United Way of Greater Charlottesville

The Coopers have served Charlottesville’s 10th and Page neighborhood as co-pastors of Pilgrim Baptist Church for over a decade. Their recent focus on opening our community’s first Black-owned Montessori program has led to significant collaboration with the team at United Way of Greater Charlottesville over the past year. We recently spoke to the Coopers about their experience bringing this childcare center to fruition and more. Read the full interview (and report) at https://lnkd.in/ehEkwKxM.

Supporters like you help us create a positive impact through donations, volunteerism, advocacy, and more. Catch up on a few updates from our most recent Annual Report, or read the full report at https://lnkd.in/ehEkwKxM! Our role at United Way is to bring our community together to try and solve some of the complex challenges facing children and families throughout our region. What’s your role?

We've got an updated look - new logo, brand colors, fonts, you name it! But don't worry, our values, mission, goals, and programs haven't changed. We're still here, ready to help create a community where all families thrive!

Happy birthday to Patrick, our team's Data Analyst! ?? As our Data Analyst, Patrick helps our team make informed strategic decisions based on our own program and internal data as well as other data we have available to us. Not only does data help us determine how our programs and services are helping those in our community, but it can also identify new needs, challenges, and potential solutions. All that to say, we are so thankful to have Patrick on our team! Please join us in wishing him a very happy birthday! ??

Happy birthday to Megan, the Coordinated Enrollment Manager on our Ready Region Blue Ridge team! ?? Megan is one of the key players working tirelessly behind the scenes of the Coordinated Enrollment program we help manage, Go2Grow. Megan is always willing to help out the team where needed. She is lovely to work with and always brings passion, energy, care, and empathy to everything she does! We are very lucky to have her on our team! Please join us in wishing Megan a very happy birthday! ??

Congratulations to our friends at Sentara Health for breaking ground on a new Early Learning Center for its employees with capacity for nearly 150 children from 6 weeks to 5 years old. With Piedmont Family YMCA on board to operate the center, this is exactly the kind of cross-sector partnership we need to address the planning district’s shortfall of over 2,600 childcare slots. Read more:

Happy birthday to Nicole, one of our Senior Early Education Specialists on our Ready Region Blue Ridge team! ?? Nicole works with families participating in the Early Learner Scholarships program, which helps many parents and guardians find quality childcare coverage for their children that may not have been accessible otherwise. Nicole has been an amazing asset to our team, and we are lucky to have her! She is also a big fan of travel and exploring our local food and wine scene! Please join us in wishing Nicole a very happy birthday! ??

Having both grown up in families of entrepreneurs, Anwar Allen and his wife Laura felt destined to become business owners. Today, they run Allens Scottish Shortbread out of a commercial kitchen in Charlottesville’s Belmont neighborhood. Over the past few years, their company has been awarded a Business Development Grant, an Envision Enterprise Grant, and an international distribution contract with Whole Foods. We recently spoke to Anwar about his experience as a business owner for our 2024 Annual Report. Read the full interview (and report) at https://lnkd.in/ehEkwKxM.

We are excited to be a sponsor for the?Virginia Film Festival?for another year, in support of their mission to share stories and spark dialogue around important topics! This year, we are a presenting sponsor of the gala screening of The Piano Lesson, the highly anticipated film adaption of August Wilson's play by the same name. The film is produced by Denzel Washington and features a stacked cast including John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, Ray Fisher, and Samuel L. Jackson. This screening is taking place on Friday, November 1 at 7:30pm, and tickets go on sale this Friday at noon! We hope to see you at the theater! All details including the film trailer can be found at?https://lnkd.in/ehsXRQtw

Please consider sharing and/or donating for the 2024 SWVA Regional Disaster Relief Fund!