Join us for the July edition of Community Connections presented by the United Way on WTIC 1080AM!

Maura Cook, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Development, joins the program to get listeners to think about the summer slide.

The summer slide is when students suffer learning loss while they are out of school on summer break. The United Way is committed to help students keep reading while school is out.

Cook also wants to remind those in New Britain and Hartford that the Dolly Parton Imagination library allows children to receive one age-appropriate book a month from birth-age five at no cost!

More reading initiatives will be happening this year including, Read Across America Day (Oct. 24, 2024), Read for the Record, United Way Readers, and the United Way will be putting together literacy kits together.

John Prescod, Director, Education Initiatives at the United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut joins Cook today to talk about his work with the organization.

Prescod and Cook are happy to announce that the United Way and Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford (JFGH) have merged JFGH’s Children’s Reading Partners program with the existing United Way Readers program!

The United Way turned 100 years old on June 14, and they are continuing the celebration the rest of the year! The Impact awards will be held on October 25. They will also be hosting a centennial gala in December. Tickets are available now

• To sign children up for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, please go to: www.unitedwayinc.org/our-work/youth-success/imagination-library
• To purchase tickets for the centennial gala, please go to: www.unitedwayinc.org/centennial-gala
• To learn more, donate, or volunteer, please reach out to 211 go to: www.unitedwayinc.org

Join us for the June installment of Community Connections presented by the United Way on WTIC 1080AM!

Maura Cook, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Development, joins the program to discuss what is up next for the United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut.

Cook mentioned how the United Way is committed to closing gaps and creating opportunities for all. One way they are doing this is through Onward860, which includes the ALICE report and looking at individuals and families in our communities are doing.

Cook also mentioned how the United Way of Northeastern and Central Connecticut are working to combat the summer slide and encouraging kids to keep reading throughout the summer.

The United Way turned 100 years old on June 14, and they are continuing the celebration the rest of the year! The Impact awards will be held on October 25. They will also be hosting a centennial gala in December. Tickets are available now

Calling all residents in New Britain and Hartford! There are still spots available for Dolly Parton’s Imagination library. Learn more about the program here: www.unitedwayinc.org/our-work/youth-success/imagination-library

To purchase tickets for the centennial gala, please go to: www.unitedwayinc.org/centennial-gala

To learn more, donate, or volunteer, please reach out to 211 go to: www.unitedwayinc.org

Community Connection with The United Way's Maura Cook talks about this years The 2024 Power of the Purse

Join us for the March edition of Community Connections presented by the United Way on WTIC 1080AM!

Maura Cook, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Development, joins the program to discuss the homelessness crisis Connecticut is seeing.

Cook explains how the United Way is tackling this issues in two ways. The first is by preventing individuals from becoming homeless through rent and utility assistance. The second is by assisting those who are already homeless by placing them in a shelter and working with them to get them into stable housing as soon as possible.

Melissa Ferrucci, Managing Partner through CohnReznick and Mike Riccio, the Co-head of National Production at CBRE Capital join Cook in the conversation of the United Way’s next event.

The 4th Annual Building Foundations Breakfast will be held on May 2 at the Connecticut Convention Center from 7:30am-9:30am. The money raised from this event will go towards helping individuals receive shelter care, avoid homelessness, and to continue the work of the United Way and 211.

Riccio highlights the late Jeffrey Digel, who was a philanthropist and helped start the Covenant Prepatory School in Hartford. Digel is recognized at this event annually through this award. This year’s honoree is the late Martin J. Kenny of Lexington Partners.

April is national volunteer month! The United Way encourages organizations, groups and individuals to get involved.

Cook shared The United Way’s upcoming events. Some of those events include:

• United Way’s Centennial Kickoff and presentation of the 2023 Community Service Award is on April 3 at The Society Room in Hartford. This event will be open to the public.
• The 13th Annual Power of the Purse Luncheon with Keynote Speaker Rita Moreno will be held on June 6 at the Connecticut Convention Center from 11:00am-1:30pm
• The United Way will be celebrating 100 years with a gala on December 14. Further details to come soon!

Information on all of the upcoming events can be found on the United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut’s website.

To learn more about The United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut or to get involved, please go to: www.unitedwayinc.org/volunteer

For information on the Building Foundations Breakfast, go to: www.unitedwayinc.org/building-foundations

For information on the Power of the Purse Luncheon, please go to: www.unitedwayinc.org/power-of-the-purse

If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, call 211 or go to: www.211ct.org

Join us for Community Connections presented by the United Way on WTIC 1080AM!

Senior Vice President of Marketing and Development, Maura Cook joins the program to remind us to appreciate our employees!

March 1 is National Employee Appreciation Day and it is a great way for workers to be acknowledged. United Way steps in by offering volunteer and team-building activities that offer a mental health boost to employees and superiors alike. The United Way will also help personalize the experience to ensure it will benefit the individuals participating.

Groups can also give back through the United Way 860 Cares Kits. These kits are great for groups on 10-40 colleagues to work on and will have the essential items children need to be academically successful. These kits will be distributed in April.

April is also national volunteer month, Cook encourages us to get involved however we can.

She also shared The United Way’s upcoming events. Some of those events include:

• Best-selling author Matthew Desmond will be part of a virtual seminar on February 27 at 12pm EST.
• Read Across America Day is on March 7 and the United Way is looking for volunteers to read in classrooms across the region.
• United Way’s Centennial Kickoff and presentation of the 2023 Community Service Award is on April 3 at The Society Room in Hartford. This event will be open to the public.

Information on all of the upcoming events can be found on the United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut’s website.

To learn more about The United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut or to get involved, please go to: www.unitedwayinc.org/volunteer

If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, call 211 or go to: www.211ct.org

Join us for the first Community Connections of 2024 with the United Way on WTIC 1080AM!

Maura Cook, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Development, rings in the New Year by reminding everyone that it’s tax season! Tax season also means talking about VITA. VITA stands for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance. This service allows families and individuals to file their taxes at no cost.

VITA is especially helpful for individuals who:

• Are 60 years or older
• Individuals with disabilities
• Individuals who speak limited English
• Those who earn up to the income threshold ($64,000 a year)

The VITA program is volunteer based, and these volunteers are IRS-Tax trained and help make sure these individuals using this resource receive the refunds they deserve.

Dr. Marlo Greponne, the Executive Director of Human Resources Agency (HRA) in New Britain joins Cook to continue the VITA conversation.

HRA monitors the VITA sites in New Britain and in Central Connecticut. Dr. Greponne explains the training process and how kindness and compassion goes a long way with those who need this resource to file their taxes.

Cook reminds us that the 11th annual Red White and Chocolate fundraiser is fast approaching. This event is made possible through United Women, who through financial stability initiatives they empower and help women and families in Connecticut. The event is on February 8 from 6pm-9pm and tickets are available now! To get 10% one ticket, use the code RWCTASTE at checkout.

Cook continues to peak ahead with The United Way’s upcoming events. Some events to look forward to are:

• Best-selling author Matthew Desmond will be part of a virtual seminar on February 27
• Read Across America Day is March 7
• The Centennial event for the United Way will be kicking off in early April
• And much more!

Information on all of the upcoming events can be found on the United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut’s website.

To learn more about VITA, go to: www.uwc211ct.org/taxhelp

Please note: VITA Volunteer registration for 2024 has closed.

To contact HRA to learn about VITA resources, go to: www.hranbct.org/programs/financial/income-tax-assistance/

To learn more about the event or to register for the Red White and Chocolate event, go to: www.unitedwayinc.org/get-involved/membership-groups/women-united/rwc/

To learn more about The United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut or to get involved, please go to: www.unitedwayinc.org/volunteer

Join us for the final Community Connections of 2023 with the United Way on WTIC 1080AM!

While many of us look back this time of year, Maura Cook, the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Development, is looking forward. Cook tells Steve about the 11th annual Red White and Chocolate fundraiser. This event is made possible through United Women, who through financial stability initiatives they empower and help women and families in Connecticut.

According to the most recent ALICE report, 40% of families are struggling to make ends meet. This event can help families in your community gain financial stability.

Cook’s guest is the Co-chair of this event as well as the CEO of Leadership Coaching and Consulting, Elise Sinha. Sinha has been involved with United Way her entire career, and is grateful to be the co-chair of the event. She also mentions how this event will be focused on small businesses and will feature more restaurants and great raffle prizes. For those who cannot make the fundraiser, the virtual auction will open up a few days before February 8.

Some vendors that will be at the event are:

• Nothing Bunt Cakes
• Oakland Pizza Company
• Bloom Bake Shop
• Carbones’s
• Bridgewater Chocolates
• Sun Life

Cook continues to look forward, telling Steve that United Way will be celebrating 100 years of service in 2024 with celebratory events to follow. Fan-favorite events like Power of the purse luncheon and Read Across America Day will also return in 2024.

This year’s Red, White, and Chocolate event will be held on February 8, 2024 from 6pm-9pm.

To learn more about the event or to register for the event, go to: https://unitedwayinc.org/get-involved/membership-groups/women-united/rwc/

To learn more about The United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut or to get involved, please go to: https://unitedwayinc.org/volunteer/

Join us for the November installment of Community Connections with The United Way on WTIC 1080AM.

November brings many people home for the holidays, but what about the individuals that do not have a place to call home? Senior Vice President of Marketing and Development at United Way Maura Cook explains how the United Way’s Rapid Response is helping the homelessness crisis we are facing here in Connecticut.

Homelessness in the area has risen by 13%. Cook explains the goals of rapid response are to help individuals find a home and keep it as well.

Cook is joined by Matt Morgan, the Co-chair of the Greater Hartford Coordinated Access Network as well as the Executive Director of Journey Home.

Morgan echoes the need that individuals are facing and the cold temperatures are making the situation dire. With the emergency shelter system clogged and having a quarter of the assistance programs needed, many families are not able to receive that helping hand.

However, Morgan does mention some promising news. He explains they are working to expand the amount of warming shelters so more people have access to them.

Cook is also joined by Stephanie Boyce, Director of Homeless Prevention and Outreach at Hands on Hartford.

Boyce explains the need she has seen with the families she works with. The main issues she is seeing are homelessness and food insecurity.

Their Homeless Outreach Project is working with about 120 individuals who have no choice but to sleep outside or in their car.

In November 2022 Hands on Hartford had 550 families come to their pantry. Just last month 1,042 families were served through the pantry.

To donate to the Rapid Response campaign or to learn more about it, please go to: https://unitedwayinc.org/rapid-response/

To learn more about the Coordinated Access Network, go to: https://cceh.org/coordinated-access/

To learn more about Hands on Hartford, go to: https://handsonhartford.org/

To get involved and help those who are less fortunate, or if you or someone you love are in need of assistance, please head to: unitedwayinc.org/volunteer or call 211.