The proposed Senate bill extends the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to 2019, but without the guarantee of funding, which would be a yearly fight. The House bill phases out CHIP in 2013 and shifts children into the uncertain world of private insurance cooperatives.

“Congress should ensure that the reforms will provide families with children with comparable or better benefits and access to care as they currently receive under Medicaid, CHIP or other programs,” said United Way public policy director Lorne Needle. “Thus far, there are no assurances that this will happen. We’re urging elected officials to take a stronger position on behalf of kids and ensure health reform benefits them, too.”

You can join in our efforts to send a strong message to Washington. This Sunday, United Way’s partner, the Children’s Defense Fund, is organizing “Stroller Brigades” in several U.S. cities – including San Francisco – to help ensure that millions of children are not left behind in health reform legislation.

When:     November 8 at 2:00 p.m.

Where:   San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr. Carton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA

Learn More and Sign up To Join The Stroller Brigade Today!

Volunteer projects include adding descriptive terms to the existing tags to make images easy to find

Thanks to the latest generation of smartphones, it can sometimes seem like you can do whatever you want, with the touch of a button. Well, add one more thing to that list – volunteering.

Combining two hot trends -  micro-giving and the iPhone — a new application called “The Extraordinaires,” allows you to micro-volunteer by tackling small projects on your  iPhone while you’re waiting for the train or waiting to meet friends for a meal. Volunteer projects include translation, image tagging, citizen journalism, mapping and more.  (If you don’t have an iPhone, you can also complete projects on The Extraordinaires website.)

Here is an example of  how it works:  the Smithsonian has tons of images in its database, but can it correctly curate (tag) and sort them all?  Devoting staff time to the hundreds of thousands of images is time consuming and cost prohibitive.  But now, those images are part of database that micro-volunteers can see and add new tag words to help them be searchable for future use.  By sourcing the task of tagging the photos to a crowd of micro-givers, not only does the museum get a wide range of possible search terms, but they can also catalog a much greater number of photos.   As you can see from the example, volunteers are being asked to add descriptive terms to the existing tags.

Earn It! Keep It! Save It! Bay Area volunteers helped more than 47,000 low-wage earners during the 2009 tax season.

Participating taxpayers save up to $360 by having their taxes prepared for free instead of paying a commercial tax preparer.   We’re also helping families claim the Earned Income Tax Credit, a valuable benefit provided by the U.S. government, which can return thousands of dollars to low-wage earners.

Earn It! Keep It! Save It! needs volunteers to serve as greeters, language interpreters and tax preparers  for the 2010 tax season.  Training begins in November, and free tax sites will open in late January.  No previous tax preparation experience is necessary!  There is a special need for volunteers who can speak Spanish.

Misty Halstead, who had a rewarding experience as a tax volunteer last year, said, ”Helping a family or an individual to obtain available tax benefits can have a long lasting impact by increasing educational opportunities or other means to achieving financial stability.  In one instance, a college student whom I helped obtain a tax refund was so thankful to be able to afford his tuition that he sought me out at the site to personally thank me.”

Earn It! Keep It! Save It! operates more than 180 free tax sites throughout seven Bay Area Counties and needs more than 4,000 volunteers to staff these sites.  You can train and serve at a tax site in your neighborhood.

Register now – visit www.earnitkeepitsaveit.org or call 2-1-1.  If you can’t dial 2-1-1, call 800-358-8832.

Cerina Byrd was able to go from seasonal employment to a full time position

This month, United Way community project MatchBridge kicks off its second annual Seasonal Job Fair series. Top retailers – including  Best Buy, TJ Maxx, Gap, Old Navy, and several others – will partner with MatchBridge to meet their hiring needs for the holiday season.

MatchBridge members, who are youth between the ages of 16 and 21, will have an opportunity to meet with the employers and apply for these retail job opportunities. As many as 25-50 young people will be hired during what is traditionally the busiest time for these stores.

Between 25% and 50% of total annual retail sales take place during the holidays, and retail employers usually increase their workforce by 4% or more just for the holiday gift-buying rush.

These positions tend to be a great fit for younger workers, since many are home for the holidays from college, so the time-commitment is a perfect fit.   Young people also bring great energy to these retailers, which is essential during the busy holiday season.   Many retailers value the Seasonal Job Fair because it connects employers to pre-screened candidates, who are qualified and well-equipped to take advantage of these opportunities.

Some of these retail opportunities can lead to much bigger things. Two years ago Cerina Byrd, a MatchBridge member, connected with Macy’s during a Seasonal Job Fair.  She has since graduated from the MatchBridge program and is now a full-time recruiter for the downtown Macy’s human resources department and has been thriving there for the past two years.

Her husband took care of everything, so when he died two years ago, things quickly began to deteriorate for the 52-year-old mother of two.

The Belize native said she’s not sure where she’d be now if she hadn’t found the American Canyon Family Resource Center. But through several of the center’s new SparkPoint services, funded through United Way of the Bay Area, she said she’s feeling more hopeful these days.

“I come here and I get lessons, I get work experience, they’re really, really good people,” she said. “They’re patient, compassionate; they listen to you, what you need. Coming here every Wednesday makes me feel alive again.”

Mack, who said she’s been in the United States 35 years, walks to the Family Resource Center each week, because she has no car. But through SparkPoint, Mack said she’s getting credit counseling, the threatening phone calls are dwindling, and she’s moving forward with her life.

Mack is also learning to improve her reading and writing skills, she said. It’s one of the many services now available through a newly minted holistic approach being applied by United Way, center executive director Sherry Tennyson said.

“United Way will eventually have seven SparkPoint centers,” she said. “Oakland was the first to come on line and ours was second.”

Read the entire article, SparkPoint inspires renewed hope among struggling clients, which appeared in both the Times-Herald and the Contra Costa Times.

Your local 2-1-1 call center can answer questions, such as:

• Where is the vaccine available in my county?
• Who is eligible to receive the vaccine? (Eligibility varies by county and provider.)

Residents who can’t dial 2-1-1 can call 800-273-6222 to reach the 2-1-1 call center in their area. For the hearing impaired, dial 415-808-4440 (TTY) or 7-1-1.

Launched throughout the Bay Area in February 2008, 2-1-1 is an easy-to-remember, toll-free phone number that connects callers with local community services, such as food, shelter, counseling, employment assistance, quality child care and more. 2-1-1 is available in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma Counties. For more information, visit www.211BayArea.org.

…make lemonade.  That’s the strategy many Bay Area nonprofits are employing during the recession, finding opportunities to collaborate when they find their own resources depleted. 

The surge in nonprofit collaboration is one of several insights shared by United Way CEO Anne Wilson during a recent interview with the San Francisco Examiner.   She also answered questions about United Way’s recent accomplishments and described the attributes of a good leader.  United Way’s recent launch of the SparkPoint Centers in Oakland and American Canyon was also discussed during the interview. 

Watch the entire interview by clicking on Anne’s photo above.

Fedex Volunteers in action at Alameda Point Collaborative

Last month, as part of Fedex Cares Week, a volunteer army of 125 local Fedex employees spent a day lending a hand at the Alameda Point Collaborative,  a United Way grantee that is working to end homelessness.

Fedex Cares Week is a week-long volunteer event that benefits local communities and United Way by encouraging more than 2,100 FedEx team members to volunteer their time. Projects ranged from refurbishing and beautifying local agencies, to building playgrounds and painting child-care centers.

The Alameda Point Collaborative has created a unique community at the former Alameda Naval Air Station, providing housing, services and opportunities for brighter futures to formerly homeless families and individuals.   The spacious, 34-acre commmunity offered numerous opportunities for the Fedex volunteers to help out – some renovated the Collaborative’s bike shop, while others constructed a fish farm, a compost structure, and raised beds in the community garden.  The Collaborative’s playground was also refurbished by volunteers.

FedEx Bay District Administration Manager Debi Carrubba said, “It was such an incredible experience for me as the coordinator of FedEx Cares Week to see the entire project develop and to see so many people working together for the common good of their community.  It was a wonderful day.”

The good news is the professional support that nonprofits need is abundant in the Bay Area, and many executives are seizing the opportunity to combine their expertise with their desire to help the community.

For example, several senior executives from Wells Fargo provide critical volunteer support to United Way, serving on our board of directors, as well as working on our fundraising team.  Last year, Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf led United Way’s Bay Area fundraising efforts, serving as our 2008/09 Campaign Chair.  This year, eight Wells Fargo professionals are serving as United Way volunteers:

• Internet Services Executive Vice President Jim Smith is serving as the Wells Fargo 2009 Bay Area campaign chair.  He is responsible for coordinating fundraising efforts for more than 16,000 Wells Fargo employees in the Bay Area. 

Jim Smith inspires fellow Wells Fargo employees to give, advocate and volunteer during the United Way campaign

A long-time leadership donor, Jim said, “The experience of leading the Bay Area Community Support and United Way campaign this year was very rewarding.  I had a front row seat to see the creativity and passion of our team members as they walked, weeded, biked, baked, lent a hand, and made a difference. Throughout the month, and every day of the year, it’s obvious to me that Wells Fargo team members are committed to supporting their community. It makes me very proud.”

• Global Correspondent Banking Executive Vice President Ron Caton and Commercial Mortgage Division Head Ed Blakey serve on United Way’s Board of Directors. 

“Volunteering as a board member has been both valuable and fulfilling,” said Ed.  “I have experienced first-hand how United Way of the Bay Area encourages collaboration among people from all walks of life to help solve some of our community’s most pressing needs.”

• General Counsel Jim Strother has served on United Way’s Koko Challenge Cabinet for three years.  He plays a key role in recruiting new law firms to participate in this annual fundraising competition among Bay Area law firms. 
• Director of Supplier Diversity Senior Vice President Clayton Lloyd is a “loaned executive” at United Way.   His salary is paid by Wells Fargo while he spends three months as a member of our fundraising team during our intense fall fundraising season.  He has spent the last several weeks working the phones, visiting management and employees at top Bay Area companies, and coordinating campaign events.
• Greater Bay Area Regional President Jim Foley is a member of United Way’s 2009/10 Campaign Cabinet, which leads United Way’s fundraising activities throughout the region. 
• Home Mortgage Executive Vice President Brad Blackwell and Internet Services Group Executive Vice President Teddy de Rivera serve on United Way’s Tocqueville Cabinet, which hosts events and develops strategies for soliciting donations from local philanthropists who give $10,000 or more annually. 

“Volunteers can help nonprofits significantly increase the quality and level of services, as well as reduce costs,” said Anne Wilson, CEO of United Way of the Bay Area.  “As local nonprofits work harder than ever to serve our community’s growing needs, I encourage individuals and employers to follow Wells Fargo’s lead by going beyond their checkbooks and increasing their volunteer support as well.” 

To find out about professional volunteer opportunities at United Way, contact our volunteer manager Aditi Aggarwal at 415-808-4300; aaggarwal@uwba.org.   To explore opportunities with other nonprofits, contact the Bay Area Volunteer Center that serves your county – information is available by dialing 2-1-1 or visiting the Volunteer page on our website.

The Taproot Foundation, whose mission is to strengthen nonprofits by engaging business professionals in service, also links business experts with volunteer opportunities at nonprofit agencies.

MatchBridge member Chris Black on his way to his new job at BRE Properties

At 17, Chris Black was living on the streets of San Francisco. Today, three years later, he works at a technology company, interns with a real-estate firm, and is pursuing a degree in computer science with aspirations to attend law school. Chris shares how MatchBridge — a youth employment project of United Way, and the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and their Families — provided him with opportunities that put him on track to a successful future.

United Way: Can you describe how you ended up homeless?

Chris Black: I come from a good family. My mom was an executive for United Airlines, but after 9/11, with most of our money in the stock market, we basically lost everything. My mom had to sell our home and went to live with family in Virginia. I was at a point in my life when I was kind of getting into trouble. So, I stayed on the west coast. Things are tough when you’re sleeping on the streets in San Francisco. It’s not pretty, you know? You’ve got to grow up fast.

United Way: How did you come in contact with MatchBridge?

Chris: I had moved into the Larkin Street Youth Services shelter. A representative at Larkin Street’s job training program, HIRE UP, put me in touch with Mayela (Gutknecht) at MatchBridge. She got me a two month paid internship working for Golden Gate Disposal and Waste Management. I would go out with the garbage collectors in the morning and put up fliers to promote their new summer internship program. I made a couple of bucks, got a little apartment in the Tenderloin, took my G.E.D. and got enrolled in school.

United Way: What was the MatchBridge process like?

Chris: Mayela interviewed me at the Hire Up center, and from there I became a MatchBridge member. They have job bulletins, job fairs; things along those lines. For that first job, MatchBridge called me. They said, ‘Hey listen, we need somebody who can get up at 4:30 in the morning and hand out fliers.’ Given where I was, I had to take what I could get. But all in all, it was a really good experience. The next time I contacted Mayela, I had been enrolled in college for a few months. So I went from being a guy with a general interest in computers and technology to a computer-science major. She knew of a start-up company that was looking to fill a Quality Assurance position. After two interviews, I got the job. That was the cornerstone. Of everything that United Way and MatchBridge have done for me—once I had that corporate experience on my resume, it was like, ‘Okay, now I can do anything.’ That was the door opener.

United Way: What are you doing now?

Chris: I have two jobs: a paid internship at real estate firm, BRE Properties, which I found through MatchBridge; I also found a job on my own at a company that designs software for iTunes. And I’m studying computer science full time at San Francisco City College.

United Way: Your life sounds pretty full! What are your plans for the future?

Chris: Next year I’m going to transfer to either San Francisco State or UCSF. I want to get into an ROTC program, because that would help pay for law school. After law school, I plan to get into politics or civil service, because that way I can enact change — to create more opportunities for people from all walks of life.

United Way: What would you say to someone who is considering supporting United Way?
Chris: United Way and MatchBridge helped me get my first corporate-sector job; that was the job that enabled me to take my career to the next step. MatchBridge has given
me a lot of viable career opportunities that have enabled me to leverage my educational background and pursue my passion. I think that everybody deserves a chance, and community organizations that reach out and try to help young people are a necessity.