Welcome UI Faculty

THANK YOU

TO THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE MADE A DONATION TO THE 2011-12 UNITED WAY OF JOHNSON COUNTY CAMPAIGN FOR THE COMMON GOOD!

IF YOU HAVE NOT, PLEASE CONSIDER A DONATION AT THIS TIME AS EVERY CONTRIBUTION MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY.

THERE ARE THREE EASY WAYS TO CONTRIBUTE:

FOR EASY PAYROLL DEDUCTION, PLEASE VISIT THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA SELF-SERVICE WEBSITE AT http://hris.uiowa.edu/selfservice

OR VISIT THE UNITED WAY WEBSITE AT www.unitedwayjc.org

OR call United Way for information at 338-7823.

Photo: UI Leadership Breakfast in recognition of UI-United Way partnership

Front Row: Amy Kristof-Brown, Management & Organizations; Tonya Peeples, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering; Mike O’Hara, Psychology; Laurie Ponto, Nuclear Medicine/PET, Radiology; Warren Darling, Health and Human Physiology

Back Row: Gary Aurand, Chemical and Biochemical Engineering; Katherine Tachau, History; Ed Dove, Biomedical Engineering; David Lohman, Psychological & Quantitative Foundations

The University of Iowa and United Way of Johnson County have a long-standing partnership that includes access to health and human services; training, education, research, service learning and civic engagement; grant collaboration; disaster preparedness; development and strategies for the 2020 Vision Goals for the Common Good; and the funding of University programs including Rape Victim Advocacy Program, Geriatric and Special Needs Dental Program and collaboration on Healthy Kids: School-Based Health Clinics. Our partnership also includes faculty, staff and student volunteer engagement efforts with Student United Way, the 10,000 Hours Show and the UI Community-Based Learning Program. The University of Iowa annual campaign for charitable giving is another example of our partnership and commitment to improving lives in our community.

For many people in Johnson County, the basic ingredients for a good quality of life are increasingly beyond reach. Six percent of families are living in poverty, including 3,100 children in our community. There are significant preparation gaps for children and youth to succeed in school and be ready for work and life. And health behaviors and limitations in accessing health care pose both short and long-term risks for serious health conditions. Our community cannot accept these conditions, and we must work together across sectors to change them. Your support for the United Way of Johnson County is an investment in this change.

Over the past two years, United Way of Johnson County has led efforts to identify and assess the needs in our community and to create a shared vision and multi-sector approach to advance the common good. The 2020 Vision Goals for the Common Good focus efforts on the three building blocks we all need to realize our potential – education, income and health – and sets measurable goals and community strategies to reach them:

Education: Improve success for children and youth by decreasing the preparation gaps by 1/3 for school, post-high school education and work, so more kids are:

· ready to learn when they enter kindergarten

· learn how to read, so they can read to learn

· graduate from high school and are prepared for college and job training, and then for work and life

Income: Increase by 20% households in Johnson County that are financially stable

· reducing the gap between wages and the cost of living

· increasing families’ ability to obtain and maintain affordable housing

· increasing financial literacy and money management

· increasing earning potential through income support and workforce skill training

Health: Increase by 1/3 the number of children and adults who are healthy and avoiding risk behavior by:

· increasing access to health care services, including those for preventive, mental, dental, prescription and vision care

· making is easier for people to live safe and healthy lives

· reducing substance abuse, domestic and family violence, tobacco use and sexual assault

While these are ambitious goals, there are many ways you can help achieve them:

· Giving your financial support to United Way of Johnson County, whether you are able to donate $10, $100 or $1,000, your gift supports programs, services and initiatives that are an investment in improving education, income stability and health in our community.

· Advocating for education, financial stability, and health in our community can happen any time you encourage healthy eating and exercise; speak out on these issues to friends and family members; or write a letter to the editor or to a local elected official, state legislator, congressman or senator.

· Volunteering your time and talent can be as simple and rewarding as reading to a child, being a mentor, working in a food bank or shelter, teaching financial literacy and budgeting skills, helping with a walk or run or responding to a disaster.

United Way is working with every sector to address the root causes of complex social issues, including:

· Poverty

· Barriers to learning

· Homelessness

· Hunger

· Families in crisis

· Barriers to earning a living wage

· Healthy behaviors and relationships

· Substance abuse

· Domestic violence

· Sexual assault

For more information about the 2020 Vision Goals for the Common Good, community partners, volunteer opportunities, advocacy issues and more, please visit www.unitedwayjc.org, or call United Way of Johnson County at (319)338-7823.

Whether you are increasing your donation, renewing your donation, or are a first-time contributor, you are helping to move the needle in a positive direction on community conditions and measurably improve lives – thank you!

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