Today kicks off a university-wide fundraising effort to support United Way of York County and its bold goal to help York County families become financially stable, a goal they’ve named ‘Power to Thrive.’ Winthrop University’s campus community can help complete that mission.
Did you know one in three families in York County with at least one worker struggle to make ends meet? United Way of York County helps remove barriers to help low-to-moderate income families more easily access and navigate services to reach financial stability. United Way plays a key role in bringing together local businesses and educational institutions with local working families to ensure that license, certificate, or degree programs are within reach, leading to stable employment.
Since the campaign’s launch, Winthrop support has helped participants reduce their debt and open savings accounts; 67% have completed courses or coaching opportunities; and 16% reported they HAVE reached financial stability. We know this is great, but we also know there is still plenty of work to be done!
The university has a noted civic history with United Way: we place student interns at UWYC annually, which we know guarantees our students an authentic learning experience and future career connections. Half of UWYC employees are proud Winthrop alumni. Most recently, Social Work's Duane Neff gave the keynote address at the Power to Thrive breakfast sharing statistics from the past two years of their achievements.
Nicole Chisari, chisarin@winthrop.edu, is our United Way Ambassador and will be in touch throughout the campaign, which will take place from October 21-Nov. 1. I encourage you to join me in supporting this year's effort by completing an online pledge form. You can also request a paper form from Nicole or Lydia Johnson, johnsonlm@winthrop.edu.
Together, we can help our neighbors thrive. A healthy community is a healthy Winthrop University, and vice versa.
Edward
Edward A. Serna
President
