COMMUNITY SCHOOL LEARNING EXCHANGE

United Way of Erie County has been a proud sponsor of local National Night Out (NNO) events since 2004. In the past, NNO events have taken many forms including but not limited to block parties, cookouts, parades, visits from emergency personnel, rallies and marches, exhibits, youth events, safety demonstrations and seminars. NNO also aligns with the prevention portion of the three-pronged Unified Erie Violence Reduction Initiative.

By now, you’ve likely heard about Community School Action Plans: the data-driven blueprints designed for each community school as a basis for barrier identification, removal and strategy implementation. Action Plans are completed during a school’s first year in the model and take between 8 and 12 months to complete.

United Way of Erie County was well represented last week at The Institute for Educational Leadership’s 2022 National Community Schools and Family Engagement Conference in Los Angeles, California. The conference theme, Uniting for Every Child's Opportunity, was both a reminder and a call to action for conference goers.

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 2-6, 2022, and we are celebrating all teachers, instructors and educators past and present. We asked United Way staff who their favorite educator has been and to reflect on the impact they made on their life. Please see the responses below.

In early March, the 2020-2021 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) scores were released to the public, issuing stark evidence of the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our most vulnerable students and schools.

Today, McKinley Elementary School "Home of the Mariners" Captains visited Edinboro University of Pennsylvania for their end of year retreat.

United Way of Erie County serves as a required member of the Erie County Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) Board. The Emergency Food and Shelter Program was established on March 24, 1983, with the signing of the "Jobs Stimulus Bill," Public Law 98-8. That legislation created the National Board which is chaired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and includes several social service organizations in addition to United Way. Phased funding has continued the establishment of the EFSP.

When students can see they can learn.

In the wake of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on February 24, more than five million Ukrainians have fled the country, creating what United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi describes as "Europe’s largest refugee crisis in more than a century."

Today, the two new leaders of The Erie Community Foundation and United Way of Erie County teamed up to launch #ErieUnitedForUkraine in support of the international effort by United Way Worldwide, a multinational effort to direct much-needed donations to United Way organizations in the countries welcoming Ukrainians fleeing the horrors of war.  President and CEO of United Way of Erie County Laurie Root along with President and CEO of the Foundation Karen Bilowith announced the Erie United for Ukraine campaign at a press conference held March 30. 

United Way of Erie County is on a MISSION to CRUSH poverty. And, we know the key to ending poverty is education. Join us May 19 at the Bayfront Convention Center to learn more about United Way's efforts to break the cycle of poverty in Erie County.

Women United for Community Schools is a network of local women investing in transforming the future of thousands of children by directing their financial resources to United Way’s community school initiative. With this strategic focus on community schools, Women United are leading the charge to a brighter future for our children, their families and our community.

Pennsylvania is one of the top 10 states with the largest populations of K-12 students without adequate internet connection (28 percent) and without adequate devices (23 percent). 

On Wednesday, March 2, schools across the community celebrated Read Across Erie County Day. 

While there have been wonderful women leaders of United Way’s Board of Directors, starting with Susan Hirt Hagen as the first in 1987, up until now all the presidents have been men. I am pleased and honored to be the first woman to serve as president, and hope that there are many others following me. However, it is important to me that I was selected based on my experience, skill set and leadership above being the first woman to lead the organization.