Newsroom

Austin-based Superior HealthPlan Filling a Need with Hygiene Closets

This blog was written by Superior HealthPlan Director of Communications Michael Cation. Superior HealthPlan is a long-time corporate partner of United Way for Greater Austin and a pillar of our community. Together with our partners like Superior, we’re making a real difference for children and families across our Austin region.  Shampoo. Toothpaste. Feminine hygiene products. These are just a few of the items individuals from lower-income neighborhoods often struggle to buy. That’s why Superior HealthPlan, a leading managed care organization in Texas, has been working with schools and nonprofits in Austin and beyond to launch hygiene closets. As part of this initiative, which kicked off in 2020 during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Superior provides grants to community-based organizations to help stock these closets for individuals in need. “We’re excited to support the Austin community as well as many others in Texas by providing families access to personal care items,” said Mark Sanders, President, and CEO of Superior HealthPlan. “Combined with the many other community programs and family services we offer, hygiene closets allow us to help Texans right where they are.” The initiative began by partnering with 6 organizations that support the disability community. Following a wealth of positive feedback, Superior decided to expand the program in 2021 and has supported even more organizations this year. To date, Superior has provided more than $300,000 in funding to more than 70 organizations and schools in Texas, including more than $20,000 to the following in the Austin area: Austin […]

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Greater Austin Reading Coalition hosts book fair for kids in Austin

Last month, dozens of elementary school students in Austin lined up to receive books at the Greater Austin Reading Coalition’s second book fair, giving  local children access to diverse stories they can see themselves in. Thanks to a donation of over 1,000 books, 100 breakfast bags, and fitness equipment from KPMG, the coalition partnered with the Extend-A-Care YMCA program to host a book fair for the community, distributing these gifts to 32 students in Austin. Kids at the after-school event picked out four to five books featuring a range of characters and stories written in both English and Spanish, and participated in reading circles led by three KPMG volunteers. “To see the delight on the children’s faces as they select their books, and to hear the conversations that they have with their peers about what the books might be about warms my heart,” said Michelle Hutson-Crawford, Director of K-12 Education at United Way for Greater Austin. “In this heavily saturated digital and social world, it’s good to know that books are still winning in 2021! We hope this act of kindness and community engagement inspires others to step forward in partnership with the Greater Austin Reading Coalition.” Only three in 10 kids from low-income households are reading on grade level by 4th grade, a crucial point in children’s development that can impact their future academic and career outcomes. The Greater Austin Reading Coalition, convened by United Way, is working to change that by giving children access to culturally relevant books […]

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Emerging Leaders member Jose Lopez: “I Live United because I want to make a difference.”

After serving as a loaned executive for United Way’s biggest employee giving campaign two years in a row, H-E-B manager Jose Lopez joined our Emerging Leaders donor network to stay involved in the Austin community and be an advocate for United Way’s mission of fighting poverty. During his time with United Way thus far, Jose has led dozens of H-E-B store campaigns with more than 20,000 people and raised over $1 million for the Greater Austin community each year. Jose says he wants to help make his Austin community a more equitable place for everyone. As a member of Emerging Leaders, he aims to learn more about issues facing local communities and get involved in delivering impactful solutions. Watch more about Jose’s work and read the full story in his own words below. Why did you join Emerging Leaders?  I joined because I want to make a difference. A lot of the work being done [at United Way] personally resonates with me. Growing up with a single mom raising six boys, it was always a struggle. It was definitely a path that taught me a lot in life. But I don’t think everyone should have to go through that. It’s much better to help and connect folks to resources and put them on a better path.  Seeing the work that gets done with nonprofits has always been intriguing. I want to see what happens behind the scenes and not just that but how I can make a difference. So Emerging […]

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Superior HealthPlan Supports New Moms: Meet Katy and her Futur

This blog was written by Superior HealthPlan Sr. Manager, Marketing and Communications, Michael Cation. Superior HealthPlan is a long-time corporate partner of United Way for Greater Austin and a pillar of our community. Together with our partners like Superior, we’re building a better Austin for families like Katy and Futur. Katy Moreno is a certified nursing assistant, a community health worker, and just weeks away from finishing coursework to become a phlebotomist. Three years ago, those achievements seemed unreachable, as she became a mother at the age of 16. As her son, Futur, faced early health complications, his wellbeing was at the top of her priority list. Katy and Futur accessed support through Medicaid and Superior HealthPlan, an Austin-based managed care organization that serves members in all 254 Texas counties. As a young, single mother in Austin, Katy had access to a range of services from Superior – including through its Start Smart for Your Baby program – that set her and Futur up to be successful. “Futur struggled to eat in the first few months,” Katy explained. “He had some issues with gaining weight and required multiple hospital visits and medication. Without Superior’s support, I think I would have had some anxiety and Futur might have had some even bigger health issues.” After addressing Futur’s healthcare needs, Katy’s focus turned to herself – how to support her young family moving forward. Like many before her, Katy enrolled in a GED and job training program through American Youthworks, an organization […]

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United Way Partners are Proving Family-Friendly is Business-Friendly with Early Matters Greater Austin

Powered by United Way for Greater Austin and E3 Alliance, Early Matters Greater Austin (EMGA) is an alliance of Austin business leaders focused on the critical relationship between access to high-quality early education and our State’s long-term economic success. EMGA’s work is part of the collective impact initiative led by United Way, the Austin/Travis County Success By 6 Coalition. Founded in 2018, Early Matters Greater Austin mobilizes and unites the business community around the goal that children in Greater Austin enter Kindergarten prepared for school success. EMGA also encourages Austin-area employers to adopt family-friendly policies because supportive workplace policies increase organization productivity and support the physical and emotional health of employees and their families. This pillar of the coalition’s work — known as Best Place for Working Parents™ — just concluded its 2021 open enrollment period in which 98 local businesses have been recognized as a 2021 Best Place for Working Parents™. Businesses qualified for the designation by taking a first-of-its-kind self-assessment highlighting the 10 family-friendly policies that have research-proven benefits to businesses’ bottom line, and scoring high enough to qualify. Each question in the self-assessment ties to one of the below policies, which positively impact employee attraction, retention, satisfaction, and productivity. You can find a full list of the 98 2021 Best Place for Working Parents™  businesses here. We are thrilled to see so many of our corporate partners on this list. Not only do they Live United, but are proving that family-friendly policies are business-friendly! Thank you for […]

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A Night United 2021: Truly a night to remember

Wow, what a night! With moving stories, inspiring levels of generosity, and a sweet dance party,  A Night United was truly a night to remember. More than 500 Austinites attended, and despite not being together in the same room, it felt like a community-wide, intimate dinner party. All of us on the United Way team left the event feeling immensely grateful for our essential heroes and inspired to continue the fight against poverty here in Greater Austin. We hope everyone who attended did too! Missed the event? You can catch up on all the fun below!  Together, we surpassed our goal and raised $250,000 to create greater opportunity for children and families in our community! You can join us in the movement to build a better Austin from the ground up by making a gift here.  Thank you to our amazing co-chairs Nahid & Ali Khataw and Natalee & Charles Thornburgh; Board Chair Malini Rajput; Cornerstone Sponsor Texas Mutual Insurance Company; Jeremiah Bentley; and our three Austin essential heroes Patsy Harnage, Arnoldo Longoria, and Kathryn Treviño. Your investment in our community is inspiring, and the definition of what it means to Live United. Special thanks to our 38 dinner party hosts for generously hosting a virtual table, inviting their friends and colleagues to join and give. As David C. Smith, United Way for Greater Austin CEO, said at the event: “When Nelson Mandela moved from his prison cell to the Presidency of South Africa, he shared these words of hope […]

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New Look, Same Good: Volunteering with United Way ATX

Blog contributions by Jordan Gutierrez-Ramirez, United Way for Greater Austin, Corporate Volunteer Manager In our world, a lot has changed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic….but some things will always be the same: like our commitment to help Austinintes connect with their community through volunteerism. Volunteering may look different now, but we’re still finding ways to engage. Despite the pandemic, United Way ATX continues to host volunteer opportunities in our community that bring us all together whether that means masking up, social distancing or logging in virtually. It’s a new look, but it’s the same good that you’re used to doing! We’ve reimagined volunteering, and that means we’ve taken most of our opportunities virtual. Our team has been hard at work crafting unique online events to build community connections, support our neighbors, and still do good. Over the past few months we’ve hosted successful virtual events focused on education, advocacy, and gratitude. Together with our volunteers and donors, we continue to help make a tangible difference that positively impacts our community! While virtual volunteerism is our “new normal” we are still thrilled to find safe ways for folks to volunteer in person when possible. Longtime corporate partner JE Dunn Construction went above and beyond this summer for one of their company-wide volunteer days. They deployed their skilled volunteers to one of our Pre-K Partnership centers for an impressive two-day infrastructure project. With JE Dunn’s expertise, we were able to execute a safe, in-person event at Sweet Briar Child Development […]

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JE Dunn Makes Sweet Briar Even Sweeter

JE Dunn Construction has been a close partner to United Way for Greater Austin since 2007. Last year, they ran their 11th annual employee giving campaign — and more than 30 team members stepped up to donate over $20,000 to support our Greater Austin community. But our collaboration isn’t just about raising money. JE Dunn is committed to showing up for our community through volunteer projects, too. They are deploying their skilled volunteers to our Pre-K Partnerships child development centers across Austin to complete much-needed infrastructure improvements. In late August, JE Dunn volunteers completed a two-day volunteer project at Sweet Briar Child Development Center. In the sweltering August heat, JE Dunn volunteers rolled up their sleeves and: -Removed a dead tree and buried tire -Moved the storage shed away from the main building to prevent additional water damage to both buildings -Improved the main walkway that staff, parents, and children use to walk into the school each day -Reconstructed the drainage system near the playground area to prevent any runoff issues -And more! Chris Szeliga, Sr. Vice President at JE Dunn, shared why this partnership with United Way for Greater Austin means so much to their company and team – especially now: “In these uncertain times, it’s crucial that organizations and individuals remain committed and diligent in the support of their local communities. JE Dunn Construction and our employees are proud to serve the Austin community by and through United Way. We are honored to affiliate with, humbled to partner […]

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We Love Our H-E-B!

This blog was written by Director of Corporate Relations Erica Abbenante On August 3rd, our incredible community partner H-E-B officially launched its 2020 United Way employee giving campaign with almost 20,000 employees (Partners!) across 59 locations in the Central Texas area. Kicking off the festivities for the first time was Cathy Harm, recently named Regional Vice President for H-E-B and our brand new United Way ATX Board of Directors member! Cathy took on her new role in early 2020, and not long after settling in, we welcomed her to our Board of Directors. We’re thrilled to have her leadership! H-E-B and United Way have been close community partners for over 20 years. Since 2016, H-E-B Partners have consistently raised more than $1 Million every year for the Greater Austin community—last year’s record-setting campaign raised more than $1.4 Million! It’s not an understatement to say that H-E-B’s continued support and commitment to their communities has helped us to positively impact thousands of lives. When COVID-19 hit our community earlier this spring, H-E-B responded quickly and powerfully, working around the clock to make sure Central Texans had safe access to food and supplies while managing an unimaginably complex supply chain and public health puzzle. Not only did they focus on keeping their stores stocked and safe—they also quickly launched their “Texans Helping Texans” program to help seniors get supplies delivered to their door, supporting local restaurants by selling their food in stores, and donating millions to organizations providing relief. In June, we […]

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We Are Proud To Partner With Superior HealthPlan

Austin-based Superior HeathPlan is a health-care company that serves members in all 254 Texas counties. Superior partners with United Way for Greater Austin annually, approaching two decades, by running an employee giving campaign. Mark Sanders, Superior CEO, has been leading the company since January 2017 and encourages his employees to give back to the community they love. At United Way we believe that corporate values and social good go hand in hand – that’s why we work to bring Austin’s top corporate leaders together to fight poverty. Read below to learn more about this month’s Corporate Partner Spotlight, Superior HealthPlan.   About Superior HealthPlan Founded in 1999, Superior HealthPlan is a managed care company that delivers quality healthcare throughout Texas. Committed to transforming the health of the community, one person at a time, Superior supports active local involvement in all 254 Texas counties with 4,000 employees in 10 offices throughout the state. Headquartered in Austin, Superior is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a leading multi-national healthcare enterprise offering both core Medicaid and specialty services. You can follow Superior HealthPlan on Facebook, or visit their YouTube channel to see how Superior is dedicated to supporting and transforming the community. Superior HealthPlan’s Relationship with United Way Superior has been proud to partner with United Way for Greater Austin, and other local chapters of the organization, for many years. Through annual fundraisers and other efforts, our employees have shown a long-standing commitment to support this organization and we look forward to forging […]

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