National Impact
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Source: United Way Worldwide
United Ways all over the world remove barries and open opportunities so more people can thrive.
Support Beyond the Classroom: Helping Students Thrive Through Community Schools
At United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, we know that thriving students are the foundation of thriving communities. But for many families, barriers like mental health, physical challenges or inconsistent access to support can make that path harder.
United Way Community Schools are designed to help. With a full-time coordinator in each building, Community Schools connect students and families to resources like after-school programs, food, clothing and mental health care, removing the obstacles that stand in the way of learning.
For Nahla, a fourth-grader at Paxinosa Elementary School in Easton, mornings used to bring a sense of dread. Her anxiety made walking into a classroom full of unfamiliar faces overwhelming. She missed school often, but things began to shift with help from the school’s United Way-supported resources. With patience and encouragement, Nahla began easing into her days, one step at a time.
Across the region at Panther Valley Elementary in Nesquehoning, third-grader Arietta faced a different challenge. As a wheelchair user, inconsistent nursing coverage once kept her home for more than a month at a time. But thanks to her Community School Coordinator and caring educators, Arietta was present and engaged all year. Her mom says she’s now a social butterfly, gaining confidence and independence every day.
“When families feel supported, they put that time and effort into the school that’s providing that support,” said Dr. Paula Jones, Principal at Panther Valley. “It makes a difference with attendance. It makes a difference with academics.”
When we surround students like Nahla and Arietta with what they need to succeed, we lay the foundation for stronger communities, because when we are UNITED, we thrive. Give today.
From Uncertainty to Stability: How One Phoenix Family Found Hope
Robert was the sole provider for his family of five. As a self-employed landscaper, his work was inconsistent and seasonal. With a recent decrease in available jobs and his wife also unemployed, the family had fallen behind on rent and began struggling to keep up with their family’s basic expenses.
Through their children’s school in the Isaac School District in Phoenix, AZ, Robert and his family were referred to Valley of the Sun United Way’s Mighty Families program in partnership with Chicanos Por La Causa. The Mighty Families’ community resource navigator met with Robert to discuss his family’s current situation and began exploring opportunities to address their specific needs.
To avoid the possibility of eviction and to address the immediate need for missed rent payments, the family found support in Chicanos Por La Causa’s supportive housing program for rental assistance. Working closely with both the community resource navigator and a housing navigator, Robert and his family were approved for rental support and received $836 to cover their rent to keep the family in their home and their children in their school. In addition to rental support, the Mighty Families’ community resource navigator supported the family in applying for health insurance and provided the family with gift cards that assisted in obtaining school uniforms for their children.
As his experience with the Mighty Families program was ending, Robert expressed deep gratitude for the support provided through the program, highlighting how much the support of his community resource navigator helped to stabilize his family’s situation.
Finding Home Again: How 211 Helped Tamesha Rebuild in Atlanta
Tamesha Buford shows up to work each day with a smile. She’s up for a promotion, finishing a degree and running a food ministry and catering business. But just last year, her life looked very different.
After relocating to Georgia for a fresh start, a housing arrangement fell through, leaving Tamesha and her three children without stable shelter. For months, they rotated between hotels—checking in and out of the same room, storing belongings in suitcases, and attending four different schools in a single year. Despite working full-time, hotel costs quickly drained her savings.
“No one knew what was happening, but it was getting heavy,” she said.
When her store manager learned of her situation, he encouraged her to call United Way’s 211, a confidential helpline connecting thousands of families with housing, food and emergency support.
That call changed everything. Through United Way of Greater Atlanta’s Motel to Home program, Tamesha’s savings were matched to help cover rent, and partner agencies provided furniture and toys for her children. Her family moved into a safe, permanent home within a week.
“United Way gave me wiggle room. I now have space to breathe,” she shared. “It’s hard to ask for help, but even if you think you’ve got it, call.”
Today, Tamesha’s family is stable and thriving—and for the first time in years, her kids will finish the school year in the same classroom.