Read-a-Palooza, June 22
June 10th, 2013

Celebrate United Way's 5th Annual Day of Action at Read-a-Palooza

It’s a carnival of summer reading fun at United Way’s first Read-a-Palooza at Hamilton Place Mall, on Saturday, June 22, from noon to 4 p.m. This celebration of United Way's 5th annual Day of Action is focused on Education - specifically childhood literacy. Reading is the key to a successful life, but children should know that reading is fun too!  

There will be fun carnival games with prizes, an inflatable play area, free book enrollments and book-related literacy activities for kids and their parents to enjoy. Volunteers will also be on hand to read to the children throughout the afternoon. Current participants are WTCI TV 45, Chattanooga Dept. of Family and Youth Development, The Chattanooga Library, and the Bookmark Fairy. 

Children can also complete a learning checkup from noon to 4 p.m. Families will earn a voucher to redeem for a free family pass to the Creative Discovery Museum for children who receive a learning check-up.  Vouchers will be delivered by mail after the checkup is completed and received by United Way of Greater Chattanooga.

As part of the focus on education, people can also become part of the Raise Your Hand movement by enrolling to be volunteer mentors, tutors and readers for area students

All these activities are free to the public and everyone is invited to attend. For more information about United Way or this event, call 423.752.0300 or visit www.LiveUnitedChattanooga.org.   

This event is sponsored by Hamilton Place Mall, WTCI TV 45, and the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

Posted by Kelley Nave   |  0 Comment(s)  |  Leave a Comment

Lexia Launches this Summer!
May 31st, 2013

TRAINING & PLANS SET FOR COMPREHENSIVE CITYWIDE LITERACY PROGRAM
EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM WILL IMPACT THOUSANDS IN IDENTIFIED KEY AREAS

On May 31, officials with the City of Chattanooga’s Department of Youth and Family Development, United Way, The Front Porch Alliance and the Bethlehem Center conducted staff training and discussed a citywide collaborative education effort, utilizing one of the most highly regarded reading software programs in the nation, Lexia Reading.

Lurone Jennings, Administrator of the City of Chattanooga’s Department of Youth and Family Development, discussed his vision and developed justifiable goals in coordination with over 250 staff from City community centers and area resource centers, followed by a 3 hour training conducted by certified Lexia staff. This training will expand on the proven educational benefits of the program, and illustrate a fun and desirable learning environment, available free to the public during the summer months and after school hours.

Working daily with the public, trained staff will be instrumental in the program’s success. Lexia Reading offers support for critical reading skills development for all students in grades pre-K-12, and adults, needing to accelerate their reading skills progress. The program includes more than 900 age-appropriate activities conforming to federal guidelines with focus on the five major areas of reading instruction. The software automatically differentiates the content to match each student’s skill level; detecting when additional practice is needed and advancing to the next level when skills have been mastered.

The City recently accepted a grant from the Lebovitz Family Charitable Trust to acquire 40 additional Lexia Program licenses allowing for expansion to 4 additional Community Centers. The newly acquired licenses will result in nearly 300 licenses present in our community through partnerships with United Way, with further plans to expand to numerous key locations this summer. This expansion will coincide with the success set forth by The Bethlehem Center, The Front Porch Alliance and, most recently, the Carver Community Center (the Carver Community Center program was made possible through a recent donation from Miller Martin).

To find a neighborhood reading center for your child, call United Way's 2-1-1. If you would like to volunteer to be a part of this program, call Jon Gibbons at 423-752-0307 for more information. 

Posted by Kelley Nave   |  0 Comment(s)  |  Leave a Comment

Fans for Families in Need
May 29th, 2013

$20=1 fan for a family in need.

Summer heat can be extremely dangerous for people without air conditioning, especially children, the elderly and those living with chronic health conditions.

Help EPB, United Way's 2-1-1 and Ace Hardware provide fans to low income families and seniors by making a $20 donation to the 2013 Fan Fund. Your investment will help a local neighbor beat the heat. Here’s how it works:

• United Way 2-1-1 identifies local residents in need.
• EPB uses the donations to purchase fans from Ace Hardware at a special low rate.
• EPB and Ace Hardware employees deliver fans to families.

Click here to donate online!

You can also mail checks to:

EPB Marketing 
PO Box 182255 
Chattanooga, TN 37422 

Please make checks payable to EPB Fan Fund.

How can I receive a free fan?

If you or someone you know is interested in applying for a free fan, contact United Way 2-1-1 by calling 211 or (423) 265-8000 between May 3 - June 28.

Posted by Kelley Nave   |  0 Comment(s)  |  Leave a Comment