United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County Invest $117,500 in Waukesha Based Programs
The Wisconsin’s Veteran’s Network (VetsNet) provides assessments of veteran and veteran family needs and then offer and coordinate access to a full range of public, private, and nonprofit agencies who can meet those needs quickly, without respect to the branch of service, time in service or status of discharge of the veteran. A $15,000 grant from United Way will be used to support veterans and family members who live or work in Waukesha County, through intake, assessment and advocacy during individual household crisis situations. VetsNet works closely with two Waukesha County partners – the County Veteran Service Office (CVSO) and offices of the Center for Veterans Issues (CVI), but also has a network of 60+ referral partners. Most often, the clients served do not qualify for resources through traditional channels, or their needs were beyond the scope of benefits provided by any veteran agency.
Helping Kids Succeed began in 2005 to support educational outcomes for families in Waukesha County. Originally, the initiative was focused on increasing parental engagement. The 2018 goals for Helping Kids Succeed include supporting educators, increasing student achievement, enhancing family stability and empowerment, and improving community engagement and awareness. United Way awarded a total of $65,000 in grants to support the following three projects within the School District of Waukesha:
• P.A.T.H., a program of Family Service of Waukesha ($35,000) puts psychotherapists in schools to support educators’ efforts to meet students’ psychological, social, and emotional needs. The therapists can provide clinical services to students with a diagnosis, drop-in sessions to students without a diagnosis, and consultation to school staff.
• Playworks’ TeamUp program ($25,000) helps schools create play environments that help kids be their best. As a recess intervention program, TeamUp makes recess more structured, supports teachers, helps students build leadership skills and reduces
misbehavior during recess by helping students to problem solve and engage in building positive school culture.
• ERAs Senior Network ($5,000) assists students and engages volunteers through an intergenerational experience. Seniors can serve as reading buddies, pen pals, and sources for oral history projects.
The programs target the eight highest-need schools in the Waukesha School District – those where 50% or greater of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
After Breast Cancer Diagnosis (ABCD) provides free, personalized information and 1:1 support to people affected by breast cancer: patients, families, and friends. Having served the community since 1999, ABCD understands the health and cultural barriers that exist in the Hispanic community. They are focused on providing needed information on survivorship and breast health education in a comprehensive, culturally sensitive platform.
A $37,500 United Way grant will support the Nuestra Conexion: Improving Culturally Responsive Peer Support for the Breast Cancer Journey program with outreach (health fairs, community events, newsletters, mailing), culturally specific development materials (design/print/distribution of ABCD materials, training materials), and recruitment and new mentor training (new mentor recruitment, staff time to coordinate project and complete reports/evaluations).