United Way & BakerRipley: Campaigns, connections, and enduring community impacts
At the core of our work at BakerRipley is a fundamental belief in deliberate, purposeful, and impactful transformational investment in the areas of education, community development, and human services. I can't say enough about how fortunate we are that the United Way of Greater Houston shares our belief that no one agency, no one industry can do this work alone.
The United Way is one of the leading partners that allow BakerRipley to provide holistic interventions -- from meeting our neighbors' most basic needs to providing sophisticated training and credentialing programs that disrupt cycles of poverty and accelerate the journey of individuals towards their aspirations.
Many of our neighbors have been struggling since 2017 to recover from the devastating blow of Hurricane Harvey. As COVID-19 emerged in early 2020, we knew almost immediately that this global pandemic would only exacerbate the challenges. No one, however, could have predicted that, some 18 months later in October 2021, this deadly virus would still be having such long, drawn-out, and debilitating impacts across all facets of our communities.
While some of us have been able to recover, as many as 6 out of every 10 people have not. Many of these families have reported having to dip into what little savings they have to pay bills -- having to make excruciating decisions between paying utility bills or buying groceries, and paying overdue rent versus making the overdue payment on the car they need to get to their job as an essential worker.
Imagine that neighbor or family member that you went to when you were down. They didn't try to solve your problems. They just asked what they could do to help. That's what BakerRipley and the United Way do. Together, we are that open door and support network that people reach out to.
And we provide hope. When our neighbors are in need, their strong will and never-ending resilience often comes from the comfort of knowing that BakerRipley and the United Way are there to lift them up. The United Way Campaign gives that mom, family, or entrepreneur the help they need for their resilience.
Working with United Way as well as partners including Harris County, City of Houston, Houston-Galveston Area Council and others, we have been able to distribute...
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Additionally, the United Way has been contributing significant resources supporting our BakerRipley Neighborhood Tax Centers since their inception back in 2009. Over the years, these centers have prepared more than 400,000 tax returns and helped families claim more than $577 million in net refunds. Just last tax season alone, the free services offered by the NTCs helped families save more than $7 million in tax preparation fees -- money that goes back to our communities.
And the number of neighbors served continues to increase every day. The United Way 2-1-1 Helpline is a prime example of how these services and our partnership offers direct and immediate support for people in the worst circumstances.
United Way and BakerRipley have stood shoulder-to-shoulder for decades, working on behalf of the most vulnerable. (Note: Neighborhood Centers, Inc. changed its name to BakerRipley in 2017.) How do I know that we are going to be okay? Because for more than a century, BakerRipley has seen every storm and every disaster. With your help, we know we can continue to overcome. We have done this since the early 20th century throughout the region during the most challenging times.
On behalf of BakerRipley and the United Way, I encourage everyone that it is our collective responsibility to share our neighbors' voices. For more than half a million people we serve, it's important for their voices to be heard and that you are thanked for all that you do and give during the United Way Campaign and continue to give afterward.
Because even as governments around the globe battled the challenges of the pandemic, BakerRipley and the United Way readied themselves as resources for our region's most vulnerable. We can't let neighbors rely solely on the government; it's up to us as their neighbors to lift them back up. It is our responsibility.
They are taking care of our children. They are serving in the restaurants. They are our emergency response and management heroes. It is the responsibility of ALL OF US to take care of each other.
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