LIVE UNITED Utah County

For the first time since federal poverty guidelines were introduced in 1965, eligibility will NOT be more difficult to attain this year compared to last. Federal legislation recently announced that the 2009 poverty guidelines have been extended until at least March 31, 2010.

Poverty guidelines are based on the annual average Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) which has decreased from last year.  This decrease in CPI-U would have led to a reduction clients who are eligible for programs such as Medicaid, food stamps, and child nutrition. Thanks to legislative intervention, these programs can continue to qualify and assist members of our community who benefit from their services.

We have so many great volunteers who do so much to contribute to our community.  We decided that it would be fun to spotlight one of these great volunteers every month.  So we have created the Monthly Volunteer Spotlight.  These spotlights go out in our volunteer newsletter each month.  This month’s spotlight is Cory White.

Cory with one of the girls she helps tutor

As Cory White unlocks the South Franklin Community Center every Tuesday night, she is surrounded by kids trying to hug her. White, a volunteer at the Community Center, has become a big part of their lives as a tutor and a friend.

“Cory has had a huge impact on the Community Center. She is there for the kids every week,” said Rachel Bennion, AmeriCorps VISTA with United Way of Utah County working at the South Franklin Community Center. “All the kids know her and love her. She is a constant in their lives.”

White, a California native, has turned the chore of doing homework into something cool, since she began tutoring more than a year ago. Tutoring night has grown with more than 20 kids coming to the Community Center for tutoring some nights.

While she continues to tutor, White is now in charge of the growing number of volunteers that help tutor each week. As White checks on other volunteers, she is followed by a trail of five boys begging her to read “Frankenstein” to them.

“I have been able to watch the progress of the kids and how they have come to a place in their lives where learning is fun for them,” White said. “They feel successful at what they do and that sense of accomplishment spills over into their daily lives.”

After one-on-one tutoring for a half hour, White spends the rest of the time playing games and developing personal friendships with the kids.

“Sometimes they will just want to chat about life,” White said. “They know that I love them for who they are.”

Volunteers are needed for open hours after school at the South Franklin Community Center. For more information, contact Amy at 801-691-5282 or email sfccboulders@hotmail.com.

The South Franklin Community Center works in the south Provo neighborhood focusing on community development. The center offers a variety of classes including ESL, nutrition classes and youth dance classes, as well as sponsoring a free nonprofit soccer league for kids in the area.

Thanks Cory for doing so much for the community center!

We have some exciting news here at United Way of Utah County. Our AmeriCorps VISTA Project Leader, Brian Wayment, has been awarded Utah VISTA of the Year! We are so grateful for all of Brian’s hard work in the community, and are excited that the state has recognized his efforts.

Brian’s VISTA assignments have focused on volunteer promotion and recruitment for the United Way of Utah County Volunteer Center. He has established a system for volunteers to expand the volunteer center’s capacity, and he promotes community resources for the center through visits around the county. As a VISTA Leader, Brian supports all of his fellow VISTAs by going on annual site visits, coordinating potlucks and sending out a monthly VISTA project newsletter.

In addition to the volunteer center, Brian has organized and coordinated the Utah County Angel Tree program for the past two years. He spent countless hours volunteering during two holiday seasons so that 5,808 children of low-income families in Utah County received Christmas gifts. Brian’s dedication to volunteerism is obvious as he also coordinates the United Way of Utah County’s Meals-on-Wheels volunteer route and also regularly volunteers for the program.

Brian promoting AmeriCorps Week 2009.

Thank you for your work and congratulations Brian!

About 3 months ago, my older brother and his wife had their second little girl.  She is so cute now…smiling and laughing and starting to learn how to roll over. After she was born, I started thinking about when it will be my turn to have a little one of my own.  My husband and I will hit our two year anniversary very soon and starting a family has been a discussion we have had many times.

I can’t help but think about how overwhelming it must be for parents, whether it is child number one or not.  Each child brings a new set of challenges. At least, I am sure my brother would tell you that number 2 is a different experience then number 1. Not only do I have nerves about my own abilities to parent, we hear so many things that we should and shouldn’t do as parents.  How long should you breastfeed?  When should my child start crawling?  When in the world will my child sleep through the night?  Is that toy safe for my child to play with? Can they eat that?  I know I have asked these questions as I think about starting my own family.

Whenever I get overwhelmed about becoming a parent someday, I calm down when I think about all the help there is out there for parents, new and experienced.  My position at the United Way gives me the chance to go out and meet with different resources in the community for families with children 0-5 years.  The service is called Help Me Grow and we are here to help those overwhelmed parents get in touch with the people who will help them the best!

The Help Me Grow infoline has officially began as of yesterday!  We have a wonderful new child development specialist ready to take your questions and concerns.  We have been excited with the response from Community Resources as we work together to make Help Me Grow a reality.

Being a parent is one of the most amazing experiences you will ever have, but it can be overwhelming.  Let Help Me Grow help you! Dial 2-1-1 and ask for Help Me Grow today!

The Daily Herald included a great section in their paper on Saturday that recognized a few of Utah Valley’s generous supporters of good causes.

They wrote about some community conscious companies and individuals.  It is inspiring to read about some of the community members who give so much to people around the world and to our local community.

Included in the section were spotlights of some of our great programs,  Women in Philanthropy, Volunteer Care Clinic and Toqueville Society.

Click here to read about these great companies and programs.  Thank you Daily Herald for focusing on philanthropy and community!

Volunteer treating a patient at the Volunteer Care Clinic

To honor Utah Saves week, I thought it  would be fitting to write a post about one of the hardest things to do, save money! Here are some great tips to keep our bank accounts fuller. 

Utah Saves’ website has tons of great resources to help you plan for the future and to help you save some extra money.  Check out their website, but not before you browse these 5 easy tips.

1. Save your loose change. Putting aside fifty cents a day over the course of a year will allow you to save nearly 40% of a $500 emergency fund.

2. Shop for food with a list and stick to it. People who do food shopping with a list, and buy little else, spend much less money than those who decide what to buy when they get to the food market.  The annual savings could easily be hundreds of dollars.

3. Use only the ATMs of your bank or credit union. Using the ATM of another financial institution once a week could well cost you $3 a withdrawal, or more than $150 over the course of a year.

4. Keep your car engine tuned and its tires inflated to their proper pressure. Doing both can save you up to $100 a year in gas.

5. Use window coverings to block or let in sunshine. In summer, use these coverings to block sunlight, keeping your house cool.  In winter, open the coverings to let sunshine warm the house.  You could easily save more than $100 annually while being more comfortable.

I hope these tips helped.  Do you have any great saving tips? I’d love to have you share!

Each year in partnership with the Utah Commission on Volunteers, the Volunteer Centers of Utah present a Silver Bowl Award to one outstanding volunteer from each of Utah’s 29 counties. A tradition that traces back to 1979, each recipient is presented with engraved silver bowls, hence the name “Silver Bowl Award.” This award honors individuals and groups who enrich the lives of others through dedicated volunteer service.

If you would like to nominate someone to be considered for the Utah County Silver Bowl Award, please email summerb@unitedwayuc.org to request a nomination form and then submit it to us at volunteer@unitedwayuc.org or fax at (801) 374-2591. If you have any questions, please contact Summer at (801) 691-5321. The deadline is coming up fast—extended to Tuesday, March 2nd!

–Written by our guest blogger, Stephanie–

Utah Saves in teaming up with Pirate Island to teach families how to save and have a little fun while they are at it as a part of Utah Saves Week. This Tuesday, Utah Saves volunteers will be at Pirate Island from 5-8 p.m. to teach children and families about the importance of saving. To sweeten the deal, Utah Savers will receive 15 free tokens with the purchase of a pasta dish or adult entrée, or 10 free tokens with the purchase of a kid’s meal.

As a penny pincher (I like to call it being frugal), constantly being concerned about money can be exhausting. Utah Saves strives to eliminate that frustration by teaching Utahns the skills they need to achieve financial freedom. This includes building wealth by reducing debt and creating lifelong financial security.

To make the first step toward financial freedom, join us for the event.

When: Tuesday, February 23 from 5-8 p.m.
Where: Pirate Island in Orem (959 S. 700 East)
What: Utah Saves teaching families how to become financially stable

To receive monthly newsletters with saving tips and financial resources from Utah Saves, click here.

Recently, we have changed one of our focus areas to Improving People’s Health.  In order to create long-lasting and meaningful change, we need to gather opinions and information from Utah County residents.  Your opinions will help us make strides in the right direction and make effective changes that will result in improving people’s health.  In order for us to make these changes, we need your help. You can do this by taking 5-10 minutes to answer the following survey questions.  Please click the link below to access the survey.

Thank you for your help!

Did you know…

That government funding allocations are based on Census numbers?

According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers study in 2001, Utah was under-counted by approximately 30,560 people in the 2000 Census. This resulted in an estimated loss of $17,424,000 in federal funding for the state that was allocated elsewhere.

So fill out your survey and encourage family, friends, colleagues and strangers to do the same. It could make a difference to the tune of $17 million.