Our story is one of partnership. Learn more about how we work and the positive changes our unique approach to community partnership has on real people in our community.
Stories
UNITED WAY + working bridges
Meet Kristy
When Kristy started meeting with Nicole, her Working Bridges Resource Coordinator at Food Science, she was homeless, had an unreliable car, and had just taken in her 3-year-old grandson who has autism – all while trying to maintain her sobriety. Kristy and Nicole worked together tackling one challenge at a time.
UNITED WAY + king street center/the family room
Meet Hawa
Hawa Adan started coming to King Street Center when she was in elementary school. Today Hawa is director of King Street’s K-5 program. She also volunteers at the Janet S. Munt Family Room in Burlington, where she helped start a support group for families of children on the autism spectrum.
UNITED WAY + Project All Together Now VT
Meet Joss
As a youth intern for Project All Together Now VT, Joss worked with his peers at Mount Mansfield Union High School to survey students and plan programs and events aimed at fostering community and reducing isolation.
UNITED WAY + bone builders
Meet Edna
Twice a week, Edna Chagnon, 89, gathers with neighbors to exercise and socialize in a sunny activity room inside St. Paul’s United Methodist Church where volunteer Debbie LeBlanc leads Bone Builders classes.
UNITED WAY + mental health first aid
Meet Cari
Over the past year, Cari Kelley has certified over 120 people in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), on top of her full-time job as United Way’s workplace donor relations manager.
UNITED WAY + AALV
Meet Jeetan
AALV, a United Way funded partner, supports refugees and immigrants in our community with everything from meeting basic needs and finding employment to overcoming cultural barriers to accessing resources for issues like domestic violence and mental health challenges.
UNITED WAY + the mental health initiative
Meet Erica
Erica is one of 10 community members the United Way’s Mental Health Initiative is supporting with MHFA training as part of our work to more than double the number of mental health first aid trainers in the state.
UNITED WAY + working bridges
Meet Blane
Every workday Blane Fonda has a 45-minute commute from Richford to Teknor Apex in St. Albans and picks up a co-worker along the way. Reliable transportation is crucial. So, when his car needed parts he couldn’t afford, Blane asked Connie, his Working Bridges resource coordinator, for help.
UNITED WAY + fOster grandparents
Meet Jane
When Jane Berry retired from a career in special education her good friend and former director of the Foster Grandparent Program at United Way encouraged her to try volunteering to help children at her local school.
UNITED WAY + ENGLISH AT WORK
Meet Theo
With the help of United Way’s Working Bridges Initiative, Theo was able to learn essential language skills to make his work environment safer, happier and more productive by participating in English at Work.
UNITED WAY + CCOA & TURNING POINT
Meet Cam
Cam was once a rising baseball star with a college scholarship. Then he found heroin. Now in long-term recovery, Cam has used his experience to help hospital patients find their individual paths to recovery and build community connections that make lasting change. And today he is Executive Director of the Turning Point Center of Chittenden County – the organization where he started his own recovery journey.
UNITED WAY + BONE BUILDERS
Meet Peggy
Peggy is keeping her peers strong and healthy by volunteering as an instructor for Bone Builders, a free exercise program designed to reduce the effects of osteoporosis and keep aging adults connected in their communities.
UNITED WAY + FRANKLIN COUNTY TEEN INSTITUTE
Meet Moses
Through Franklin County Teen Institute, Moses became a teen leader who encourages healthy behavior and helps to fight substance abuse among his peers.
UNITED WAY + CARING COLLABORATIVE
Meet Caryl
Caryl’s child care center is removing barriers to services for children and their families by participating in Caring Collaborative, an innovative new approach to supporting families.
UNITED WAY + HOUSING FIRST
Meet Roger
Roger was struggling with alcohol abuse and experiencing homelessness. Housing First helped him get settled in a new home and connected him with essential services for a new beginning.
September 14, 2022