About Our Funded Partners

United Way of Waco-McLennan County

ABOUT OUR 2020-21 FUNDED PARTNERS

OUR 2020-21 FUNDED PARTNERS

Descriptions include the programs funded by United Way during the 2020-21 grant cycle.

Advocacy Center for Crime Victims & Children Prevention & Education - Works daily in area schools and other youth-based organizations to prevent sexual violence from occurring in populations primarily of kindergarten through 12th grade McLennan County students. Their programming seeks to help youth develop socially and personally by facilitating discussions and activities on topics that encourage empathy, respect, healthy relationships, emotions, and conflict resolution.

Victim’s Center - Provides case management, advocacy, counseling and a 24-hour crisis hotline to primary and secondary victims of crime in McLennan and five surrounding counties.

American Gateways Immigration Legal Services in McLennan County - Provides affordable and trustworthy immigration legal services and education to immigrants and their families in McLennan County.

The Arc of McLennan County

School-Aged Childcare for Children with Intellectual & Developmental Disability Provides quality, year-round care for working parents who have a child aged 5-22 with a disability. The Arc’s program is the only program in the community dedicated to serving all children with disabilities, special health care needs, and challenging behaviors.

The Opportunity Center – Provides a year-round day program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It is the only program in the community specifically designed for adults on the autism spectrum, though the program is open to adults with intellectual disabilities as well. The Opportunity Center exists to help combat the social isolation faced by many adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, thus contributing to their overall mental and emotional health, while teaching them skills that enhance their confidence, self- esteem, and quality of life.

Baylor Scott & White Central Texas Foundation Nurse Family Partnership – Provides education and support to pregnant at-risk, first-time mothers in McLennan County from the second trimester until the child’s second birthday. Nurses provide free educational resources, case management and care coordination, as well as preventive services. The program also provides economic self-sufficiency that includes goal setting for education, employment, and planning for future pregnancies.

Care Net Pregnancy Center of Central Texas Housing for Homeless Pregnant Women with Children - Individuals and families are immediately able to meet their essential basic needs in order to move out of the crisis of homelessness - lack of clothing, food, shelter, safety, security, mental and emotional support, and medical care. Staff is available 24/7 to receive, assess and provide emergency food and housing to women with or without children in a 28 bed facility.

Caritas of Waco Intensive Case Management - Provides services to clients by thoroughly assessing core problems, assisting clients in goal setting to address such problems, and arranging and coordinating community referrals for services to fulfill that plan. Typically, the goals of case management are achieved by stressing the importance of continued education, job training and employment while at the same time handling related issues such as family concerns, child care, or other immediate needs. Clients benefit from the program by having attained a greater degree of selfsufficiency and quality of life.

Healthy Pantry Program – Addresses the issue of food insecurity in McLennan County by making healthy food available to individuals through the Caritas food pantry, along with information about the importance of proper nutrition and health that will stimulate these individuals’ likelihood of choosing and consuming nutritional food items.

For more information about United Way and our 2020-21 Funded Partners, visit our website where you can find links to our partners’ websites and find out how you can get involved. WWW.UNITEDWAYWACO.ORG

CASA of McLennan County Court Appointed Special Advocates – Provides oversight to community volunteers serving as Court Appointed Special Advocates for children ages birth through 17 in the foster care system. CASA Volunteers are appointed as the Guardian Ad Litem and advocate in court for the best interest of the child, while working to help find safe, permanent homes.

Communities in Schools of the Heart of Texas Community Youth Development - Provides community youth development services to the community and students by focusing on academics, behavior, and social needs through leadership development centered intervention and programming. Students have additional opportunities to engage in community service projects, college exploration, and serve on a Youth Advisory Committee. Staff provide year-long services to case managed students working to both remove barriers to success and create opportunities for growth.

Case Management - Provides high intensity interventions and therapies to 60 at-risk McLennan County students and raises awareness and increases community education on K-12 mental health issues. Students are assessed for academic, behavior, social, and emotional needs.

Compassion Ministries Job Search - Provides transitional housing for homeless families and helps residents find and keep full-time employment while they are living in the Compassion facility. The Compassion Job Search program helps parents who have moved into the Hope House facility find full-time employment in their first 30 days. Case managers help program participants with everything from obtaining legal identification, getting work-appropriate clothing, to enrolling in GED programs.

The Cove, Heart of Texas Nurturing Center – Offers a safe environment for high school youth experiencing or are atrisk of homelessness. Students have access to showers, mental healthcare, case management, a family-style dinner, healthy snacks, an optional workout program, washer/ dryer, tutoring services, and educational programming through community partners.

Family Abuse Center HOPES – Serves families with at least one child aged 0-5 through home visits and provides education on parenting skills, safety, parent-child interaction, social and emotional development and community resources. HOPES strives to educate parents on the importance of engagement and being the child’s first educator to prepare them for academic success in the future.

Economic Literacy Housing Case Management - Supports survivors of domestic violence, and their children, seeking transitional housing while staying at the safety shelter, by providing supportive services and housing for victims of domestic violence in McLennan County. Every client that enters the program receives economic literacy training to build and maintain their independence once leaving the shelter.

Family Counseling and Children’s Service of Waco, TX, Inc. Mental Health Counseling for Vulnerable Adults and Children – Provides specialized out-patient mental health counseling services for trauma, depression, and anxiety to under-served individuals in the McLennan County area.

Transitional Housing - Provides a safe place for homeless families with children to live as they work toward creating a more stable future for their families.

Mission: United Way of Waco-McLennan County strengthens the community by mobilizing resources to measurably improve lives.

Vision: United Way of Waco-McLennan County envisions a community where all people have the education, health, and financial stability needed to achieve their full potential.

Family Health Center Dental Care for vulnerable adults – Provides dental services to individuals experiencing barriers to oral health, including lack of access to care, whether because of limited income or lack of insurance, transportation, or the flexibility to take time off from work to attend to personal or family needs for care.

Dental Care for vulnerable pregnant women – Provides vital dental services for pregnant women at an increased risk of dental decay and infections, to improve maternal health, decrease the likelihood of pre-term birth, and promote the connection between good dental health and overall physical health.

Healthcare for vulnerable school children – Connects school age children with a primary care physician or provider to obtain high-quality integrated healthcare, resulting in improved health.

Girl Scouts of Central Texas Girl Scouts Beyond Bars Combines counseling, case management services, and positive female role models with the Girl Scouts leadership curriculum to break the cycle of incarceration for girls, grades K-12, whose mothers are incarcerated in Gatesville, Texas. Girl Scouts offers professional therapy, prison visits, and monthly troop meetings.

Grassroots Community Development Family Engagement Program - Seeks to effectively engage family members in local schools to participate in a six week leadership and education training. Grassroots seeks to build upon the skills that family leaders already possess to develop meaningful partnerships between families and school staff. Program training covers a variety of topics, including the importance of relationships, identifying school assets, and the five roles of parents for student academic success.

Greater Waco Legal Services Medical-Legal Partnership - Exists to help Family Health Center (FHC) patients resolve social and environmental circumstances that contribute to health disparities and have a legal remedy through greater connection in FHC clinics, to the legal interventions Greater Waco Legal Services offers through on-site intake, consultations, and direct representation.

Heart of Texas Goodwill Industries Rise - Assists individuals in advancing their careers and achieving financial stability by obtaining an accredited high school diploma.

Waco Employer Resource Network - Provides on-site coaching to employees struggling with challenges that threaten job stability to help them retain employment and be successful on the job.

Heart of Texas Region MHMR Klaras Children Center – Early Childhood Intervention - Serves children from birth to their third birthday that have been found through standardized testing to have a significant delay in one or more developmental domain areas, or who have received a medical diagnosis that puts them at significant risk of delay. The array of services provided includes Specialized Skills Training, Physical therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Nutrition Counseling and Family Education.

Mental Health Wellness Program – Provide supports to individuals over 18 who have a diagnosis of serious mental illness. A case manager who is also a certified personal trainer works with clients at least once a week at a community gym to increase physical fitness and healthy living knowledge.

Mission Waco Mission World My Brother’s Keeper/Social Services Program – Provides shelter and case management services to the homeless populations and those in poverty. These services support their opportunity to make better life choices and be successful in life.

STARRY, Inc. STARRY Counseling – Waco - Aims to increase access for high risk and/or under-served populations to receive evidence-based, traumainformed services that help increase resiliency, family connection, and safety in families presenting with challenges such as anxiety, depression, trauma, truancy, bullying, grief, suicidal ideation, ADHD, drug/alcohol abuse, anger, divorce/abandonment, and severe family conflict that can escalate into abuse.

Talitha Koum Institute Brain Map Fidelity - Works to improve the core factors that impact early childhood learning by providing no-cost, high-quality preventive mental health care, therapeutic intervention, brain development, and all-day nurture five days per week for children beginning at eight weeks of age.

YMCA of Central Texas Out of School Care – The largest childcare provider in McLennan County serves over 800 students annually at 15 different sites. The afterschool program serves children ages 4-12 from local school districts with over 60% of students from Waco ISD. Afterschool programs keep kids safe, boost student success, and help parents retain employment.

Evidenced-based Health Initiatives – Provides five initiatives, researched and developed to address chronic disease management and prevention. Expanding the delivery of these initiatives established programs to better serve areas of Waco-McLennan County communities who are underserved and have less access to healthcare services and education.

Eligible Designation Partners The most powerful way to invest your contribution is to invest where it is needed most, by advancing the common good of the McLennan County community through the United Way General Impact Fund or to a direct pillar. Should you choose to direct your gift to an agency directly, please see the approved list of eligible organizations below.

Advocacy Center for Crime Victims and Children American Gateways American Red Cross Serving the Heart of Texas The Arc of McLennan County Baylor Scott & White Central Texas Foundation Nurse Family Partnership Boys & Girls Clubs of Waco Care Net Pregnancy Center of Central Texas Caritas of Waco CASA of McLennan County Central Texas Youth Services Bureau Christian Men’s Job Corps - Waco Christian Women’s Job Corps of McLennan County Communities In Schools of the Heart of Texas Community Cancer Association Community Doulas of Waco Community Loan Center of the Heart of Texas Compassion Ministries of Waco The Cove, Heart of Texas Family Abuse Center Family Counseling and Children’s Services Family Health Center Friends for Life

Girl Scouts of Central Texas Grassroots Community Development Greater Waco Legal Services Heart of Texas Goodwill Industries Heart of Texas Region MHMR Inspiracion, Inc Jesus Said Love McLennan County Pack of Hope Meals on Wheels Waco Mission Waco Mission World Road to Damascus Resource Center & Transition Home Inc The Salvation Army The Size of a Man STARRY, Inc. Talitha Koum Institute VOICE (Viable Options In Community Endeavors, Inc.) Waco Habitat for Humanity Waco Shepherd’s Heart YMCA of Central Texas Youth Connection Inc.

A minimum annual donation of $100 is required to designate to an agency directly. Each designation will be assessed a 15% processing fee (maximum $75). Designations to agencies not pre-approved on the United Way designation list will be redirected to a United Way impact pillar.

1516 Austin Avenue Waco, TX 76701 (254) 752-2753

www.UnitedWayWaco.org