COMMUNITY SCHOOL LEARNING EXCHANGE

While traditional school doors have closed, the doors to opportunity for students and their families continue to be wide open thanks to United Way's community schools model. Transformational work is happening through United Way's community schools model in our community each and everyday. Check out how United Way's community schools are helping beyond school walls.

United Way's Raising Readers initiative has released a Summer Bucket List and Self-Care Tip Sheet for Parents and Caregivers.

The Raising Readers initiative is looking at three factors to help our students become proficient readers by third grade: School Readiness, School Attendance, and Summer Learning.

The development and distribution of these resources falls under the work of the Summer Learning subcommittee. Summer Learning is supporting families and students over the summer months. The “summer slide” is what often happens to disadvantaged children during the summer months. They tread water at best or even fall behind, while higher-income children build their skills steadily over the summer months. Teachers then spend the first quarter of the school year re-teaching material from the previous school year. With the COVID pandemic hitting our children especially hard, United Way is additionally focused on what we're calling the "COVID slide," learning loss as a result of the COVID pandemic.

The Erie County Emergency Food and Shelter Program Board recently granted a total of $311,294 in funding to local organizations providing services to Erie County residents in the following categories: 

• Emergency food
• Temporary housing (hotel/motel vouchers)
• Rent or mortgage payment assistance
• Utility bill payment assistance

This year, our community received more than double last year's funding as a result of provisions in the CARES Act. This is vital funding for our community, and it will help address needs that have become elevated due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

Emergency Food and Shelter Program Funding is intended to supplement existing programs and grant recipients follow specific documentation guidelines. This round of Emergency Food and Shelter Program Funding must be spent by December 31, 2020.

Funding priorities have been identified and applications are now being accepted for United Way's 2020 Neighborhood Organization Community Impact Mini-Grants. Interested applicants are encouraged to visit our Mini-Grants page to learn more and apply.

National Night Out event funding will shift to supporting organizations interested in responding to needs identified as a result of COVID-19.

While United Way of Erie County has been a proud sponsor of National Night Out since 2004, due to the COVID-19 pandemic we are facing as a community, the organization has made the difficult decision to shift its 2020 mini-grant process from supporting National Night Out events to supporting neighborhood organizations interested in responding to the needs that have been identified in their communities as a result of COVID-19.

The Erie County Emergency Food and Shelter Program Board is announcing Phase 37 funding availability, as well as supplemental funding made available through the CARES Act.

April is National Volunteer month. And, they say that nothing is stronger than the heart of a volunteer. As we all continue to navigate a new normal imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s been an inspiring, heartfelt response from people throughout our region who want to lend a hand. At United Way we are fortunate to have hundreds of volunteers that give back by choosing to volunteer through United Way's community schools partnership. Two of those volunteers are Deb and Ray Tackett who volunteer at Edison Elementary, a United Way community school whose corporate partner is Wabtec Corporation.

Literacy isn’t just reading. Literacy also involves communication, writing and much more! That's why United Way has compiled an Early Learning Activities guide to provide Erie County families with related early learning resources for children under age five in these categories.

Check out the guide

United Way is pleased to announce Tammy Rader has been named the Community School Director at Elk Valley Elementary.

A Girard School District graduate herself, Tammy received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Master’s degree in Counseling both from Edinboro University. "I am so excited to come back to my roots of being a Yellow Jacket," she said.

United Way of Erie County is committed to connecting residents to prescription savings resources during the coronavirus pandemic through its partnership with FamilyWize, an organization focused on improving the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities. Community residents can call FamilyWize for free customer support to help them coordinate prescription medication delivery from participating pharmacies. Residents will also continue to receive savings on medications by using the free FamilyWize prescription program card.

Those in need of help or wanting to help should visit PA211NW.org

Volunteer-dependent organizations in Erie County are running low on volunteers. That’s why United Way has partnered with Erie County Government and ServErie to connect interested individuals with available volunteer opportunities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic through the PA 211 Helpline website PA211NW.org. 

Direct link for those interested in volunteering:
http://pa211nw.org/erie-covid-19-response-volunteer/

Direct link for interested agencies/organizations in need of help:
http://pa211nw.org/erie-covid-19-agency-form/

United Way of Erie County is pleased to join forces with The Erie Community Foundation and other funders in our community to launch the COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund through the Erie Gives platform. We understand many people and businesses are not in a position to give at this time, but for those who are, this is a very strategic way to contribute to the cause and address the most critical needs in the Erie community during this difficult time.

AmeriCorps Week, March 8-14, 2020, is a celebration of all things AmeriCorps – from the programs and organizations that make this national service initiative possible in communities across the country, to the members who have pledged to “Get Things Done” since the program’s inception in 1994.Damali Donovan has been with United Way of Erie County as an AmeriCorps Vista through Lake Effect Leaders since August 2019. Damali is providing capacity building support to United Way’s community schools and  Raising Readers, our local Campaign for Grade-Level Reading.

Grant received from nonprofit First Book in partnership with United Way of PA to be celebrated during Read Across America Week, March 2-6

United Way of Erie County, in partnership with The City of Erie and Erie’s Public Schools have announced the launch of the Safe Routes to Schoolinitiative.

United Way began facilitation of the implementation of a $250,000 Erie Community Foundation Shaping Tomorrow grant focused on increasing school attendance at Community Schools in the City of Erie in 2018. Strategies include the following: conducting a comprehensive education and awareness campaign; identifying, improving, and promoting the safest walking routes to each school; and piloting “walking school buses” along the safe routes.

The goal of the Safe Routes initiative is to improve the safety of Erie’s Public Schools students, so they can get to school regularly and on-time.

Thanks to the support of Tungsten Creative Group, “Walking Route To” signage was designed and produced. Vivx Display Solutions also worked on the project, providing in-kind support for sign production.

The installation and launch of the Safe Routes initiative follows United Way’s collaborative work with Gannon University to conduct walkability assessments identifying the safest routes for students to use when they walk to school.

As part of the project, Gannon University faculty and student interns observed how Erie’s Public Schools students go to and from school, the physical conditions of those school routes, and any potential safety concerns.

This information was analyzed and mapped to identify the safest routes. Partners then worked to determine any potential physical improvements to those safe routes. The City of Erie also plans to leverage a portion of its Pennsylvania Department of Transportation grant to provide added or improved signage, pavement markings, traffic control devices and sidewalk improvements to enhance the safety of students walking the routes.

Additional Safe Routes to School “Walking Route” signage is expected to be installed this Summer for students and families at four additional United Way community schools including East Middle School, Edison Elementary School, Pfeiffer-Burleigh Elementary School and Strong Vincent Middle School.

Officials from United Way of Erie County in partnership with the Iroquois School District announced TechnipFMC as an additional confirmed corporate partner in the community schools initiative.

Officials from United Way of Erie County in partnership with Erie’s Public Schools have announced the community school directors at Harding Elementary and Perry Elementary, United Way’s newest community schools. The announcement of these two schools coming on board as community schools was made earlier this year, bringing the total number of schools included in United Way’s community schools partnership to ten countywide.