Annual Report to the Community

UNITED WAY STARTS WITH

U N I T E D W AY O F G R E E N V I L L E C O U N T Y | A N N U A L R E P O RT T O T H E C O M M U N I T Y

MISSION: We mobilize people and resources to improve lives, strengthen the community, and advance equity for the benefit of all.

VISION: A Greenville County where all people have access to the opportunities to achieve their full potential.

FROM OUR PRESIDENT + CEO At United Way of Greenville County, our community impact comes from you. You’re the driving force behind our work.

Your actions change lives. And you have the power to build a better Greenville County for all. In 2021, you did just that.

As we continue to help our community rebound from the impact of the pandemic and build a stronger Greenville County that leaves no member of our community behind, we’re stepping up in two primary ways: 1 We invest strategically in the very best, most effective

community partners – now providing $4 million in critical funding each year to 70 local partners. Last year, these programs served more than 35,000 people with basic needs, education, job training and much, much more.

sparking a century of service and generosity that helped shape the community we are today.

Yet, our work is far from done. Inequities across the board in education, income, housing and healthcare are preventing far too many people from reaching their full potential. We must do better. For all of us.

2 When we identify a gap in our community or a need

that’s not being met, we roll up our sleeves and go to work, developing and leading new initiatives like OnTrack Greenville, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, and the Racial Equity and Economic Mobility Commission that move our community forward.

Across the pages of this annual report to the community, you will see examples of how your support has made a very tangible difference, improving the lives of so many individuals and families.

On behalf of our entire community, we thank you.

At this pivotal moment, we have the opportunity to shape the kind of community we will be for the next 20, 50 and 100 years – one where a child’s future isn’t determined by the neighborhood they grow up in.

Working together, I know we can do it.

In partnership,

Meghan Barp President & CEO

As we turn the page to 2022, we’re excited to celebrate a special anniversary. One hundred years ago, on April 24, 1922, our first fundraising campaign was launched,

SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR IMPACT THIS YEAR INCLUDE:

Investing over

Helped more than

Filed nearly

Connected

in Greenville County through grants, direct services, and strategic programs.

people receive basic needs, education support, job training and more.

free tax returns for Upstate families through VITA–a $17.3 million impact.

callers with help via our 2-1-1 Community Resource Line.

$12M

35,000 11,000 19,000

DELIVERING OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH EDUCATION Whether it’s a young child’s readiness to start kindergarten, an older student’s ability to stay on track to graduation, or an adult’s pursuit of post-secondary success, so much of what happens outside of school impacts the educational achievement of all students.

Your support of United Way is an investment in programs and initiatives that create brighter futures by ensuring students start school equipped to succeed, graduate from high school ready for post-secondary education or entry into the workforce, and become financially stable adults.

This includes strategic investments in 32 proven partners providing tutoring, mentoring, social-emotional learning, afterschool programs and more, as well as our innovative collaborative program OnTrack Greenville.

As our six schools started the 2021-2022 school year, students faced barriers to meet dress code requirements, purchase school supplies and return to in-person instruction after two disruptive years brought on by COVID-19. By fostering new and existing partnerships in the community, OnTrack was there to address these barriers and ensure that students in need had the appropriate resources to increase the chances of graduation and overall school success.

When OnTrack began, the class of 2022 were sixth-graders.

They were the first group of students to receive additional support for their academic, behavior and attendance goals through OnTrack programming.

This year, they will receive their high school diplomas.

PARTNERSHIP SPOTLIGHT In a collaboration that combines our Education and Financial Stability work, United Way is partnering with

OnTrack Greenville Six years ago, United Way brought together community partners and the best educators in the school system to create OnTrack Greenville, a transformational, data-driven initiative that provides real-time and practical solutions for students and their families. What started in four middle schools has now expanded to include two high schools, and thanks to your support, each year we help approximately 4,000 students and their families to stay on track to an on-time high school graduation.

Self-Help Credit Union and Career and Technology Education students of Greenville County Schools by providing payment for completing coursework in the form of student checking and savings accounts. Students are provided with financial literacy resources and will soon be able to access a matched savings account (IDAs) that will allow students to earn more to purchase a car, school supplies, school tuition/fees, or meet other family needs.

U HELP 4000

In 2021, OnTrack Greenville awarded its inaugural Kathy Dobbins Memorial Scholarship to two OnTrack students, including Berea High graduate and current Furman University student, James Garcia.

STUDENTS EVERY YEAR

VITA Program Coordinator Tiffany Bannister and a team of United Way volunteers serve taxpayers at United Way’s Opportunity Center.

LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR FINANCIAL STABILITY The financial stability of every individual and family in Greenville County is imperative to our future success as a community. At United Way, we work to empower people on the journey to financial stability by providing education and training programs that lead to higher-paying careers.

We also aim to increase access to financial services and benefits — giving people the tools to save and protect themselves against a personal financial crisis, while gaining long-term assets like a home or business.

pathways to financial stability through five key steps: Learn (employment skills), Earn (self-sufficient income), Save (protect against personal financial crises and acquire assets), Own (home, business or investments), and Protect (health and property insurance, etc.).

This includes strategic investments in 18 proven local partner programs, as well as our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, and the Opportunity Center, which opened its doors to the community in 2021.

Your support of United Way of Greenville County is an investment in programs and initiatives that create

VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE PROGRAM In 2021, United Way’s VITA program found innovative new ways to serve the community, overcoming the obstacles presented by COVID-19 to continue offering free tax preparation services to low- and middle-income families. Thanks to support from community volunteers and our AmeriCorps service members, last year we helped 10,370 individuals file free tax returns, equating to a $17.3 million impact across the Upstate.

More than just preparing taxes, VITA volunteers help connect clients with additional community resources like SNAP benefits, financial savings programs, and the U.S. Bank Focus card, which provides an easy and free way to receive tax refunds faster via direct deposit for unbanked families.

U HELPED 10,370 PEOPLE FILE TAX RETURNS

BUILDING VIBRANT & EQUITABLE COMMUNITIES Vibrant & Equitable Communities are ones in which neighborhoods are safe and well-connected, the nonprofit network is strong enough to meet community needs as they arise, and everyone has access to opportunities to achieve their full potential.

We work to achieve this vision by strategically investing in 24 proven local programs that support a collaborative nonprofit network and provide access to basic needs, as well as leading our award-winning AmeriCorps service program, the Racial Equity and Economic Mobility Commission, and grassroots initiatives like Greenville Dreams, Faith-Based Roundtable and more.

COMMUNITY RESOURCE LINE This unique, non-emergency hotline connects callers with information and community resources like housing, utility assistance, food, employment services, transportation and more. In 2021, we made nearly 19,000 referrals for callers in search of help.

RACIAL EQUITY AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY COMMISSION Launched in partnership with Urban League of the Upstate and the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, the Greenville Racial Equity and Economic Mobility (REEM) Commission grew from ongoing community

AMERICORPS UPSTATE Our award-winning AmeriCorps Upstate program creates access to services for people in need.

Members connect Upstate families and individuals with community resources like financial classes and tools, educational programs, food, and social service applications for SNAP benefits and Medicaid. In 2021, our AmeriCorps service members served more than 23,000 hours, increasing capacity at our nonprofit host sites.

conversations to identify and address systemic racial barriers in Greenville County by understanding the data revealing stark disparities. The group, which is comprised of a diverse roster of community leaders, works to collaboratively develop systems-level strategies, partnering with community institutions to implement significant change in the areas of racial inequities, social justice, and other key gaps identified as focus areas of the Black community. At the close of 2021, the commission approved a plan to hire a full-time director to lead the initiative into the future.

LUCIUS USED UNITED WAY’S 2-1-1 RESOURCE LINE TO GET HELP WITH A NEW HOME.

Volunteers from Michelin North America pack backpacks for United Way’s School Tools program.

2021 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Our Board of Directors provides overall governance of United Way of Greenville County by monitoring policies and programs, and establishes the organization’s strategic purpose and direction.

2021 Board Chair Calvin Calhoun III

2021 BOARD OF DIRECTORS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Calvin Calhoun III, Chair Truist

Tami McKnew, Treasurer Fox Rothschild, LLP

Carl Sobocinski, Vice Chair Table 301

Dr. Saria Saccocio, Community Impact Committee Chair Physician Executive Consultant

Deb Long, Secretary Bon Secours St. Francis

Jason Richards, Governance Committee Chair NAI Earle Furman, LLC

2021 UNITED WAY BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jim Akerhielm JENK LLC

Lee A. Gill, J.D. Clemson University

Ann Robinson Bank of America

Yobany Banks-McKay Retired, United Parcel Service

Yukichi Hagins Yukichi Hagins Realty

Dr. W. Burke Royster Greenville County Schools

Dr. Karen Baynes-Dunning Baynes Dunning Consulting

Ken Harper Countybank

Minor Shaw Micco, LLC

Dennis Braasch Industrial Project Innovation

Annmarie Higgins Lima One Capital

Susan Shi Community Volunteer

Zachary Brewster EP+Co

Mike Kelly Master Power Transmission

Dr. Elizabeth Davis Furman University

David Lominack TD Bank

Katy Pugh Smith Piedmont Health and Greenville Partners for Philanthropy

The Honorable Chandra Dillard Furman University and SC House of Representatives (District 23)

Cal Hurst, 2021 Campaign Chair Southern First

Pastor Sean Dogan Long Branch Baptist Church Mark Farris Greenville Area Development Corporation David Foster Greenville News Anderson Garcia GE Power

Stacey Mills USC Upstate, Mountain View Baptist Church

Diane Smock Attorney and Community Volunteer John Tripoli Northwestern Mutual Wendy Walden Greenville Technical College

Adam Murphy Michelin North America

Dan Weidenbenner Mill Community Ministries

Carlos Phillips Greenville Chamber

Dick Wilkerson Retired – Michelin North America

Sue Priester Community Volunteer

Ryan Wood UBS

UNITED WAY STARTS WITH U

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