United Way of West Florida

As a veteran, if you or a loved one are facing challenges such as mental health, paying bills, or homelessness, call 1-844-My-FLVET to connect with the Florida Veterans Support Line, locally powered by 211 Northwest Florida.

Earlier this week our RSVP volunteers had a blast at the "Smartphone Tech Tips: Photos and Backups" Lunch & Learn!
Thank you to TDM Technologies International, LLC for coming to teach our volunteers some smartphone basics, and thank you to the Bayview Senior Center for hosting us.
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Want to learn more about our Retired and Senior Volunteer Program? Visit uwwf.org/rsvp.

From HELLO to HELP, 211 is here for you!
Dial 211 to get connected with a 211 Northwest Florida Information and Referral Specialist, your link to community resources, such as rent assistance, utility assistance, mental health, food assistance, and more.

Extra, Extra!
This month's newsletter is packed full of what's happening! We just moved locations, highlights from our Annual Meeting, Day of Caring updates, community events, and so much more!
Read all about it at https://conta.cc/440Gszt.
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Did you miss the last newsletter? Visit uwwf.org/newsletter to subscribe and check out our previous editions!

September 2023 Newsletter other news and updates from UWWF View as Webpage ANNUAL MEETING HIGHLIGHTS   Become an Agent of Change Each year, UWWF recognizes its Top 5 Workplace Campaigns. These workplace campaigns donated the m

Join us for our 30th Day of Caring, our largest day of volunteering of the year!
We are still looking for event sponsors, whose logos will go on our shirts going to hundreds of volunteers! Wednesday, Sept. 20, is the last day to submit a sponsorship if you wish to be on the shirt.
If you are interested in volunteering, submitting a project, or sponsoring the day, visit uwwf.org/dayofcaring for more information!

Come join us tomorrow for our next coffee with a vet event.

Each year United Way of West Florida recognizes the top schools' workplace campaigns at each level and a district office or department. These honorees will have a trophy displayed in their school or office. For Santa Rosa County, we would like to say congratulations to Santa Rosa County District Schools, Florida's top Elementary, Middle, High School, and Administration Office:
East Milton Elementary
East Bay (k-8) Middle School
Santa Rosa Adult High/Santa Rosa Adult School
Douglas Dillon Center
Thank you all for showing us how you !

Save the Date for our 30th Day of Caring, October 20!
Sign up a team or project, and help make it a great day of giving back to our Escambia and Santa Rosa county nonprofits and schools.
If you have a team already, don't forget to get your shirt order form in by Sept. 18!
Learn more at uwwf.org/dayofcaring.

We are super excited to have Stephen Prestesater joining the UWWF team as our new Director of Marketing!🎉🎉🎉
Stephen brings 15 years of strategic communications, crisis management, marketing, and special event management. He served as the Director of Public Relations for the City of Milton where he developed and managed their annual marketing plan, content development, and promotion packages, enterprise-wide.
Welcome to the team!

We had a blast surprising our accounting assistant, Danielle, with her baby shower! The team is so excited for her and can't wait to meet the new bundle of joy. Best wishes and love on this beautiful journey. From all of us at UWWF.

Monday, our AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP volunteers sprinkled 30 dozen donuts throughout Escambia County, at the ECFR fire stations, serving as a sweet treat to thank them for their service to our community!
Thank you Krispy Kreme and Mayard's for the donuts!
Escambia County Fire Rescue

Are you ready for the 30th Day of Caring, October 20?!
Interest and project request forms are still open and project sign-ups have begun!
Check out important dates, like the t-shirt order deadline being Sept. 15, learning labs sign-ups for Get Connected (if you are new to our volunteer platform), and more at uwwf.org/dayofcaring.
If you would like to sponsor Day of Caring, we still have sponsorship spaces open.

We will never forget.

Life sometimes gets overwhelming, and at times you need to know you are not alone.

Here is a story about a caller in that position, "inches" from the edge:
A caller to our Florida Veterans Support Line (FVSL) was in a rough spot. Family issues left him living in his truck and alone. He was feeling depressed and overwhelmed.
The Veteran Care Coordinator (VCC) who answered the phone let the Army Veteran on the other line know he was not alone. He could share his feelings in a safe space while the VCC worked to find resources like food, clothes, gas, and counseling...
Continue reading at uwwf.org/news/inches.
Northwest Florida Veterans Support Network

It's and we wanna take a second to say thank you to our 22-23 Top 5 Workplace Campaigns!
Publix
Regions Bank
Navy Federal Credit Union
Ascend Performance Materials
Florida Power & Light
Our generous partners who run workplace giving campaigns believe in the power of collective impact. It is through those thousands of gifts – both big and small – that transformational investments are made in our work and in our community.

Mini-Grant Applications are due today, September 7, 2023!
United Way of West Florida is introducing a new funding opportunity designed to build capacity of nonprofits in our community.
We are offering mini-grants for nonprofit organizations in Santa Rosa County and Escambia County. This initiative will provide funding of up to $5,000 to agencies seeking to develop their organizational structure, pursue short-term organization development goals, or execute a one-time project.
Applicants must be a registered 501(c) 3 non-profits that are focused on Education, Health, and Financial Stability, serve Santa Rosa and/or Escambia Counties of Florida, show financial trustworthiness by providing financials, 990, and information on different processes, have a Board of Directors that aligns with state and federal guidelines; has documented and approved minutes, and includes members who are not related to one another nor organization staff, and have organization revenue under $250,000.
For more information or questions, please visit www.uwwf.org/mini-grant-application.

Are you ready for the 30th Day of Caring, October 20?!
Interest and project request forms are open.
Check out important dates, learning labs sign-ups for Get Connected (if you are new to our volunteer platform), and more at uwwf.org/dayofcaring.

United Way of West Florida is introducing a new funding opportunity designed to build capacity of nonprofits in our community.
We are offering mini grants for nonprofit organizations in Santa Rosa County and Escambia County. This initiative will provide funding of up to $5,000 to agencies seeking to develop their organizational structure, pursue short-term organization development goals, or execute a one-time project.
Applicants must be a registered 501(c) 3 non-profits that are focused on Education, Health, and Financial Stability, serve Santa Rosa and/or Escambia Counties of Florida, show financial trustworthiness by providing financials, 990, and information on different processes, have a Board of Directors that aligns with state and federal guidelines; has documented and approved minutes; and includes members who are not related to one another nor organization staff, and have organization revenue under $250,000.
For more information or questions, please visit www.uwwf.org/mini-grant-application. Applications are due September 7, 2023, tomorrow!

We had a fun time with our own workplace campaign: a basket raffle with fantastic prizes, bingo with our staff during our Fiesta Luncheon, spirited days, and a fun quiz about UWWF, raising over $8,000!
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Learn more about hosting your own workplace at uwwf.org/workplace-campaign.

We hope you have a happy and safe Labor Day.
Our office is closed but our 211, Florida Veterans Support Line, and 988 lines are still available 24/7!

Thank you so much to our Valedictorian Sponsor for Stuff the Bus, Santa Rosa Energy Center, LLC, their gift of $5,000 will go towards helping our local students this school year!
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Stuff the Bus is a partnership between Escambia County Public Schools, Santa Rosa County District Schools, Florida, WEAR ABC 3 News, Pensacola, Pensacola (WEAR Cares), Cat Country 98.7, NewsRadio 92.3, Pensacola News Journal, and United Way of West Florida.
Learn more about Stuff the Bus at uwwf.org/stb.

United Way of West Florida is introducing a new funding opportunity designed to build capacity of nonprofits in our community.

We are offering mini grants for nonprofit organizations in Santa Rosa County and Escambia County. This initiative will provide funding of up to $5,000 to agencies seeking to develop their organizational structure, pursue short-term organization development goals, or execute a one-time project.

Applicants must be a registered 501(c) 3 non-profits that are focused on Education, Health, and Financial Stability, serve Santa Rosa and/or Escambia Counties of Florida, show financial trustworthiness by providing financials, 990, and information on different processes, have a Board of Directors that aligns with state and federal guidelines; has documented and approved minutes; and includes members who are not related to one another nor organization staff., and have organization revenue under $250,000.

For more information or questions, please visit www.uwwf.org/mini-grant-application. Applications are due September 7, 2023, one week away!

As Hurricane Idalia affects Florida, we have people who are wondering how to help our neighbors.
If you want to help out, check out the United Way of Florida's Disaster Recovery Fund at https://www.uwof.org/disaster-recovery-fund.
At this time, cash donations are the best way to help out.

⛈ 8/28 TROPICAL STORM IDALIA UPDATE:

Tropical Storm is forecasted to become a major hurricane impacting Florida's coast. Fortunately, Escambia County remains out of the path of the storm, although wind and rain are still possible.

Potential Threats: No local impacts are expected today. Confidence continues to increase in a high risk for deadly rip currents and high surf beginning late Tuesday and persisting through at least Thursday.

Confidence: Confidence in the forecast track has increased; however, there is still some potential for shifts in the forecast track. We will continue to closely monitor Idalia for additional impacts.

‼️ This is a reminder to be during hurricane season ‼️

📲 Visit MyEscambia.com/BeReady for the latest storm information, disaster preparedness tips, a list of evacuation shelters, important local phone numbers, and figure out if you live in an evacuation zone. You can also sign up for emergency alerts to stay ready during a weather event.

We are super excited to be moving to our new location! Our staff will be busy Monday and Tuesday with the transition to the new building.

We can't wait to be set up at our new office at 7100 Plantation Rd. Suites 16-18 on September 1 and do apologize for any inconvenience this move may cause.

This new centralized location makes it easier for us to serve Escambia and Santa Rosa counties!

Keep an eye out for our newsletter, uwwf.org/newsletter, which contain more information about our new office space.

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This will NOT cause any disruptions to our call center: 211, 988, and the Florida Veteran Support Line. Those lines will still be available 24/7!

United Way of West Florida is introducing a new funding opportunity designed to build capacity of nonprofits in our community.

We are offering mini grants for nonprofit organizations in Santa Rosa County and Escambia County. This initiative will provide funding of up to $5,000 to agencies seeking to develop their organizational structure, pursue short-term organization development goals, or execute a one-time project.

Applicants must be a registered 501(c) 3 non-profits that are focused on Education, Health, and Financial Stability, serve Santa Rosa and/or Escambia Counties of Florida, show financial trustworthiness by providing financials, 990, and information on different processes, have a Board of Directors that aligns with state and federal guidelines; has documented and approved minutes; and includes members who are not related to one another nor organization staff., and have organization revenue under $250,000.

For more information, please visit www.uwwf.org/mini-grant-application. Applications are due September 7, 2023!

Smartphone Tech: Tips with TDM Technologies | United Way of West Florida

It’s National Nonprofit Day!
We would like to take a second to thank our fellow nonprofit friends that makeup part of our Community Partners, Certified Agencies, and all the nonprofits and organizations included in our 211 Northwest Florida database!
All of you show us how when we together we can improve our community!
Check out these amazing partners and agencies at uwwf.org/our-partners and 211nwfl.org.

UWWF’s VITA program is offering free tax help through September. Families and individuals making less than $60,000 or less a year are eligible for the program.
Volunteers will be at VITA sites until September at Florida Blue and Goodwill Gulf Coast. These sites are walk-in only.
Check out dates/times and what you should bring to file your taxes at uwwf.org/free-tax-help.

Yesterday we had the honor of giving out a few awards to some amazing people at our Annual Meeting!

United Way Service Award - Brian Wyer, Gulf Coast Minority Chamber of Commerce
Partner Agency of the Year - ReadyKids!
Distinguished Community Service Award - Jennifer Grove, Baptist Health Care
Rayell Irish Award (Outstanding Social Worker) - Kelly Murry, Health and Hope Clinic
Distinguished Business Partner - Navy Federal Credit Union

Congratulations to the awardees and thank you for all you do for our community!

Today we hosted our Annual Meeting and celebrated the successes from the 2022-23 season, and rallied attendees to join the organization to be agents of change in the coming year.

“Our Annual Meeting is a time when we say thank you to the individuals, businesses, and agencies that help us achieve our mission in the community,” said United Way of West Florida President and CEO Laura Gilliam. “This year we thanked our board for its support and welcomed new board members. And, of course, a highlight is our community awards. We welcome the opportunity to celebrate the transformational work that is being done in our community.”

Stay tuned for more pictures and highlights from today!

Sign up for our monthly e-newsletters and stay up to date with UWWF, get event invites, and learn how your gift makes a difference.
Visit uwwf.org/newsletter to subscribe!

Unexpected things happen. 211 is here to help connect you to answers!
If you need community resources like food, mental healthcare, shelter, etc, dial 211 and talk with a 211 Information & Referral Specialist to connect to local resources.