If you are in or near Chattanooga, TN, we have two great opportunities for you on June 18 and June 20 to help United Way & Habitat for Humanity make a positive difference:
- Service2Humanity Tour | Chattanooga/Ringgold – June 18, 2009
Join State of Man for the Service2Humanity Tour as we volunteer with United Way Chattanooga to help Heartland Ranch. Located in beautiful North Georgia minutes from Chattanooga, TN, Heartland Ranch is a nonprofit summer camp for children with developmental disabilities, severe trauma and high risk issues. Heartland strives to improve the needs of children of all ages. The children of Heartland experience self confidence and improvement in strength, balance, coordination, attention span, language and social skills.
Volunteers are needed to help with construction of the tack room, building of short return wall, removal of fronts and door, removal of wall board and our project will run from 12pm – 4pm, followed by acoustic performance from State of Man (and free CDs)!
To volunteer, contact Joyce McNish at 423-544-9611 or via email at joycemcnish [at] bellsouth . net.
- United Way Day of Action, June 20, 2009
United Way of Greater Chattanooga is the place to get involved in community engagement and it asks everyone to GIVE, ADVOCATE or VOLUNTEER to make a difference in this area. It joins United Ways across the country in the second annual United Way Day of Action. This year’s Day of Action – Saturday, June 20, from noon to 3 p.m. at Hamilton Place Mall – will support early education by kicking off a volunteer recruitment drive that calls on this community to “Do what it takes to LIVE UNITED” by volunteering to help kids prepare for early education.
United Way will work to recruit 1,000 VOLUNTEERS for Early Childhood Education between June 20 and August 23, 2009. The results of this 9-week volunteer drive will be announced at the Chattanooga Market’s LIVE UNITED DAY on Sunday, August 23.
The United Way will hold a DO WHAT IT TAKES” VOLUNTEER DRIVE KICKOFF AT HAMILTON PLACE MALL. United Way, accompanied by several early childhood-focused community agencies, will take action in Hamilton Place Mall at the Comcast Stage by recruiting people to volunteer in the area of early childhood education. The first 20 people to sign up to volunteer at Hamilton Place Mall on June 20 will receive a free LIVE UNITED t-shirt.
United Way’s Kick-off coincides with a daylong Public Forum “WHAT IT TAKES” COMMUNITY FORUM ON EARLY GRADE SUCCESS IN SCHOOL to be held at the UTC University Center. The forum will focus on what government, non-profits, parents teachers and county leaders can do better to ensure school success for Hamilton County children. Last year, an Ochs Center study found that one in four children in Hamilton County were “at risk” of not being ready when they enter kindergarten. A School Readiness Advisory Board, made up of leading practitioners and key collaborative partners, is working with the Ochs Center to ensure community ownership and sustainability of the effort to improve education and early childhood interventions in our county. The forum is the latest effort in ongoing research and planning work being conducted on school readiness and early education. It is funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Along with the United Way, members of the School Readiness Advisory board include: Chattanooga Department of Human Services, Chattanooga State Technical Community College, Child Care Resource and Referral, Children’s Home/Chambliss Shelter, Hamilton County Department of Education, Hamilton County Parents Are First Teachers Program, Head Start, Orange Grove Center, Public Education Foundation, Project Ready for School, READ 20, Signal Centers, Inc., Siskin Children’s Institute, Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, Tennessee Department of Human Services.
“When children are successful in school, it prevents social problems before they happen, according to research,” said Linda McReynolds, senior Vice-President of Organizational Development at United Way. “When members of our community donate their time and talent to improve local education, they teach children important lessons about caring, citizenship and social responsibility, while also helping them become more prepared learners.”
United Way’s drive to recruit 1,000 volunteers will extend to college campuses, local employers, and other organizations in addition to the general public. There are two ways to sign up to volunteer:
· sign up at Hamilton Place Mall on June 20 from noon to 3 p.m.; or
· sign up at the web site http://tinyurl.com/whatittakeshamiltoncounty
You can find out more about these events on the Ochs Center Web Site or the United Way web site, which will be updated regularly as new volunteer opportunities become available. For information about other special events in 2009, or to look for other ways to take action through giving, advocating and volunteering, call the United Way Volunteer Center at 
423-752-0316
or go to www.LiveUnitedChattanooga.org.
About United Way of Greater Chattanooga
United Way of Greater Chattanooga funds local programs that create opportunities for people to care for themselves and each other, making our community the best at helping people achieve their potential. Thanks to an endowment fund that covers all overhead and administrative expenses, all contributions (100 percent) go directly to services that help individuals and families in the greater Chattanooga area, north Georgia and northeast Alabama. Call the United Way at 423-752-0300 for more information.
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