United Way of the Greater Capital Region

As we embrace this season of giving, all of us at United Way of the Greater Capital Region want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the partners, donors, and volunteers who have made a positive impact in our community this year. Your support helps create a Capital Region where everyone can truly thrive. Happy Thanksgiving, and thank you for Leading The Way! ?? Peter Gannon Claire Reid Nicki Pezzulo Heather Senecal Faith Pangburn Gerri L. Goggin Allison Clark, MS, CCC-SLP Sarah Sheehan Alison Maher Matt Hunter

The countdown is on! ?Don’t miss your chance to see three incredible organizations pitch their vision for building power and breaking barriers in our community at Power Pitch! Meet our Power Panel—remarkable women on the front lines of creating lasting change in the Capital Region—will help us choose which finalist takes home the $10,000 grant from United Way. ? Simone Brooks, MBA | Health Care Consultant & United Way of the Greater Capital Region Board Member ? Jennifer Cassidy | Director of Corporate Giving at CDPHP ? Yvonne C. | Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Talent at Northeast Shared Services ? Marcella H. | Chief Executive Officer at Palette Community ? Kathleen McLean | President & Chief Executive Officer at The McLean Group ?? December 4, 5:30 PM ?? Brown's Revolution Hall, Troy ??? Tickets are available at www.unitedwaygcr.org/power

United Way of the Greater Capital Region is proud to support the City of Albany's Cash For Coats drive, which raised more than $38,000 this year! Thanks to the generosity of the local community, more than 720 coats, plus 2,000 hats, gloves, and scarves will be given to children at the City School District of Albany just in time for winter. Roughly 13,000 coats have been distributed since this program launched 16 years ago. The Cash for Coats program embodies United Way’s dedication to creating opportunities for youth by ensuring children have all they need to stay warm, happy, and healthy during the colder months. Thank you to Mayor Kathy Sheehan, Dr. Dorcey L. Applyrs, and the team at the Office of Cultural Affairs for leading the way on this crucial program. We're grateful for the partnership of Albany Superintendent Joseph E. Hochreiter, Kevin Johnson and Sean Allen at the Palace Performing Arts Center , Jack and Marc Yonally at B. Lodge Co. Inc., Thomas J. Burke III of the Burke Companies, and Dr. Edward Wladis.

We’re thrilled to announce the organizations that are building POWER in the Greater Capital Region! Meet the 2024 Power Pitch finalists, who will deliver TED-talk-style presentations showcasing how they’re reshaping systems and empowering change in our community. BIRTHNET INC ?? Roots of Support: The Esther Patterson Doula Initiative Presenter: Tershia Ellis, Board Chair Chasing Health, Inc. ?? Hypertension: The Silent Killer Presenter: Dr Tina Omorogbe, Executive Director LITERACY VOLUNTEERS OF RENSSELAER COUNTY ?? Economic Empowerment Through Literacy Presenter: Nancy Benz, Executive Director ?? Join us on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, at Brown’s Revolution Hall at 5:30 PM for an inspiring evening celebrating these changemakers. ??? Get your tickets now: www.unitedwaygcr.org/power #PowerPitch2024 #WomenUnited #UnitedWayGCR #LeadingtheWay

Our entire team looks forward to this event every year. In this season of gratitude, we are truly appreciative of the continued support and generosity of the entire RPI community!

Did you know over 8,600 Capital Region children under the age of five receive a free book in the mail every month, thanks to United Way’s partnership with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Nearly 1,800 of those kids live in Albany County alone! This morning, we joined our friends at the Albany Public Library to enroll even more local families in this program, which inspires a lifelong love of reading amongst the youngest residents who call our community home. Thank you to the team at the library’s North Albany branch for hosting such a fun event, and to our partners at EdTrust-New York and the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy, who are helping ensure all children across the state have access to inspiring early childhood literacy programs like the Imagination Library. Want to sign up your child or support the Imagination Library through a donation? Visit unitedwaygcr.org/dpil to learn more.

Nearly 17% of children in New York live in poverty, while an additional 35% are part of ALICE households—families who work hard but still struggle to make ends meet. Altogether, 2.1 million kids across the state are growing up in households that face challenges affording basic necessities. Today at the State Capitol, United Way of the Greater Capital Region joined our partners from across the state to raise our voices in support of policies that will End Child Poverty, including income support for NY families, healthy school meals for all NY children, refundable tax credits, and stronger public benefits. Thank you to our friends at the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy for bringing together such a dedicated coalition of community partners. Visit NewYorkCan.org to learn more.

Following yesterday's Jubilant Birth Albany announcement, United Way proudly hosted "The Power of Cash." This panel brought together experts from the public and nonprofit sectors to explore the transformative impact direct cash transfer programs have on families and individuals across New York State. From reducing poverty to empowering families, this discussion showcased real solutions for real challenges. We'd like to thank everyone who joined us at The Blake Annex yesterday, especially our panelists and moderator! Moderator - David Lombardo, Host, Capitol Press Room WCNY TV/FM Panelists Julia Davis, Director of Youth Justice & Child Welfare, Children's Defense Fund - New York Dorothy (Dede) Hill, Director of Policy, Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy Joan Hunt, Executive Director, Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood Inc Candi Griffin-Jenkins, Director of Bureau of Social Determinants of Health, NYS Office of Children and Family Services Denice Ocana, Youth Action Researcher & Organizer, Children's Defense Fund - New York

Learn more about yesterday’s Jubilant Birth announcement here: https://lnkd.in/ejB2yUjJ

This afternoon at The Blake Annex, United Way of the Greater Capital Region came together with our partners to unveil a groundbreaking program to support maternal health and birth equity in Albany County. ???????????????? ?????????? ???????????? will provide $1,000 per month for 12 months to 25 low-income, pregnant women in the community. In addition to the unconditional cash supplement, each participant will be invited to access a range of prenatal, birthing, and postnatal support services provided by our partners at BIRTHNET INC, CEK RN CONSULTING INC, and the March of Dimes.? Jubilant Birth is made possible by a diverse coalition of financial sponsors, whose generous investments were critical to launching this pilot program in the community. We are grateful for the support of the Carl E. Touhey Foundation ($325,000), Highmark Blue Shield of Northeastern New York ($175,000), Hudson Valley Credit Union ($5,000), and the office of Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy, which provided a $200,000 grant through the Albany County American Rescue Plan (ARPA). Thank you to all of our partners, who are helping us build a healthier Capital Region where all have access to the care and services they need to thrive. Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/ejB2yUjJ