Education, financial stability and health are the essential building blocks of a safe and stable life. The United Way is an international non-profit organization. The focus of the United Way is helping and improving education, the economy, and healthcare. There are approximately 11.5 million volunteers that are a part of the United Way making it possible for the organization to be present in 95% of the United States. Last year the organization celebrated 100 years of making a difference! 

The United Way has a major impact on students and oftentimes they don’t realize it. After the Covid-19 pandemic, school and schoolwork changed a lot. Now, a big portion of lessons and homework is online, but not all students have access to that. Thanks to the United Way, 35% of families that make under $30,000 a year have access to high-speed internet. Another way that the United Way has improved the education system in America is putting the student at the head of the class. This means that the United Way has set up a program that provides tutoring and also emotional counseling at the same time. There are so many other programs that the United Way has put into place to help students and their families. To name a few, they provide childcare and Pre-K literacy, after school programs, mentoring, adult literacy, special education, and parent engagement. 

Financial stability is another way that the United Way makes communities strong. They provide supportive housing in countless areas that empower independence and maintain independence. The organization helps individuals and families secure their own home and make it a positive and loving environment. This is key to stability. In order to help those struggling to maintain financial stability the United Way provides job coaches to help people find the perfect job. The United Way also helps those with disabilities find financial security. The United Way invests over $232,000 annually into programs that help provide job training and coaching, integrate individuals with disabilities into the community, and provide safe housing through group homes and independent living apartments. Some of the other financial assistance programs that the organization provides include crisis and disaster services, life skills education, and legal support. 

Finally, the United Way helps keep communities healthy. The United Way makes sure that families and individuals that are underinsured get routine checkups. This way no one has to go without necessary treatment. The United Way not only focuses on physical health, but also mental health. The United Way funds hundreds of individual, family, and group therapy programs. It helps thousands of people in the US each year. The United Way also put in extra efforts to support single parents when it comes to healthcare. The United Way partners with agencies such as FamilyCore to get single parents the healthcare they need. At FamilyCore, counselors work with single parents to help even the odds by helping them to discipline appropriately, communicate effectively with children, and apply positive child development techniques. When the challenges of being a single parent become too difficult, FamilyCore helps their clients work through conflicts, depression, grief, self-esteem, divorce or separation, loneliness and stress. 

The United Way works in many ways to help make communities stronger. They do this by providing education, financial support, and healthcare services. Their work can sometimes be overlooked, but their impact is of great importance.