Hurricane relief drop off locations to benefit the Bahamas

Hurricane Dorian was a devastating Category 5 storm that battered the Bahamas for days, causing catastrophic damage and unfortunate loss of life.

The Town of Palm Beach United Way and Town of Palm Beach have established a hurricane relief fund to help the Bahamian people with long-term recovery efforts.
Click here to donate.

Several local businesses and community groups are collecting supplies to distribute to the Bahamas. Here’s where you can take donations:

Increasing high school graduation rates

A high school credential is a minimum requirement for higher education, post-secondary certification programs and most career opportunities.

Low-income and minority children face insurmountable obstacles that make finishing high school difficult and going to college almost impossible. In Florida, nearly 1 in 4 children live in poverty. Statistics show that less than half of high school students living in poverty will graduate. Of those that do graduate, only half will attend college.

Preparing children for lifelong success

Children are more successful in school and throughout their lives when they have had the benefit of high quality learning experiences in their early years.

By age 5, the brain has grown to 90% of adult size, making it imperative that children have quality learning opportunities during the early stages of development.

Students who attend high quality preschools demonstrate greater educational and social competence during their academic careers than those who have not benefited from the experience. Studies show that children who were enrolled in effective preschool programs have higher graduation rates, higher incomes, fewer health problems and are less likely to be welfare dependent or engage in crime.

Ending Summer Hunger

Summer break means water parks, family vacations and outdoor fun, but for thousands of children in Palm Beach County no school also means no food.

When kids are on summer break they’re not receiving the free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch meals that they rely on during the school year through federal nutrition programs. In Palm Beach County, 113,306 children ages 5 to 17, or about 68% of school district students, are eligible for free or reduced-price meals.

Preventing ‘Summer Slide’

“Summer slide” is the tendency for disadvantaged students to fall behind during the summer months. Summer learning loss affects all students, but disproportionately impacts low-income students who often lose many of the achievement gains they made during the previous school year, while higher-income children build their skills.

Children in low-income households fall behind an average of two to three months in reading during the summer, according to national research. Summer learning loss during elementary school accounts for two-thirds of the achievement gap in reading between low-income students and their middle-income peers by 9th grade. These differences can ultimately decide whether a student will graduate high school and continue to college.

In Palm Beach County, the Town of Palm Beach United Way is helping combat this “summer slide” by investing in high quality out-of-school programs at nonprofit partner agencies.  There are endless types of programs that can be offered to engage children and youth, from traditional summer camps to year-round cultural arts programs.

2019-2020 grants in afterschool and summer programs

Palm Beach United Way Grant Allocation Process: Volunteer driven, staff managed

At the core of our United Way is the volunteer-driven grant review process.

Each year, the Town of Palm Beach United Way recruits a diverse group of dedicated community representatives with a broad range of expertise and skill to serve as the eyes and ears of more than 3,500 donors. Members of this Allocation Committee participate in a three-month grant review process to ensure that donors’ dollars are distributed wisely, fairly and objectively. Volunteer training includes an overview of key issues in the community, instruction on how to read an IRS 990, information on best practices in the non-profit sector and an outline of the United Way’s quality standards.

Palm Beach United Way Grant Allocation Process: Who can apply?

Palm Beach United Way Grant Allocation Process: Who can apply?

Although Palm Beach County faces many tough issues, the Town of Palm Beach United Way focuses on funding agencies that concentrate on three key areas: education, health and financial stability — what we consider to be the building blocks for a good quality of life.

After studying and identifying the most crucial needs in Palm Beach County, we further separate these three pillars into 14 priority areas:

Agency Spotlight: Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse

For many women trying to escape abusive relationships, six weeks in an emergency shelter is not enough. Victims might not have enough money saved to support themselves, they might not have a safe home to go to, they might need additional medical care, or they might need legal and immigration support.

Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse provides the only domestic violence shelter in Palm Beach County that offers victims and their children free shelter and supportive services for extended periods of time. The Extended Shelter program provides survivors the time and resources necessary to mitigate the circumstances that keep them trapped in abusive relationships.

This year, the Town of Palm Beach United Way invested $208,000 into domestic violence programs in Palm Beach County, including $70,000 into AVDA’s Extended Shelter and Outreach programs.

Agency Spotlight: Catholic Charities

Although 1 in 4 adults live with a diagnosable mental health disorder, Florida ranks 49th in the nation in funding for mental health services. A mental health concern that isn’t addressed often becomes a mental illness leading to the need for more extensive services and the risk of greater consequences, including suicide.

This year the Town of Palm Beach United Way invested $211,500 into mental health programs in Palm Beach County. We support 12 programs at 6 non-profit partner agencies in our community that serve a total of 15,229 individuals struggling with mental health concerns.

One of those agencies is Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Palm Beach.

Volunteer Spotlight: Louise Snyder

Our Volunteer Spotlight recognizes Town of Palm Beach United Way volunteers who are passionate, inspiring and dedicated. They are individuals committed to transforming lives and who invest in our vision of building healthy and strong communities.

Louise Snyder has volunteered on our Allocation Committee for many years, helping ensure annual donations are carefully and thoughtfully put to good use funding programs in Palm Beach County that improve education, health and financial stability for our less fortunate neighbors. The Allocation Committee consists of about 100 community volunteers who spend more than 2,000 hours reviewing grant applications, attending site visits and meeting with team members to make important funding decisions. The volunteer-driven allocation process ensures fiscal responsibility and management accountability for all agencies receiving Town of Palm Beach United Way funds.

This year Louise is co-chairman of the committee. She is also on our Board of Trustees and a member of the Alexis de Tocqueville Cabinet.

Below, Louise answers a few questions about volunteering at the Town of Palm Beach United Way and what it means to her.