Author: Aviva Pinchas

Financial Fitness Greater Austin (FFGA) is an awareness and education initiative of Senator Kirk Watson, the Alliance for Economic Inclusion (AEI), the Financial Literacy Coalition of Central Texas (FLCCT), Junior Achievement of Central Texas and more than 40 entities in the Great Austin area. The goal is to provide targeted financial education to the Austin community and create general community awareness of the importance of financial education. During Financial Fitness week, from April 20 – April 26, 2009, over 50 free financial programs will be available to the Austin community. For a complete listing see www.financialfitnessaustin.org The week will kick off with a media event at the AT&T Center with a proclamation read by Brewster McCracken on April 16th at 11:00am. Directly following the media event will be Business In Action. Business In Action is comprised of two distinct and unique events—the Economic Summit panel discussion and a student competition. As the exciting beginning to Financial Fitness Greater Austin, this event offers something for everyone. The Economic Summit will feature several Austin business leaders and financial experts who will weigh in on the current state of the economy, as well as commentary from Blake Hastings, Vice President in Charge of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas’ San Antonio Branch. Immediately following the panel discussion, student teams from Austin-area high schools will compete against one another to operate a successful simulated business. For more information about FFGA contact Christine Kempff at ckempff@jacentex.org Want to get involved today with helping Central Texans […]

From Texans Care for Children:HB 1240 is a bill to support parents receiving important information about their children’s development. New parents are often overwhelmed by all there is to learn about how to keep a child healthy and developmentally on track, during a period of rapid growth and change: the first years of a child’s life. Resources are available to help parents understand young children’s comprehensive growth and developmental needs, while also alerting them to potential red flags in healthy development and to opportunities to connect their children with environments and resources that can make a lasting difference. The challenge lies with getting these resources into the hands of new parents throughout Texas. This bill will be heard by the House Public Health Committeeafter 8 a.m., Tuesday, March 10***WHAT YOU CAN DO*** The state has an opportunity to empower caretakers with information that can help establish early positive parenting habits and increase families’ awareness of resources that can bring long-term positive effects for their children’s development. Contact members of the House Public Health Committee. If you support having a guide about early childhood needs given to new parents in Texas, please contact the committee members below by e-mail or phone. You can also come to the committee hearing in room E2.012 of the Capitol Building to put in a card of support. Forward this email on to other supporters of young children, so they know they can take action. House Committee on Public HealthChair – Rep. Lois Kolkhorst: lois.kolkhorst@house.state.tx.us (512) […]

Enterprise Rent-a-Car Foundation Invests in Central Texas with a gift to United Way Capital AreaDwayne Judice, Group Loss Control Manager, and Lindsey Hoskinson, Human Resources Supervisor, from Enterprise Rent-a-Car (ERAC) presented United Way Capital Area with a check from the Enterprise Rent-a-Car Foundation. Enterprise employees participate annually in the Enterprise Rent-a-Car workplace giving campaign, contributing to United Way and local nonprofit agencies. The Enterprise Rent-a-Car Foundation matches employee contributions fifty cents on the dollar. This match of employee contributions not only demonstrates Enterprise’s support of employee participation in the annual giving campaign but also increases the impact their employee’s gifts will have in the community. Enterprise Rent-a-Car is one of several United Way corporate partners that choose to invest their employee matching gift dollars in United Way. “The Enterprise Foundation invests employee match dollars in United Way, because we believe the United Way is the best steward of our corporate dollars, contributing the greatest impact and changing Central Texas for the long-term.”, says Howard Zaroff, Vice President and General Manager. Thank you Enterprise employees and the Enterprise Rent-a-Car Foundation for your continued support of United Way’s mission to create opportunities for all Central Texans to succeed. If you or your company is interested in learning more about how to leverage your matching gifts program to create long lasting change in Central Texas please contact Lauren Paver, Director, Corporate Relations at lauren.paver@unitedwayaustin.org or (512) 225-0393.

February 11 was National 211 Day. We caught up with Beth Wick, Program Manager of 211 Texas Information and Referral Network, which is under the Health and Human Services Commission of Texas. She told us a little bit about what 211 does in a disaster, the most recent example being Hurricane Ike, and also shared how 211 helps the community in the current economic crisis, and gave a great explanation of how 211 Texas and a local call center, like United Way Capital Area’s 2-1-1 in Central Texas, partner together to provide information and referral services.

Early Childhood advocates in Texas were very successful on Pre-K Day! TECEC writes to let us know: In response to our efforts, 59 legislators have come out in support of Senate Bill 21 and House Bill 130, which support full-day high-quality pre-k programs with an emphasis on community based partnerships. Right now, it is crucial that we ensure HB 130 is heard in committee. The longer it takes to secure a hearing in committee, the less likely the bill is to make it through the legislative process in time. You can make sure HB 130 is heard by writing Representative Rob Eissler, Chairman of the House Committee on Public Education to encourage him to bring HB 130 up for a committee hearing soon. Click here to write Representative Rob Eissler, Chairman of the House Committee on Public Education.

At healthfinder.gov, you can send a personalized e-card to encourage friends and loved ones to stay healthy. Choose the e-card that fits your style, add a personal message, and send. Healthfinder also has some great personal health tools where you can take a health quiz, use health calculators, plan activities and menus, and watch and listen to videos and podcasts on numerous health-related topics.

We write to you, the friends of United Way, to let you know David has resigned his position as president and chief professional officer to pursue new career interests. The board has named Debbie Bresette, UWCA executive vice president, as interim President and CPO. During David’s tenure, the people of Central Texas have partnered to provide $140 million and thousands of volunteer hours to help meet critical community needs. Hard work by talented people of United Way will help continue this vital mission. David guided the United Way Capital Area through an ambitious and critical shift in its giving model–to an approach that aims to achieve lasting gains in the lives of all Central Texans–truly a laudable mission. This era of transition at United Way Capital Area has meant a lot of hard work and has demanded that we all rise to the highest standards of committed and ethical leadership. David’s service to our organization, and to our community, has been what United Way needed through a period of substantial change. Those changes have been difficult, but change is essential to the continued vitality of every organization. David’s plans include becoming a partner in Civic Interest, LLC, which is a local collaborative of civic-minded leaders at work on community projects. Projects include continued work toward the same goals that have animated the work at United Way — addressing the region’s widening disparity gap and creating positive change in Central Texas. Thank you for your continued support and all you have […]

From Texans Care For Children: What’s at stake:Doctors around the state report a significant increase in the number of overweight toddler and preschool age children in Texas. Although Texas has worked to address child obesity in school-age children, a new bill under consideration represents the state’s first concerted effort to focus on the health, nutrition, and physical activity of children under the age of six. What’s in the bill:Senate Bill 395 (Lucio) would create an Early Childhood Health and Nutrition Interagency Council to assess the health of young children and identify best practices for improving early childhood health through nutrition and physical activity. The Council would create a plan to increase fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity among young children, increase awareness of benefits of breastfeeding, and engage community resources to promote nutrition education. Learn more. ***WHAT YOU CAN DO***SB 395 is scheduled to go before committee this TODAY. Take action NOW: Let the committee know you support SB 395. Come to the Capitol and put in a card of support for the bill. You may also come and testify, or–if you can’t come in person–email committee staff, Jordan Head, with your testimony or comments in support of the bill at: Jordan.Head@senate.state.tx.us. The hearing begins at 9 a.m. To learn more and see other bills that will be heard: click here. Urge committee members to move the bill forward to the Senate floor for a vote. Call or email Committee Members (email forms can be found at the links […]

From a recent Associated Press article: Popping a pill can cut your cholesterol. But did the doctor also prescribe cutting the stress that’s eroding your immune system? Or teach you how to exercise without worsening painful joints? Think 3 Ps: Good health care is preventive, predictive and personalized, a rarity today in a crisis-oriented care system far better at treating disease than keeping it at bay. To help change that, one of the nation’s top medical groups starts a major push this week for what patients might call whole-body wellness care. Here in Central Texas, we know that with a growing aging population (by 2040 those over 65 years of age will account for 27% of the population of Central Texas, compared to 11% in 2000 ), this type of approach to health care is especially important (for EVERYONE, since many of us will be part of the aging population by 2040). Click here to read the rest of the article.