Our CEO, Tommy Taylor, was thrilled to congratulate local educator and winner of our yacht-experience raffle (provided by My Yacht Source) Connie Arieno with our friends from NHCS, Caress Clegg and Caleb Price. |
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While 2022 is coming to a close, our campaign year and allocation processes are far from over. We're looking forward to the exciting opportunities coming up in Spring of 2023!
A first opportunity arises from the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners committing $1.2 million to local nonprofit organizations focusing on violence prevention and wraparound services (learn more). UWCFA is proud to partner with NHC to administer these funds and to fulfill the commissioners' vision. The application is open from December 16th until January 16th and can be accessed through the United Way Portal.
Thank you for celebrating with us throughout this season. Please note our office will be closed December 26 and 27 as well as January 2. If you are in need of help or community resources, please call United Way's 211.
Our team wishes you a wonderful holiday and start to the New Year; we'll be in touch soon.
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Endowment Fiscal Sponsor Partnerships |
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The New Hanover Community Endowment announced its 2022 Cape Fear Opportunities and Needs grants recipients. This round of investments will distribute more than $9 million to various nonprofits in New Hanover County. UWCFA is proud to serve as the fiscal agent for two grant recipients: |
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Pine Forest Cemetery Board
$10,000
Pine Forest Cemetery Board’s mission is to provide burial options for the black community of New Hanover County, engage in primary and collaborative historical and educational pursuits, provide community developmental support, and sustain the documents and artifacts of history dating back to 1850. This grant will support program and outreach expenses.
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Community Enrichment Initiatives
$129,200
The mission of Community Enrichment Initiatives Inc. (CEII) is to enrich the lives of those in need in our community through initiatives that promote personal empowerment, self-sufficiency and productivity. This grant will support capital improvements and the acquisition of equipment.
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GIVING TUESDAY: A Global Day of Generosity |
On November 29th, UWCFA celebrated Giving Tuesday through community campaigns and an evening event at the Wilma Daniels Gallery.
Over $20,000 was raised to help us support critical, local programs that fight for a healthier, more resilient community.
Thank you to our key volunteers, Board of Directors, Campaign Cabinet, and every charitable donor for a successful day of fundraising for our community!
Thank you to our generous event sponsors Customers Bank, CloudWyze, GE Hitachi, First Citizens Bank and Mister Bartender.
Congratulations to our yacht experience raffle winners, Connie Arieno and Shaun Olsen! Enjoy your private, sunset cruises donated by My Yacht Source!
If you or your organization is interested in serving as an event sponsor for future celebrations, please reach out to april.england@uwcfa.org
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Local Needs, Local Solutions |
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Our Long Term Recovery Groups (LTRG) help address the unique and critical needs specific to each of the four counties in our service area: Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, and Pender County. The purpose of these groups is to unite local nonprofits, businesses, governments, churches, and concerned citizens to ensure even the most vulnerable in the community recover from disaster such as hurricanes and pandemics.
This December we're celebrating:
- St. James Episcopal for donating $1,000 towards New Hanover Disaster Coalition (NHDC)
- Emma Anderson Memorial Chapel for gifting $2,000 to the Pender Long Term Recovery Group (PLTRG)
- NHDC raised $9,203.92 for furniture to help displaced Wilmington Housing Authority residents moving back into homes from their extended hotel stays
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Volunteer Spotlight: Billy Smith
Meet Asher and his human, Billy Smith, a key volunteer for UWCFA and return member on our Board of Directors. Visit our blog to read more about Billy's involvement and why he encourages others to give their time and treasure for our community.
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Why UWCFA - Connecting to the Community
Ruth Ravitz-Smith, a nonprofit leader, public affairs consultant, and UWCFA volunteer recently wrote an Insight for the Greater Wilmington Business Journal describing volunteering as a great way to learn about the community while also giving back in a meaningful way.
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The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) is the only federally-funded program to support elibible workers age 55 and over with the training they need to enter or reenter the workforce. Our local program serves Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Onslow, and Pender Counties and helps participants find meaningful employment.
Recently, our grant sponsor, The Center for Workplace Inclusion, requested our program director, Steve Moore assist with two training initiatives:
- Steve was one of a few SCSEP Directors asked to help the Center develop trainings for the new and significantly expanded requirements for local programs starting in early December
- Our program was selected by Alicia Black, state SCSEP Officer for North Carolina and Alabama, to host a two-day job shadowing and training program in SCSEP operations an incoming neighboring program director
We're proud of the good work and deserved recognition of our local program helping to foster the self-esteem and dignity of our participants.
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We're halfway through our campaign season and thrilled to be closer to our goal of $1.4 million dollars. We're accomplishing this primarily through individual gifts of all sizes (give now) and workplace campaigns which give employees the opportunity to easily give to causes that matter most to them.
While it's still early in terms of forecasting results, we are pleased to recognize the following partners for increases in their campaigns during the 2022 season so far:
- Brunswick County Schools
- Eaton Corporation
- Eli Lilly
- Enterprise
- First Citizens Bank
- New Hanover County Schools
- New Hanover County Government
We're grateful for all of our partners and look forward to celebrating continued success in the new year. If you haven't kicked off your United Way campaign yet, don't worry - there's still time to do so! Contact emily.mitchell@uwcfa.org to gain access to our Campaign Toolkit.
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Our team has enjoyed the opportunity to thank and connect with local healthcare heroes during the Novant Health workplace campaign this month.
One of Novant's Employee Campaign Coordinators, Kayla Coleman, wanted to increase engagement with the campaign and found an awesome solution: when an employee gives they are entered into a raffle to win a tour of New Hanover County via the hospital's AirLink helicopter.
When our partners get creative, our community wins!
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New Hanover County Schools |
Our sweet friends at New Hanover County Schools more than tripled their workplace campaign this year!
We at UWCFA understand the importance of good education and are grateful for the educators, staff, and volunteers who work together to make that happen.
A special shoutout to Carolina Beach Elementary School for raising the most money out of all divisions and schools!
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Our volunteers have been busy this month spreading holiday cheer! Retire United participants served with Good Shepherd, GE employees volunteered with both the Food Bank and Habitat for Humanity, friends from Enterprise gave their time to Willowdale Farm, employees from the City of Wilmington spent three days helping the Salvation Army with their Angel Tree program, and a team from Live Oak Bank also served the Angel Tree program.
We thank our partners and participants for opening their hearts and serving our community, it's because of them that many families and individuals will have a merrier time this season.
Ready to turn your passions into purpose? Sign up for our volunteer newsletter and visit sharecapefear.org
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UWCFA & Friends at Good Shepherd |
Learn how the center operates and connect with new members of the community while lightly preparing and serving meals to guests.
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Did you know $10 can provide a workbook for an adult literacy student? DONATE NOW
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