United Way of Washington County kicked off their annual fundraising campaign by uniting more than 400 local volunteers Thursday evening. The event, called United for Our Future, was held at the West Bend Mutual Insurance Pavilion at Washington County Fair Park.
More than 400 volunteers from 30 local businesses, school districts, and nonprofit organizations—united to create school-readiness bags for 2,500 preschool-age children.
“For the last three years, we’ve had tremendous success with our food packaging events, engaging more than 1,000 community volunteers and providing nearly 200,000 meals for distribution at local food pantries,” said Kristin Brandner, executive director of United Way of Washington County. “This year, we’re building on that success and focusing on improving school readiness in Washington County.”
School readiness is determined by a child’s physical, social, emotional, language, and cognitive development during their first five years.
During the event, teams of volunteers went through an assembly-line process filling drawstring backpacks with storybooks, flashcards, learning games, a parent handbook, crayons, a USDA MyPlate, and more. Volunteers finished each Bright Start Bag by writing a note to the child who will be receiving it.
“These kits will give parents tools to help develop their child’s school-readiness skills,” Brandner said. “Research shows that ninety percent of children’s brain development occurs before kindergarten, so it’s important for parents and caregivers to encourage early learning.”
The event was sponsored by Aurora Health Care, Serigraph, Thrivent Financial, and West Bend Mutual Insurance Company. United Way’s strategic partner, the Volunteer Center of Washington County, helped recruit and coordinate volunteers.
The Bright Start Bags will be distributed to children enrolled in daycare and nonprofit programs across the county. 4C Family Center of Washington County will receive 100 of the school-readiness kits.
“We are really excited about this opportunity to give our families another tool for their tool kit,” said Kathy Bruni, Family Engagement Specialist at 4C Family Center. “It fits well with both our family education programs and our new literacy initiative, which is getting off the ground thanks to a new grant from United Way.”
During their annual fundraising campaign, United Way of Washington County encourages the community to Give, Advocate, and Volunteer. The funds raised benefit education, income stability, and health programs at 18 local nonprofit agencies.
Twenty-seven local companies have already started their workplace campaigns for United Way. Early Pacesetter reports show strong participation, including an 18% increase in employee giving at Maysteel in Allenton.