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Make a big difference right where you live with small change. Introducing United Way Pennies for Change. Montecito Bank & Trust is teaming up with United Way so you can donate one penny every time you use your credit card. Ask a Montecito Bank & Trust associate how you can get started today! | |
| Save The Date |
Annual Awards Celebration
Tuesday, May 13th, 2008
6:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Four Seasons Biltmore
Loggia Room
For more information or to RSVP please contact Courtney Jue at cjue@unitedwaysb.org or (805) 965-8591 ext. 110
For photos & highlights of past events, click on the links before:
Annual Awards 2007
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| United Way of Santa Barbara County General E-News
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March 2008 | |
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 Third Annual UCSB Volunteer Day
For the third consecutive year, UCSB employees and students volunteered to help clean up Orfalea Family Children's Center and Isla Vista Youth Projects. Both agencies provide day care for children of UCSB employees and Isla Vista families.
Volunteer Day was held on March 1st, when 20 volunteers from UCSB donated four hours each to these campus-affiliated non-profits. Projects for this year's Volunteer Day included mulching, window-washing, painting, and turning over sand-boxes and swing-set areas. Both agencies were happy to see their entire list of projects completed at day's end.
United Way, the Orfalea Family Children's Center, and the Isla Vista Youth Projects would like to thank all of those who volunteered this year! |
United Way Southern California Wildfire Fund Raises nearly $665,000 for Fire Victims
Over 500,000 people were evacuated and over 575 square miles were burned by the wildfires that spanned from Santa Barbara County to the U.S.-Mexico border in late October and early November. In the end, at least 1,500 homes were destroyed, and nine people had died as a result of the fires.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in seven California counties where fires were burning. President George W. Bush concurred, and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts.
Local response efforts included the generous outpouring of support from donors to the United Way Southern California Wildfires Recovery Fund. In the end, nearly $665,000 was raised. The distribution of the first half of the funds was given out in December of 2007. Counties which received the funding included: Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego, Riverside, Ventura, Orange, and Santa Barbara.
Funds will go towards aiding families and individuals whose lives were displaced and homes were damaged by the fires. An NCL meeting at United Way of San Diego County in February discussed the present need for "water, as many of the well heads have melted. Telephone poles were burned and lines are still down. Counseling services are in need for those whom have suffered trauma. Legal services are needed in working with contractors and help is needed in dealing with insurance companies."
Thank you to those who donated to this urgent and critical cause from both the victims of the fires and the seven associated United Ways.
Click here to see video footage created by the United Way of San Diego in late October:
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An Update on California's Child Health Coverage
Nearly 800,000 Californian children are living this year without health insurance coverage and 17 United Ways have made it their goal to change that. Cover California's Kids is the initiative whose goal is to engage business leaders and advocates in sharing solutions to make healthcare coverage a top priority for lawmakers. 
A vote by the Senate Health Committee recently denied California's Governor's and Speaker's reform package, yet California's United Ways are still diligently working towards ensuring children have comprehensive, reliable coverage. United Way of Santa Barbara County's CEO Paul Didier and Covering CA's Kids Regional Advocacy Coordinator Jennifer Herrera just recently met with the Goleta Chamber Policy Committee and they were able to send the message of this intiative to all chamber members through email blasts.
Two specific bills have been proposed in Washington D.C. Bill SB32 was filed as "inactive" during last session's review of the bill and Bill AB1 currently is being held at the Senate Desk. Both bills are waiting to be reintroduced, at a yet to be determined date.
Here are some reasons that Cover California's Kids believes that health coverage will not only be helping children, but California and its economy:
· Californians are already paying for healthcare for uninsured children, but in a less cost effective way.
· More than 333,000 preventable child hospitalizations occurred in CA between 2000-2005 (avg. cost $7,000 per hospitalization).
· Every dollar spent on childhood immunizations will save $13 down the road.
· Providing children with health insurance will protect the health and economic future of us all.
· Children without insurance are part of our communities, when they get sick it puts others at risk.
· Studies have shown that kids with insurance stay healthier, perform better in school and go on to become more productive workers and members of society.
· Covering all children will help employees who work hard but cannot afford private insurance.
· 71% of uninsured kids are in families where the head of household works full time all year.
· By enrolling children in public insurance, California could gain billions of federal dollars.
· The state is eligible for $1 to $2 from the federal government for ever dollar we invest in children's health insurance.
For more information on Covering California's Kids and how you can get involved, go to: http://www.covercaliforniakids.org/
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United Way Welcomes New Staff Members!
UWSBC's Community Impact team has welcomed two new members to its department. Susan Baker (left), has joined as our Community Impact Manager and Kaniesia Evenson is the Assets for Youth Coordinator.
Susan brings with her over 15 years of non-profit management experience, with an emphasis in youth development programming. A life-long resident of Southern California, Susan has worked with Tres Condados Girl Scout Council, Camp Fire USA, and most recently as the Director of Youth Services at Interface Children Family Services.
Kaniesia first earned her B.S. in Biology & Life Sciences and then went on to get her Master's in Secondary Education. She received teaching certifications in California and Arizona and a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies. Prior to United Way, Kaniesia worked for the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Ty Warner Sea Center. Kaniesia is a Santa Barbara resident and has a 5 year old son named Jacob.
Welcome Susan and Kaniesia to the UWSBC staff! | |
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| Contact Information |
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320 East Gutierrez Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Phone: (805) 965-8591
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| About Us
Through the Power of Partnership™, whether a neighborhood project or a community-wide initiative, United Way of Santa Barbara County unites people from government, business, education, faith groups, non profits, as well as ordinary citizens, to develop innovative strategies for community change that will have an impact for years to come.
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