Valerie, A Story of Hope

By Guest Blogger, Trina Hahn, 2-1-1 Behavioral Health Navigator at United Way of Pierce County

I started working for 2-1-1 a year ago and have the incredible opportunity to speak with members of our community every day. 2-1-1 provides our community with accessible resources and also provides a platform to tell their story to someone who will listen.

This is “Valerie’s” story.

‘Valerie’ first called 2-1-1 shortly after I started working here. Our conversation started out like any normal call. I asked her for some information and what kind of resources she was seeking. When ‘Valerie’ told me that she was looking for self-defense courses, she broke down and I became very concerned. She was distraught. She was a victim of domestic violence and was struggling...struggling to find someone who would listen to her story and nobody was hearing her.

Trapped in her home, battered and afraid, ‘Valerie’ was still able to pick up the phone. She called for help even though she had gone through every resource she was given by law enforcement and had received no help. She felt that she had hit a dead end. She was scared…afraid for herself and for her child. ‘Valerie’ was trapped inside, afraid to leave because her abuser was her neighbor. She feared confrontation and the danger that she would be putting herself in if she left.

With an injured hand as a result of her last encounter with her abuser and a crippling fear of the threat outside, ‘Valerie’ was unable to work. She was at risk of not only the physical threat posed by leaving, but the risk of not being able to provide for herself and her child. On top of the fear of being unsafe, her mind was busy with how to pay for rent, food, utilities and basic needs for her and her child. She believed her situation was not being taken seriously. And I believed her.

‘Valerie’ wanted to take matters into her own hands. She was afraid that she would not be protected by the police and was desperate for resources that would help her take control of the fear she faced leaving her home. 

I could hear defeat in her voice...“I feel so helpless and I just want to give up.”

She was helpless and she didn’t want to feel that way anymore. I didn’t want her to feel that way either. Together I knew we could make changes that would give her confidence in herself. I wanted her to feel hope. 

2-1-1 Steps in

‘Valerie’ and I talked for about an hour. I wanted her to know that she was heard, and I wanted to address every unique situation she presented me with a thoughtful answer. In addition to resources for things that may help support her financially, I didn’t want the reason she originally called to get lost in a maze of other referrals. I looked for self-defense courses in the area. Even though I was unable to find direct referrals for courses she could take for free, I didn’t want her to lose her drive. 

I gave ‘Valerie’ information about the community centers in the area and encouraged her to speak with Metro Parks. If these community centers did not offer self-defense courses, I told her not to give up and I suggested that she think about starting something of her own. ‘Valerie’s’ drive for change was infectious. If she was able to speak with Metro Parks and start participating in self-defense courses with other victims of domestic violence, people would benefit from her strength. 

I wanted other people to hear her story. Many others were in her shoes- helpless, afraid, alone and unheard. I realized the potential in her to go forward and use her experience to change our community. Now all that we both felt was passion and motivation. I told her that if there were gaps in resources for domestic violence victims and survivors that she could become an advocate for change in our community. Valerie’s story was powerful, and I didn’t want it to get lost. I didn’t want her to give up on help. I knew that her story and strength could help inspire other people.

A Year Later

A year later, I answered the phone as I do every day. I introduced myself to my caller and before I was able to finish my sentence I was interrupted by a shriek of delight and a familiar voice shouting back at me. It was ‘Valerie’! It seemed like fate had brought us back together. She and I quickly began talking like old friends and discussed her progress since the last time we talked. I was so thrilled to hear the happiness in her voice while she told me the latest developments in her story.

She was so excited to be speaking to the same agent who had listened to her while she was in crisis, especially when nobody else seemed to be listening at the time. I felt proud. This time, no tears. Her voice was strong and powerful. I could feel the sparkle in her eye through the phone. Valerie meant business. 

“I’ve grown a lot from the beginning," she said. 

She wanted to connect with others who were experiencing the same crisis she had. I was excited to give her information on peer support and told her how she could get involved by sharing her story with not only people I knew would listen, but who would benefit from hearing her story and her journey.

She told me how much she had fallen in love with the law and how she was spending great amounts of time using the law library and researching different Federal and State laws. ‘Valerie’ dreamed of becoming involved in legal services one day and I strongly encouraged her to do so. We took a few moments discussing different options about how to get that started, now or in the future, and how her passion would benefit many if she became involved in criminal justice. She was so energetic and enthusiastic about how the law could help people who have suffered domestic violence and other injustices.

“That’s what I do! I advocate. I see a need and I try to fill it the best I can.”

The 211 Gift

A part of our job at 211 is to conduct follow-ups with our callers, not only to give them resources but to ensure they were able to access them. We call back to see if our referrals were able to provide assistance and if not, why, and what barriers can we break through problem solving so our callers are able to get the assistance they need. 

When I called ‘Valerie’ back I wanted to ensure that all of her basic needs were being met and that her and her child were safe. She told me about her assistance with rent, utilities and food, so they were no longer a stress factor in her life. We talked about Metro Parks and the program she was starting to develop. 

“I put it together and presented it to Metro Parks and it was accepted by them! I am still working on it!” 

I was so impressed with the initiative that ‘Valerie’ had taken. Even though she was struggling and trying to find assistance for herself, she had still taken the time to call Metro Parks and inquire about self-defense courses and yet still found the energy from within to start the process of developing a program for our community so others feel empowered and safe. 

This is not an easy or quick process, yet ‘Valerie’ has devoted her time to find a way she can move this program development along. Just knowing that this was something she was thinking about and working on was unbelievable to me. She had gone above and beyond for her community, and that has inspired me. 

‘Valerie’ dialed 211 and expected to be let down the way many before had let her down. Instead, she was connected to people who believed in her mission and the power one voice has to make an impact. Valerie walked away from our first conversation with tools in her belt that she was not expecting to gain from calling 211. Now, ‘Valerie’ knows she has a resource to call whenever she is in need, or wanting to connect others to help. 

“You have always been such a blessing every time I call.”

211 is a call for help. Sometimes help comes in ways you don’t expect. ‘Valerie’ did not get the resources she was originally looking for...that happens and that is okay. Like many of our callers, ‘Valerie’ was given so much more than what she was looking for. Sometimes the help you need is help finding your voice and the encouragement to advocate for yourself to make change.

Stories like hers are why I am so proud of the job I do. 211 connects people to resources for help, and in this case it connected me to ‘Valerie’, who not only wanted help for herself but to help build a safer, healthier and happier community.

Get connected. Get answers. Make change.

Would you like to support 2-1-1? Click here to give locally to United Way of Pierce County.

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United Way of Pierce County operates South Sound 2-1-1, which connects nearly 90,000 contacts each year in Pierce, Thurston and Lewis Counties.

Celebrating National Financial Goal Day

 By guest blogger, Jeff Dade, Director, Family Stability Initiatives, United Way of Pierce County

"I did it again! I promised myself I wouldn’t use the card this time. How am I ever going to make headway on this credit balance or get the new tires I need? I’m horrible with money!"

 "My girls will never have it as bad as I did growing up. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure they have the best of the best. I’ll figure out how to come with the money for bills later."

"I can’t believe this bank. I’ve been a customer for years and they won’t forgive this little mistake. Sure, I’ve had a lot of NSF’s recently, but doesn’t loyalty mean anything anymore?"

 "No, I don’t want to see my credit. That stuff is confusing and it probably doesn’t matter anyway. I’m pretty sure mine is bad."

I’ve spent 25 years in finance with the last five, focused wholly on financial well-being and these comments are paraphrases that clients have consistently shared. Coaching thousands of people has given me a rare view into a “forbidden” world. Somehow it gets passed on that we must always show a strong front when it comes to money. Yet, virtually everyone has money problems. For some that may just mean making critical decisions, but others face dire situations daily; many of them with long-term repercussions. 

In honor of National Financial Goal Day I’d like to quickly share a few things with you: 

1) My personal message, 2) A definition for financial well-being and  3) Some strategies to move forward. Let’s begin!

1) Shame OFF you! You are resilient, whole, and able to make changes in your life. If you’re like me, you didn’t grow up with any financial education other than what not to do (and I still did it). Remember that money is emotional and money shame unsettles us, keeping us from making our best choices or seeking help. Finally, you are never weak for accepting financial guidance. In fact, it’s a point of pride for the affluent to regularly have multiple advisors their lives.

2) The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ‘s national survey and research coalesced to define American financial well-being. It says that we feel the most financially capable when we:

·         have control over day-to-day, month-to-month finances

·         have the capability to absorb a financial shock

·         are on track to meet financial goals, and

·         have the financial freedom to make choices that allow one to enjoy life

Makes sense, right? Most folks read that and nod their heads, but it’s not enough to just state the truth. What are we going to do about it? Here’s a very quick snapshot for clarity and self-assessment. Visualize your life and consider this path below:

Figure 1 CFPB

3) At United Way's Center for Strong Families we adopt an Earn, Keep, Grow attitude and offer free financial and employment coaching along with benefits screening at seven locations throughout Pierce County. Our staff is trained with robust national industry standards so that they can be your trusted partner. There’s no judgment, just good work that matters and a proven track record. Since 2016, our clients have continued to make the decision to commit themselves to their own financial well-being and self-sufficiency in areas like budgeting, credit upgrades, debt reduction, savings development, cash management, and more.

So, back to those four measures of financial well-being. Here are some ways to make them actionable right now:

• Use a budget form regularly together with automation (online bill pay, banking apps, etc.) to control and maintain your mental money picture. 
• Start as small as you need to, but open that savings account and ask HR to make a separate direct deposit into it every payday. You’re allowed to use your emergency fund as a buffer, but don’t negate its existence by transferring all the time. Set it and forget it…until you need it.
•  If you don’t state your goals, how will you ever know you made it? Think about what you REALLY want. At the end of our lives, most of us value people and experiences over stuff (yes even over cars). Does your money reflect your real values?
• Find accountability partners. Take some time to discuss this with people you trust, then write your goals down. You can even post them around the house for reinforcement. This will help you to live without regret and buyer’s remorse.

I hope this message helps you or someone you know. We’re dedicated to the financial self-sufficiency movement, but we know we can never be fully successful without your help. Share this with someone you know. Start conversations at home, work, church, and the gym. Shining the light on financial well-being and making it commonplace takes the power of money shame away. Let us know if we can help and best of luck as you personalize your financial goals today. Learn more about our Center for Strong Families.

Read United Wraps Up for the Summer

By guest blogger, Allison Loft, Volunteer Engagement Manager, United Way of Pierce County

Fall is here in all its glory, but don’t forget to savor the memorable moments of summer. Summer highlights at United Way of Pierce County included supporting the Hunger Free Pierce County Collaboration meal sites with books, activities and snack packs. For the past five years United Way has helped prevent ‘the summer slide’, when students can lose up to two months of learning over the summer. READ United: Summer is designed to keep children engaged and excited about reading and learning over the summer months. 

United Way  staff and volunteers visit free summer meal sites in high-need, low-access areas to read with kids and give away books for the children to keep and read at home anytime. The impact made over the 2019 summer at meal sites through Read United: Summer. With the help of six corporate partners, community volunteers and two interns, Read United: Summer 2019 engaged:

•  236 children participated at four sites
• 1,036 new books were distributed
• 90% of children reported that the program helped them focus on reading
• More than 1/3 of the children who participated, reported that they did not have new books at home before this program. 

We also provided supplemental snack packs for the children to take home with them. Thanks to the efforts of our corporate sponsors and volunteers we were able to assemble 3,050 snack packs which were distributed throughout the summer. They were a BIG hit, as 100 percent of the children reported the snack packs made a difference during their day. Thank you to our sponsors and volunteers for helping us lift 15,000 local families out of poverty. For more information on Read United: Summer and other volunteer opportunities, email volunteer@uwpc.org.

2019 Summer Highlight

This year, Brown & Brown participated in Read United: Summer by sending volunteers every week to Salishan, where over 30 children participated every day. One Tuesday, Leslie from Brown & Brown volunteered and was inspired by one young man’s love of reading. 'Sam', a 14 year old who participated in the summer activities, told Leslie about how much he enjoyed reading a certain book and was excited to have his own copy. He and Leslie visited about different books they enjoyed and Sam made a lasting impression on Leslie. 

The next day she reached out to United Way to see if she could give him a whole set of the books that he enjoyed,“…I have had a few opportunities in my life to see someone so happy and excited to own a book and it has made a big impression on me every time. Thank you so much for sharing your enthusiasm. It’s so wonderful to see the excitement and love of books in someone who obviously loves to read so much, ” said Leslie.

Sam was amazed when he received the gift from Leslie a few weeks later with a note, “I thank you for the books that you gave to me. I was surprised that someone took the thought and care to gift me with something so incredible. It was refreshing to know that there are good people out there in the world. The book set is awesome and the start for my own library. My mom has a dream of getting a house of our own and creating a library in it.”

What a difference one person can make!  Visit uwpc.org to find out how you can join us for volunteer opportunities throughout the year. 

Ride United is Here!

By guest blogger Danielle Robertson, South Sound 2-1-1 Transportation Specialist

“Thank you for calling South Sound 211, how can I help you?”

“I need transportation assistance today to get to my medical appointment at 2pm. I have had to cancel the past two appointments because I couldn’t find transportation.”

As I sit listening to the urgency in the caller’s voice and I learn that my caller is unable to safely get to the bus from where she lives and does not have the money to pay for a transportation program such as Lyft. I stare at the screen of transportation resources that my caller is not eligible for, preparing myself to tell my caller that there are not transportation options that can help get them to their appointment today at 2 pm.

If only there was a program that was designed specifically for this situation…

“Thank you for calling South Sound 211, how can I help you?”

“My car won’t start and if I am late to work one more time, I will lose my job. I need to be there in a half hour.”

Once again, I find myself taking a sharp breath preparing myself to tell another caller that there is not a transportation resource that is able to provide transportation right now to get them to work. The only option that is able to provide immediate transportation is the bus or a paid ride sharing program like Lyft. I sit there knowing that if this caller is unable to get to work and loses their job, they won’t be able to afford rent and could become homeless.

If only there was a program that was designed for this situation…

“Thank you for calling South Sound 211, how can I help you?”

“I couldn’t make it to my appointment to receive utility assistance because the bus does not run where I live. I missed my appointment. Our utilities were shut off for a week and half. Now I have to pay a late fee and reconnection fee in addition to the utility bill. All of this could have been prevented, if I had only had transportation to get to my original appointment”

If they only had transportation. Their utility bill would have been paid on time. They would not have had their utilities shut off and have to replace the food that went bad. They wouldn’t be scrambling to find the money to pay these late fees and reconnections.

If only there was a program that could have prevented this situation.

Ride United to the Rescue!

Transportation remains one of the largest barriers facing 211 clients who are trying to secure employment, access medical care, obtain healthy food, and escape emergencies and crises. Without reliable transportation people struggle to complete the most basic daily activities.

That is why Ride United was created. 

In June 2018, Lyft partnered with United Way and 211 to launch a pilot program to address this gap in resources. When eligible individuals call 211 and express a transportation need, a 211 specialist assesses their need, looks for available resources, and if none are available, they are able to utilize Lyft’s Concierge portal to dispatch a free round trip ride on behalf of the individual. This summer, Ride United expanded to twenty-five 211 communities across the US, including South Sound 211, to start providing free Lyft rides for qualifying individuals seeking to meet the highest unmet needs in our communities.

We are excited about the partnership between United Way and Lyft to add Ride United as a resource available to individuals in our community. This is a wonderful opportunity to provide even better service in the area of transportation.

This means that people living in 5 targeted Tacoma zip codes (98404, 98405, 98408, 98409 and  98444) can receive an on-demand round trip Lyft ride when no other transportation option is available for:

Medical Related Transportation Needs

Medicare Appointment

Non-Emergency Medical Appointment

Pharmacy/ Prescription Pick Up

Non-Emergency Hospital Visit

Employment Related Transportation Needs

Job Interview

Job Training

Job Fair

Pre-job Requirements

One Time Work Trip

Public Benefits

Department of Social and Human Services

Social Security Administration

Rental Assistance Appointment

Utility Assistance Appointment

WIC Appointment

Tax Preparation Services

Financial Coaching

Medicaid/CHIP Benefits Access

Housing Benefits Access

Ride United Works Wonders

Over the past year, United Way has seen great success and benefit in partnering with Lyft through Ride United. Across the nation, 211’s are able to provide transportation when there were no other options for people.

In Houston, a 66-year-old needed assistance with transportation to her last physical therapy appointment and a follow-up appointment with her physician. She explained that she’d suffered from a stroke and lost the ability to care for herself with daily tasks, including brushing her teeth, washing, and getting dressed. Even a simple task became seemingly unmanageable. She shared that her son usually drove her to the appointments, but had finally started a new job.   The local 211 was able to provide her with a ride to and from her appointments to ensure she received the care she needed.

In Denver, 211 was able to assist a disabled veteran who had been homeless through the Ride United program. This individual had been homeless for some time and was only able to move with the help of a walker.  Knowing he was in need of transportation to the Veteran Services Center in order to get assistance applying for housing and other essential services, he called 211 for help. When he was told that he would receive a ride and get the help he needed, he was very happy, thankful, and hopeful that things were beginning to change for him.

The value and need for transportation is often overlooked by most people who have reliable transportation, but for those who do not have reliable transportation it becomes a barrier and affects their lives in multiple ways. South Sound 211 is excited to be able to provide transportation to individuals in our community in a new way that can change their lives and help remove barriers for individuals and families in Pierce County.

To learn more visit uwpc.org/get-help-now

South Sound 2-11: Get Connected. Get Help.

By Guest Blogger, Walter Neary, Content Manager, Internal Communications at MultiCare

Thirty seconds into the phone call, there is a piercing scream that would give you tinnitus in your ear if you don’t already have it. J’nai Starks smiles. This isn’t new to her when she answers a call to South Sound 2-1-1.

A child began screaming while her mother is on the phone. Of course, the mom must pause in her conversation with Starks. “I’m sorry I don’t know what just happened,” the mother says to Starks as the mother makes sounds consistent with comforting a child.

“It’s OK. I have children. I can wait for you,” Starks says.

The mom settles the child, and the call to 2-1-1 continues. The Parkland woman had just started receiving food aid, and workers had suggested she call 2-1-1 for other services that might help her.

When you support the United Way, you support this 2-1-1 service. United Way is well known for allocating funding to nonprofits with a proven track record of lifting people from poverty. But United Way also operates a service used by countless MultiCare patients and their families: the information resource 2-1-1. By calling 2-1-1, the same way you’d dial 911 in an emergency, a caller can get an enormous amount of advice and resources to provide support in difficult times. 2-1-1 is operated in South Puget Sound by United Way of Pierce County and supported statewide by a broad variety of United Ways including United Way of Spokane County.

Starks is not only building empathy during the call, but also filling out a form about each caller that then taps a database of thousands of resources. The names, numbers and hours of social service agencies that might help this particular caller fly up on the screen. On her second screen, Starks cuts and pastes those resources for a text message she’ll be sending the mom. It will be a personalized survival guide for someone dealing with poverty.

“Thank you. I don’t know what to ask for because I don’t know what is out there,” the mom says.

Starks is one of a dozen operators in the mini call center at the time of this visit. Some of them have more than a crying baby to deal with. On the other side of the room, another conversation is pausing for a different reason. The caller must be distraught, for the 2-1-1 specialist can be overheard telling the caller, “It’s OK. Take a long, deep breath for me.”

“We get that a lot,” Penni Belcher says later. Belcher is the Director for South Sound 2-1-1 at United Way of Pierce County.

United Way is presiding over a revolution in how they provide 2-1-1 service. The new 2-1-1 is not your father’s 2-1-1 or even your big sister’s 2-1-1. Lately, the organization wants to get to know people when they call. And in a new twist, there are times when 2-1-1 is just as likely to

call someone who might otherwise call in.

Getting to know you

The 2-1-1 specialists are in a call center. They’re not selling anything, far from it, but they’re sitting at cubies and conducting call after call. So that’s why this new approach is so surprising.

In most call centers, you want to make the sale and get the customer off the phone so you can take the next call and make another sale. In the old days of 2-1-1, it was totally appropriate to get one question – What’s the food bank closest to me? – and answer it and boom, all done and good. Next call.

Today, 2-1-1 specialists are told to trust their instincts and try to determine if there might be reasons someone wants the food bank or whatever resource they’re looking for. Have they lost their job? Are their bills overwhelming? Are they about to be homeless?

And so, Belcher’s team is drawing out conversations.

“We want folks to call in because we want to have a conversation with them. We want to hear their story. We want to dive deep and understand what’s going on throughout the household so we can offer wraparound services and build that rapport and trust,” Belcher says. “This is about supporting the person during the conversation, not about spelling out the name of the street that a resource is on.”

So how do you get to know someone on the phone when they’re just asking for one thing?

“Usually our people start with ‘Can you tell me more? Can you tell me why you need help; did you lose your job? What happened that you had to pay this unexpected bill?’” says Denise Cervantes, Transportation and Training Associate. “We might ask them  to tell us more about what happened, find out why they don’t have money for their rent. “

So to become a 2-1-1 specialist, you must be able to do more than just look up a food bank address quickly. When hiring, “We look for a high level of energy and personability, the ability to have deep conversations that go on for a long time with people who they don’t know,” Cervantes says.

So you heard it right. This is a call center that actually wants its calls to be longer. Of course… some people just want the address. And that’s just fine. But on the longer calls, 2-1-1 usually finds it can recommend more services than the caller had first predicted.

“A lot of times, people may call about bills or particular services. You may not find out, until you dig deeper, that they need child care to help lift themselves out of their situation,” Belcher says. ”We allow people to tell their story. We’ve trained our people to listen more.

That’s been eye opening.”

2-1-1 calls you

There are a couple of reasons that 2-1-1 might be the one calling you. For one thing, there’s a great emphasis on measuring their results. So when 2-1-1 refers someone to a place, 2-1-1 will follow up with a call to see if the person actually visited or called.

But the most innovative reason to call is a pilot program where 2-1-1 is trying to prevent homelessness. It’s part of a program established by Pierce County to try to help families at risk of homelessness. The program has been going on for years now through in-person visits. Someone identifies the household at risk, and someone from a social service agency then visits the person.

That’s exactly what United Way of Pierce County is doing, but they’re not visiting. They are calling people from the call center.

One of the people making the calls is Elvia Beltrane. Beltrane used to be one of the specialists helping people who call in, but now in the pilot her role is called “Housing Solutions Navigator.”

Beltrane calls people and in a conversation that could take hours, works to identify solutions to their situation and most importantly, help people understand that they have it within themselves to find answers.

“When I hear expressions of self-doubt, I try to encourage them that there’s ways of dealing with their situation. When I hear signs of self-doubt and self-pity, it’s my cue to try to boost them up,” Beltrane says.

She uses the example of a pregnant woman who was living in a car with her first child, who’s now 19. She had originally called 2-1-1 to get resources. The staff flagged her as someone homeless, and Beltrane called her. She helped the woman set some goals and identify temporary solutions; the woman and her daughter now have a place to live and the woman is working in a call center in Lacey.

“The other vital piece besides listening is to work with them on their goals and their next steps. We talked about how we will we take what we’ve learned today to build momentum to get out of this current situation,” Beltrane says.

What that means in practical terms is that people are staying in touch and letting Beltrane know how they’re doing, even after they’re no longer homeless.

Belcher says, “Families are staying in contact with Elvia longer-term, I’ve seen her get messages like, “Hey Elvia, I wanted to let you know I just got my GED. Or I’ve got a job interview. There’s a relationship where she’s been supporting them.”

This is different than the old 2-1-1 where the employee had to be careful to spell out street names and was just trying to offer a resource. Now United Way of Pierce County is offering communications and empathy – and more assistance and support to those who need it most.

Would you like to support 2-1-1 and the United Way’s attack on poverty? Click here to learn how to support the United Way campaign.

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United Way of Pierce County operates South Sound 2-1-1, which connects nearly 90,000 contacts each year in Pierce, Thurston and Lewis Counties.

Curbing the Summer Slide: Read United At Meal Sites

Summer break is highly anticipated and celebrated by most children. However, for children who rely on school for meals and reading enrichment, it can be a challenge. Did you know that children can lose up to two months of learning over the summer break? For children in high-need areas with no access to books or summer learning activities, the loss can be even greater. Read United: Summer is designed to keep children engaged and excited about reading and learning over the summer months. United Way of Pierce County staff, interns and volunteers visit free summer meal sites in high-need, low-access areas throughout the summer to read with kids and give away books for the children to keep and read at home anytime!

For the first time, United Way of Pierce County is helping to ensure children are receiving supplemental snacks to feed their bodies in addition to books to feed their minds over the summer! On United Way Worldwide’s Day of Action in June, 3,050 Summer Snack Packs and 150 Summer Learning Packs were assembled. We are grateful to our corporate sponsors and volunteers, whose support made this project possible. The snack packs, which include healthy packaged items and shelf-stable milk, will be distributed each week to 150+ children at the Read United: Summer sites in Tacoma, Lakewood and Franklin Pierce school districts. Children in attendance will also have the opportunity to sign up for ongoing engagement for 6-8 weeks and receive a Summer Learning Pack to keep them motivated.

Research on book deserts, areas that lack of access to print reading materials, show that the summer months drastically limit book access in high-poverty neighborhoods, according to Urban Education. The effects of the summer slide are cumulative: losing months of learning each summer can place children an entire grade behind their peers over the duration of their elementary education and researchers estimate that by the time a struggling reader reaches middle school, summer reading loss has accumulated to a two-year lag in reading achievement.

Join us and make a difference for a child in need this summer. By bringing together caring individuals, resources and summer feeding and reading programs,you can take advantage of a great opportunity to support summer learning and cultivate a love of reading with children. This is a multi-disciplinary approach with  Hunger-Free Pierce County to enhance the educational component of their work. Through effective partnerships, we trust more children can be impacted by this approach.

For more information about Read United, please email volunteer@uwpc.org or register for a lunchtime volunteer session here volunteer session here