Poster Stories
Annia’s father brought her to Hartford from St.
Lucia in 2005, but he disappeared shortly
thereafter, leaving her homeless. Annia turned to
Our Piece of the Pie (OPP), a United Way Community
Investment partner organization that helps young
people become independent and financially stable.
Annia was matched with a Youth Development
Specialist, who helped her map out her goals and
dreams. OPP was able to place Annia in a shelter and
help her find a job at a local clothing store. Annia
enrolled and thrived in the Adult Alternative
Education program, and she received her GED in June
of 2007. She is currently a Nursing major at Capital
Community College. Thanks to OPP, Annia now lives in
her own apartment and is well on her way to
realizing her professional dreams.
United Way’s Community Investment dollars help
people in our communities take the next step toward
financial stability—whether they’re pursuing an
education, learning skills for career advancement,
or getting access to income supports. With support
from United Way’s Community Investment, more than
400 young people participated in programs that
helped them gain marketable skills last year, and
more than 70% of these youth raised their levels of
education.
Edwin is a Food and Nutrition Manager at Hartford
Hospital, where he participates actively in the
United Way Community Campaign. Edwin is a multi-year
donor to United Way and served a Loaned Executive
during the 2003 Community Campaign.
Noreen is the parent of a child with autism and a
volunteer with Autism Speaks, a Community Health
Charities of New England (CHC) member charity. Each
year, CHC partners with United Way of Central and
Northeastern Connecticut for the United Way
Community Campaign. CHC represents more than 40
health-related charitable organizations in
Connecticut, such as Autism Speaks. United Way of
Central and Northeastern Connecticut partner
agencies also support families who are dealing with
autism spectrum disorders. For instance, United
Way’s 2-1-1, a resource and referral hotline, offers
a Child Development Infoline service to help
families learn about general child development,
coping with challenging behaviors, and disability
and health related issues.
Who are the “faces” of United Way? Donors,
volunteers, and recipients of United Way Community
Investment supported programs and services
throughout central and northeastern
Connecticut—including Frank, Sophia, and Elisabetta.
Frank
recently retired from Pratt & Whitney, where he was
a member of Pratt & Whitney Firefighters I.A.F.F.
Local I-0069. Frank represented the Firefighters
Union on the Pratt & Whitney United Way Community
Campaign Cabinet for three years and served as a
Loaned Executive during 2007, helping to raise funds
for the Community Campaign. A seven-year donor to
United Way, he also served for two years as one of
70+ local volunteers who review programs that
receive Community Investment funds. “Helping those
less fortunate is what giving is all about,” says
Frank, “and when you give to United Way, you give
hope to those who really need your help.”
Sophia
participates in the Community Investment supported
budget coaching program at Co-opportunity. Through
the program, Sophia works with a volunteer coach to
set and meet financial goals for herself and her
family. Her coach, Michael, works at The Hartford
and received training to become a budget coach in
order to help people gain skills they need to become
financially stable. Today, Sophia has a good job and
is well on the way to meeting her goals.
Elisabetta
is a married mother of two young boys and has a
third child on the way. Although both she and her
husband are employed, sometimes her family’s dollars
are just stretched too thin. That’s when she visits
the Self-Select Food Pantry run by Manchester Area
Conference of Churches, a United Way Community
Investment partner agency. There, Elisabetta and
other clients can select their own nutritious
groceries; receive food stamp prescreening; get help
from a client advocate; and even participate in a
retail training program to improve job prospects.