, LCSW Paul Bloom and Karen Wynn Kent Bloomer Maureen Bogan Marie Borroff April Bowe Elizabeth Howe Bradley Susan Brady Lisa C.O. Brandes Jeffrey and Sally Brenzel Thomas and Patricia Brockett Sahar Usmani-Brown and Josiah Brown Michael Brown Gary and Colleen Brudvig Mr. and Mrs. James E. Bullock Patricia A. Byrne

BRONZE ($1,000-2,499)

SILVER ($2,500-$4,999)

Anonymous (2) Steven Berry and Lauren Pinzka Martie and Larry Bingaman Mr. and Mrs. Arthur and Stefanie Boles Rob and Robin Bores John J. Brangi Sean Bush Bertie Chuong, MS, RN, CCRN Kathleen and Leo Cooney

Anonymous (34) Michael Aaronian Harry and Manette Adams Joseph and Marianne Adinolfi Judith and Joseph Alessi Nancy Alexander Linda Anderson Stephanie Andrew and Dudley Andrew Steven Angeletti Richard J. Antaya, MD Marcelle Applewhaite Andrew and Maria ArnoldW Peter Aronson and Marie Landry William Aseltyne

35

INDIVIDUAL DONORS

James S. and Heidi L. Bzdyra Donna M. Cable Thomas R. Candrick, Jr. Michael Caplan Gayle Capozzalo and Jack Heil, PhD Gayle Carbone Richard Carroll and Barbara Roach Mr. Richard E. Carson Anthony Cavallaro Jr. William D. Checkosky Yung-Chi and Elaine Cheng Seok-Ju Cho Marvin Chun and Woo-Kyoung Ahn Constance Clement Karen Clute Christina H. Coffin Joel Cogen and Beth Gilson Burt Cohen, Esq. Ms. Julie L. Cohen Susan Compton The Coogan Family Shawn and Carolyn Cowper Peter Crane William Crocker Paula A. Crombie Laura Cruickshank Ann and Robert Dahl Richard and Martha Dale Gina DAmbruoso Richard DAquila Stephen Darwall Richard T. and Eileen J. Davis Thomas P. DeFlumeri Louise M. Dembry Peter and Elizabeth Demir Elena DePalma Hari A. Deshpande John and Kathy DeStefano Margaret and Milton DeVane Ravi Dhar Michael S. Dimenstein Eileen B. Donahue Mr. James Donahue Richard and Nell Donofrio Mildred Doody Sean Duffy and Andy Morgan Ronald and Catherine Duman Edwin M. and Karen C. Duval Jack and Sandra Elias Mary Ann and Jim EmswilerW Lely and David Evans Martin and Eva Ewing Pauline and Kevin Fagan Ray Fair Henry Farkas Kyle Farley Laurent Favre Kathryn Feidelson Prof. Harvey M. and Susan E. Feinberg Clare Feldman Richard and Lana Ferguson Donald Filer and Alisa Masterson James J. Finley, Jr. Denise Fiore Alice E. and Michael J. Fischer Rosemarie L. Fisher Anthony M. Fitzgerald Lawrence Flanagan Earl W. Foster, Jr. John Fox Ronald and Barbara Franzluebbers Paul Freedman Diane Frey Becky Friedkin and David Jones Jack and Chip Frost Warren E. Frost Stan Garstka Joseph G. Genua Joe and Katie Gerhard Susan Gibbons Carla Giugno

Nina M. Glickson Mr. Thomas A. Goetter Lindy Lee GoldW Joseph W. Gordon Giulia GougeW Thomas Graedel Carolyn Graham Linda Joyce Greenhouse Caroline Griffin Marjorie Guglin Jeanie Haggan Gary and Sondra Haller Marsha Ham Ellen H. Hammond Mr. and Mrs. George W. Hanna Karsten Harries Paul S. Harrington Anne HarrisW Jennifer McGrady Heath Caroline Hendel and John Wysolmerski Erica Herzog Marilyn W. Hirsch Mark Hochstrasser Anne Hogan Jonathan Holloway and Aisling Colan Hellen Hom-Diamond Gregory Huber and Caitlin Simon Ernst Huff Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Hussey Thomas Hylinski Carol Jacobs and Henry Sussman Carol Just Diane E. Kaplan Steve and Anemone Kaplan Ed and Donna Kavanagh Paula Kavathas Leah Kelley Brian Kelly David H. Kelsey Daniel and Bettyann Kevles Susan A. King Jeffrey Klaus Linda B. Klein Rob Klein Alvin Klevorick and Susan E. Bender Alan and Joan Kliger Carolyn Kobsa Harvey and Ruth Koizim Andea Kovacs and Jeff Johnson Caroline Koziatekw Albert Kraus Wendy Kravitzw Sharon Kugler and Duane Isabella John Lahey Charles J. Langevin John S. Lapides and Melanie Ginter Richard B. Larson Stan Leavy Kate and Bill Lee Mary Brett Lee Kingsley Leighton Mr. and Mrs. Terrence T. Lescoe Lawanda Lesliew Harry Levit Beverly and Dr. John Levy Margaret A. Liddell Richard C. and Ann Lisitano Robyn Lisone Sara Longobardi Henry Lord Michele Loso George and Maria Luft Tom Lynch and Laura Pappano Nancy Lyon Michele Macauda Lynn M. Madden Richard and Sandra Maloney Lawrence and Ruth Manley Mary T. Massa Maureen Massa Susan B. Matheson and Jerome J. Pollitt

Sean Matteson Edward and Alice Mattison Ian McClure Karen E. McCormick Patrick and Linda McCreless Drew McDermott Dennis R. McGough, PhD Tara McGrath William Meaney John R. Meeske Andrew Meiman Mark Mercurio Claudia R. Merson Joanne Meyerowitz Nancy P. Middleton Ronald R. Milone Anthony and Karen Minopoli Maria T. and Larry Mitchell Susan Monsen and Mark Brandon Donna O. Moorew Cynthia Morgan Florie Munroew Howard and Mary Ellen Murphy Stephen and Victoria Murphy William Murray Ms. Brenda L. Naegel Barbara J. Nelson Robert Nelson Joseph Altonji and Cynthia Nethercut Richard J. Nicholas Kenneth J. Niehoff Mike Nitabach and Heather Cruz Michael and Debra Norko George OBrien James Owen Benjamin Page Richard Pappert Michael, Lisa and Laura Parisi Mr. James Parker David and Ann Parnigoni Joseph J. Pelliccia Hap and Stacey Perkins Vincent and Karen Petrini John M. Picard Phillip Pierce William Placke Richard Plush Robert Polito Tom and Patty Pollard Robert Post and Reva Siegel Maggie Powell Joan S. Proto Anthony J. Puzzo Donald M. Quinlan, PhD Mr. and Mrs. Peter Rae Rachel and Gustav Ranis Christine Rapillo Dr. and Mrs. Asghar Rastegar Carol L. Raye Abigail Rider Scott Robertson Daniel P. Roche Joy Rogers Norman and Carolyn Roth

Holly Rushmeier Barbara Russell-Fletcher Helen L. Sacks Peter Salovey and Marta Elisa Moret Alan C. Sartorelli Lance and Robin Sauerteig David R. Schaefer Debra Schaffer Alexander Schillaci Steven Schlossberg Mary Schramm Roger Sciascia Russell Sharp Mr. Aamer Sheikh Lorraine D. Siggins, MD and Braxton McKee, MD Bruce and Pamela Simonds Clifford and Carolyn Slayman Terri Smalley Mr. and Mrs. Gaddis Smith Mary Smith Robert Smuts Timothy Snyder Dieter and Veronica Soll Kenneth Sprenger Richard and Barbara Stahl Ronald and Dorothea Stancil Kathleen Starick Vincent Steele Sandra T. Stein and Harvey Kliman Dr. Harold Stern and Dr. Sandra Boltax-Stern Robert A.M. Stern Elizabeth Stewart William and Deborah Stewart Shepard Stone Paul F. Stuehrenberg and Carole L. Devore Lloyd and Cathy Suttle Mario Sznol, MD Patricia K. Thurston Ms. Elizabeth Tillinghast Mr. and Mrs. Ronald J. Tracz Pasquale C. Trotta James C. Tsai MD Robert Udelsman Cornelia Valldejuli Anthony J. Vallillo Dr. and Mrs. Ronald Vender William P. Villano Anthony Volta Diane and Thomas Vorio Susan and Donald E. Waggaman Kevin and Maureen Walsh Debra A. Watson Stephen and Merle Waxman Maureen Weaver and Robert Leighton Julie and Tom Wiley Gary Wood Martha Wood Ruth Bernard Yeazell Joel Zackin and Celeste Suggs Ann H. Zucker, Esq

United Way recently condensed the Societys giving levels from six to three: Gold, Silver, and Bronze. The new levels went in to effect for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2012. United Way remains commmitted to recognizing those who demonstrate a strong commitment to the community. These changes focus on celebrating generous support while inspring more supporters to give back. Please accept our apologies for any omissions or mistakes in this listing. Please contact us at 203.691.4215 if there is an error.
W

indicates Womens Leadership Council member **indicates deceased

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COMMUNITY PARTNERS

COMMUNITY PARTNERS
COMMUNITY PARTNERS 4H Fitness and Nutrition Accreditation Facilitation Project ACE Mentoring Program Achieve 3000 African American Womens Summit Agency on Aging of South Central CT, Inc. AIDS Project New Haven All Our Kin Americorps Public Allies Americorps VISTA The Annie E. Casey Foundation Asset Building Collaborative Beth-El Center BHCare Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Connecticut Boys and Girls Club Boy Scouts of America Branford Cares Branford Counseling Center Branford Early Childhood Collaborative Bright Bodies CADES, Inc. CARE (Community Alliance for Research) Caldwell Dance Company Career Resources, Inc. - STRIVE New Haven Catholic Charities, Inc. Archdiocese of Hartford Cheshire Food Pantry Christian Community Action City of Milford City of New Haven Community Services Administration City of New Haven Elderly Services City of New Haven Mayors Office City of New Haven Parks and Recreation Department City of New Haven Police Department City of New Haven Youth Department Citywide Youth Coalition Clifford W. Beers Guidance Clinic, Inc. Collective Consciousness Theater Columbus House Common Ground Community Action Agency of New Haven Community Dining Room Community Foundation for Greater New Haven Community Mediation Community Soup Kitchen Connecticut Childrens Museum Connecticut Pre-Engineering Program Cooperative International Studies Program Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis Creative Arts Experiences CT Coalition to End Homelessness D.E.S.K. (Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen) DataHaven Delta Iota Sigma Developing Tomorrows Professionals The Diaper Bank Dwight Hall at Yale East Haven Early Childhood Collaborative SUCCESS BY 6 EDUCATION SCHOOL AGE YOUTH BOOST! INITIATIVE INCOME ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY HOUSING HEALTH BASIC HEALTH NEEDS OTHER COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

37

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

COMMUNITY PARTNERS East Haven Family Resource Center Elephant in the Room Urban Youth Boxing Eli Whitney Museum Elm City Communities/Housing Authority of New Haven Elm City Fellows Network The Elm Shakespeare Company Emerge CT Episcopal Service Corps Everybody Wins! Farnam Neighborhood House, Inc. First in Math FISH of Greater New Haven Friends Center for Children Fortunato Puppets Foundation for Arts and Trauma Girl Scouts of America Greater New Haven Business & Professional Association Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce Greater New Haven Community Loan Fund Greater New Haven Help Alliance Greater New Haven NAACP Greater New Haven Regional Alliance to End Homelessness Greater New Haven SNAP Advisory Coalition Greater New Haven ToastMasters Club Grow New Haven Hamden Partnership for Young Children Hamden Public Schools Healthcare Heroes Higher Heights Youth Empowerment Program, Inc. Interagency Council on Youth (ICY) IRIS (Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services)/ Episcopal Social Services of the Diocese of Connecticut Jewish Family Services Junior League of Greater New Haven JUNTA for Progressive Action Kids Quest to Invent LEAP (Leadership, Education & Athletics Partnership) Leila Day Nursery Liberty Community Services Life Haven LIST (Local Interagency Service Team) Little Scientists LULAC Masters Manna Moms Partnership Music Haven National Drill Squad and Drum Corps Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven New Haven Board of Aldermen New Haven Boys & Girls Club New Haven Early Childhood Council New Haven Ecology Project New Haven Education VISTA Project New Haven Family Alliance New Haven Free Public Library New Haven Home Ownership Center New Haven Home Recovery New Haven Land Trust, Inc. New Haven Legal Assistance Association, Inc. New Haven Promise New Haven Public Schools The New Haven Reads Community Book Bank, Inc.

SUCCESS BY 6

EDUCATION SCHOOL AGE YOUTH

BOOST! INITIATIVE

INCOME ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY HOUSING

HEALTH BASIC HEALTH NEEDS

OTHER COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

38

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

EDUCATION COMMUNITY PARTNERS New Haven Re-entry Round-table New Haven Urban Resources Initiative, Inc. New Haven VITA Coalition New Life Corporation NexGen Leaders Norwalk Maritime Center Opening Doors CT Economic Security Working Group Pilobolus Dance Planned Parenthood Projects for a New Millenium RBA Coaches Network Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at Yale University Community Advisory Board The Salvation Army of New Haven SARAH, Inc. SCSU Department of Social Work SCSU Womens Studies Department Service Delivery Improvement Initiative Steering Committee The Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries Small Schools Basketball League Solar Youth Soundview Family YMCA St. Raphaels Hospital Student Parenting & Family Services, Inc. Theta Epsilon Omega Chapter Town of Branford Town of Clinton Town of Hamden Truancy Intervention Project VNA of South Central Connecticut, Inc. West Haven Child Development Center The West Haven Community House Association, Inc. West Haven Early Childhood Council Women and Family Life Center Women to Power Womens Business Development Council Yale Model Congress Yale Peabody Museum Yale School of Medicine Yale University Yale University School of Management YMCA Young Audiences Youth Rights Media SUCCESS BY 6 SCHOOL AGE YOUTH BOOST! INITIATIVE

INCOME ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY HOUSING

HEALTH HEALTH BASIC NEEDS

OTHER COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

SUCCESS BY 6: United Ways initiative to ensure that more children enter school developmentally on track. SCHOOL AGE YOUTH: Helps children and youth do better in school by having access to safe and enriching after school programs, appropriate mental health support, and tutoring and mentoring services. BOOST!: United Ways partnership with the City of New Haven and the New Haven Public Schools to provide non-academic support to New Haven public school students. ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY: Helps increase the number of financially stable working families and individuals by supporting workforce development, connection to benefits, and financial education. HOUSING: Helps reduce homelessness through prevention services, rapid re-housing, and coordination of services. HEALTH: Helps some of our most vulnerable adults and children with the support they need to achieve and maintain good health. BASIC NEEDS: Addresses peoples basic needs of housing and food to move them out of crisis. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: Connects people and information and supports community mobilization work, including conferences and volunteer efforts.

39

United Way of Greater New Haven

2011-2012 OVERVIEW OF WORK AND RESULTS

EDUCATION: SCHOOL AGE YOUTH Goal: All children enter school developmentally on track in terms of health, literacy, social, emotional and intellectual skills UNITED WAY WORK RELATIONSHIP RESULTS Continued to implement and strengthen United Ways Early Head Start program, providing high-quality full-day, year-round early care and education and comprehensive support services for infants and toddlers from low-income families. Provided funding to child care centers to underwrite the cost of serving low-income families in high-quality infant/toddler and preschool programs. Supported expansion of licensed family child care so that more licensed spaces are available for families. Provided quality improvement opportunities specifically for licensed family child care providers, and enrichment opportunities for the children in their care (books and museum visits). Supported literacy coaching in centers and licensed family child care serving infants and toddlers. Helped child care programs prepare for National Association for the Education of Young Children accreditation through early childhood consultants. Worked with volunteers to install a Born Learning Trail in Branford Foote Park. Supported wide range of programs that provide information and learning opportunities for families of young children (home visiting, playgroups, learning nights, etc.). Served as fiscal agent for community collaboratives focused on young children and their families. Provided leadership on community collaboratives, helping to secure additional resources, create community plans, and promote collaboration. Direct service provider
n In fiscal year 2012, through United

Strategic grantmaker Strategic grantmaker Strategic grantmaker

Way strategies, nearly 900 young children attended high-quality early care and education programs, giving them a strong foundation for school and for life.
n This past year, 431 parents of young

children reported learning more about how to support their childs development as a result of training offered through Success By 6 partners.
n 257 teachers reported improved

Strategic grantmaker Strategic grantmaker Advocate and promote volunteerism Strategic grantmaker Key partner Key partner

practice in the classroom after training supported by Success By 6.

n Over the past five years, the

Accreditation Initiative has helped improve the quality in centers in New Haven, East Haven, West Haven, and Hamden. These quality improvements have helped give the almost 1,200 children served by these programs a better foundation for school and for life.

EDUCATION: SCHOOL AGE YOUTH Goal: All school-age youth succeed in school and are prepared for college and work UNITED WAY WORK RELATIONSHIP Served as the lead partner in the Boost! Initiative to improve access to and coordination among wraparound services to support students non-academic needs. Partnered around Experience Corps to place trained older adults as literacy tutors in 9 elementary schools in Hamden. Supported after-school programs that provide safe, structured, learning environments for children during out-of-school time. Supported mental health services for children to address impact of trauma in their lives by supporting therapeutic interventions. Supported mentoring and tutoring programs that connect children and youth with trained volunteers. Served on community collaboratives focused on youth issues. Glue/Key Partner Key Partner and strategic grantmaker Strategic grantmaker Strategic grantmaker Strategic grantmaker Key partner

RESULTS
n More than 1,900 school-age youth

participated in high-quality after-school programs or received mentoring, tutoring or counseling services. More than 80 percent of parents reported that these services helped their children improve their grades in school.
n Through Boost!, schools were able to

identify, contract with, and monitor 129 partner organizations.

n Boost! impacted more than 2,300

students in five New Haven schools.

n Boost! schools saw dramatic decreases

in behavioral problems and discipline incidents, increases in family involvement, and improvements in school climate.
n Boost! schools showed greater

improvements on the CMT than both state and district averages at both proficiency and goal.

40

INCOME: ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY Goal: Families and individuals achieve greater financial success. UNITED WAY WORK RELATIONSHIP Implemented SAM (Smart About Money) budget coaching program, which trains volunteers to work with low-income households to help them set and achieve personal financial goals. Supported workforce development programs to train individuals with soft and hard skills to increase their employability and secure jobs. Created with the Casey Foundation a learning community among organizations providing workforce development services; collecting common performance measures; and meeting to talk about results, challenges, how to improve results. Supported the VITA coalition serving New Haven to increase communication and coordination between the two service providers and improve marketing and outreach to consumers and volunteers. Direct service provider Strategic grantmaker; key partner Key partner

RESULTS
n Almost 70 percent of participants in SAM

(Smart About Money) Budget Coaching decreased their debt and more than 50 percent increased their savings.
n In the first two quarters of 2012, our

Glue

workforce development projects worked with 77 individuals who have multiple barriers to employment to increase their income and get them into long-term employment a. Nearly 60 percent have gained access to additional income or work supports (benefits like health care, Earned Income Tax Credit, child care subsidies, etc.). b. 100 percent of those served have obtained jobs and increased their income. c. 60 percent are now earning $10/hour or above
n Through VITA, almost 3,500 low-income

working individuals received free assistance to complete their tax returns and secured more than $5.8 million in federal refunds. These dollars helped working families provide food and clothing for their children, and in turn benefited the local economy.

INCOME: HOUSING Goal: Families and individuals live in stable, affordable housing. UNITED WAY WORK Supported the Greater New Haven Alliance to End Homelessness by funding staff person, providing in-kind office space, and participating on the Alliances Steering Committee. Supported emergency shelter providers to ensure individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness have access to shelter or homelessness prevention funded through N2N LifeLine, a partnership with The Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, and through federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program dollars, managed by United Way.

RELATIONSHIP Strategic grantmaker, key partner Advocate and strategic grantmaker

RESULTS
n 550 people were diverted from

homelessness and into stable housing.

n Surveyed the entire population of home-

less individuals in New Haven to determine vulnerability and priority for housing.
n Established a universal application to

be used by housing providers to streamline entrance into housing services.

n Coordinating the implementation of a

common intake process to help more people access the appropriate housing services quickly and avoid duplication and unnecessary wait periods. HEALTH/BASIC NEEDS Goal: People are physically and mentally healthy, and have shelter and food. UNITED WAY WORK RELATIONSHIP Increased childrens access to good nutrition through the New Haven Public Schools Food Truck, which serves free meals to children and youth during the summer in underserved New Haven neighborhoods. Supported emergency food providers such as soup kitchens and food pantries to ensure individuals and families who are struggling with food insecurity have access to food through N2N LifeLine, a partnership with The Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, and through federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program dollars, managed by United Way. Supported mental health services for children and youth. Supported 2-1-1 call center. Key partner and strategic grantmaker Advocate and strategic grantmaker

RESULTS
n More than 200,000 meals were served

at soup kitchens and shelters.

n Data from Clifford Beers demonstrate that

74 percent of children in therapy showed a decrease in problem behaviors, and 68 percent improved their school performance (as measured by attendance and grades).
n There were 57,278 calls to 2-1-1

Strategic grantmaker and glue Key partner and strategic grantmaker

for assistance from individuals in our region. The top three inquiries were for housing/shelter; utilities/heat; and public assistance programs.

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