United Way of Seneca County is focused on education, income, and health —the building blocks for a good quality of life.

We recruit people and organizations that bring the passion, expertise and resources needed to improve our community.

We invite you to be part of the change. You can give, you can advocate and you can volunteer.

That’s what it means to LIVE UNITED.

United Way of Seneca County Financial Statements for 2010:

• Form 990 [pdf]
• 2010 Audit [pdf]

United Way of Seneca County is launching a campaign focused on education. To get things started we’re inviting people of all ages to share stories about teachers who changed their lives. Teachers are at school, at church, at athletic programs, at your
grandmotherly neighbor’s house; they are all around us.

Teachers Rock! Share your story about a teacher who changed your life and send to uwseneca@uwseneca.org. Show how “teaching” made a difference for you. Here are yours and your neighbor’s stories:

Mynderse Academy Seniors – Nick Barbay, John Cifaratta, Colin Dombek, Matthew Felice, Jeremy Fredenburg, Casey Irland, Andrew Lucchesi, Robert Smith, Dylan Verkey, and Adam Wheeler

VOLUNTEER
Take the Education Pledge

Education is the cornerstone of individual and community success. But with a dropout rate of 78% we are facing an education crisis. The cost? Millions of dollars lost in wages, taxes and productivity over our lifetimes. These trends are reversible, but only when communities and public, private and nonprofit sectors work together. Our goal is to raise the graduation rate in Seneca County from 78% to 89% by 2018. In order to reach our goal we can't just focus on high school, we must focus on education beginning at birth. Our strategies include:

Early Literacy
United Way of Seneca County helps to ensure that our children enter school ready to learn. With programs like Born Learning and the Seneca County Literacy Project we are encouraging our children to have a lifelong love for learning. Our work also focuses on increasing quality early child care and learning environments.

Secondary Career Opportunities
We are working with local school districts and community organizations to increase young people's awareness to career opportunities after high-school. We also believe while students are in high school they need access to post-secondary coursework to prepare them for their college years. Another focus area is to provide young people with peer-to-peer mentoring and continual support for our parents.

Seneca County Youth Development Career Fair
Seneca County Partners for Children Youth and Family hosts an annual career fair to expose local high school students to different career paths. Students speak with professionals one-on-one about relevant courses and education or training required for their position. Representatives from the hospitality, retail, agricultural, grocery, medical and human service industries plus many more are involved.

Environmental Issues
We understand that so many factors influence student success and if basic needs aren't met then youth are at risk. We work with county government and our funded partner agencies to meet the basic needs of children including improving the environment so young people feel safe and healthy. Our work focuses on substance abuse, mental health and school/parent communication.

What You Can Do
We can't do it alone. To reach our goal, we need your help. What can you do?

GIVE
When you give to United Way you invest in helping children and youth achieve their full potential. Full list of Partner Agencies focusing on Education.

ADVOCATE
Research shows preschool-age years are critical for cognitive and social development, laying a foundation for success in college, work and life.  To effectively reduce the high school dropout rate, we must begin by improving access to quality and affordable child care and early childhood education.

Funding for child care, Head Start, and Early Head Start is at immediate risk for deep budget cuts.  With your help, we can show a broad base of national, state, and local support for investments in early childhood.  Learn more

VOLUNTEER
Take the Education Pledge
Teachers Rock! Share your story about a teacher who changed your life.

Many people in our community are walking a financial tightrope, and United Way helps broaden that tightrope into a path, making it less likely that people will fall. The work United Way of Seneca County does to increase financial stability has benefits that ripple throughout and have an effect on our entire community. Our work includes the following.

Financial Literacy
United Way funded partner agencies provide job-seeking skills, provide learning opportunities and increase financial access. In 2010, in collaboration with The Department Human Services and our funded partner agency Seneca Cayuga Community Action Agency we launched a special program to supplement the existing VITA program specifically focused on educating clients about financial products including developing a budget, banking, savings and home ownership

Tax Assistance
We are promoting financial stability and independence by partnering with Seneca County Workforce Development through the Earned Income Tax Credit and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance programs.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers FREE tax preparation from January –April to low-to-moderate income families throughout Seneca County. The program is sponsored by Seneca County's Division of Human Services, Internal Revenue Service, Bank of America and United Way of Seneca County. Learn more.

VOLUNTEER

We are currently seeking volunteers to serve during the tax season February-April in the following roles. Training begins in November. Learn more.

• IRS Certified VITA Volunteer Preparers provide FREE tax preparation to low-to moderate income taxpayers. Volunteers prepare tax returns using electronic filing software and only to the level of your training.
• Asset Specialists inform and educate clients about financial products and resources available to them in the community. Volunteers educate clients about opening a savings account.

Housing
In cooperation with the Seneca County Partners for Children, Youth and Family, The Seneca County Housing Coalition was convened in July 2004 by United Way of Seneca County in response to a sudden, dramatic increase in requests for emergency housing assistance. The Housing Coalition works in collaboration with organizations, county government, human service organizations, and Wayne Finger Lakes BOCES. Learn more.

Whether it is a neighbor without health insurance, a victim of abuse, or someone struggling with mental illness or an addiction, United Way of Seneca County works to ensure everyone has access to affordable and quality care. Our goal is to increase by one-third the number of youth and adults who are healthy and avoid risky behavior. Some of our work includes the following:

Access to Healthcare
Centers and Programs In collaboration with Finger Lakes Migrant and Community Health, Finger Lakes Health, Healthy Living Partnerships, Public Health and many others, we are working to improve access to affordable health care centers and programs in Seneca County.

Increase Physical Activity
United Way works closely with Healthy Living Partnerships and Public Health to focus on workplace wellness. Our partnerships also focus on increasing the awareness of affordable and accessible fitness and wellness programs.

Environment
United Way of Seneca County funded partner agencies provide services that help families meet their basic needs including access to food through our food pantries, quality information and life skills including up-to-date health information to assist people with making healthy choices and avoid risky behavior. List of funded partner agencies focused on health

What You Can Do
We all win when our community is healthier. It takes an entire community to make a difference and we need you. What can you do?

GIVE
Whether your gift is big or small, every person, company and organization can have a positive impact.

ADVOCATE
With congressional debate heating-up around the deficit and potential changes to our current health laws, we are asking you to join us in contacting your Members of Congress to urge them not to compromise on the health of our children. Learn more

VOLUNTEER
Our food pantries, senior center and Meals on Wheels Program need continual volunteers on year round basis. Learn more

PARTNERING TO IMPROVE LIVES

The United Way of Seneca County partners with organizations that share the same view as us; that the way to improve lives is by mobilizing the caring power of communities. Our partners’ long-term commitments are essential to addressing key social issues, such as helping children and youth achieve their potential, promoting financial stability and independence, and improving people’s health.

Click here to view How Your United Way Dollars Work (pdf)

Click here to view a directory of United Way of Seneca County’s Funded Partner Agencies (pdf)

Click here to learn more about the Seneca County Partners for Children, Youth and Families Collaboration for Community Change

Thank you to our Community Partners that support the United Way!

Corporate and Banking:

• BonaDent, Inc.
• Community Bank NA
• Dryden Mutual Insurance Co.
• Galasso Foundation/Holiday Inn
• Gould’s Pumps- ITT Industries IPG
• M&T Bank
• Savannah Bank, N.A.
• Seneca Falls Savings Bank
• Seneca Meadows Landfill
• Summit Federal Credit Union
• Walmart

Small Business:

• Austin Physical Therapy
• Brady & Sons Agency, Inc.
• Coe-Genung Funeral Home
• Eagle Auto Center, Inc.
• Empire Hardware & Machinery
• Ferrara and Sons
• Fingerlakes1.com, Inc.
• Kelsey Construction Co.
• Nugent Hardware, Inc.
• Patchen Real Estate
• Reveille between the Lakes
• Robinette Jewelers
• Sessler Wrecking
• Swedish Hill Vineyard, Inc.
• Waterloo Eye Care

Organizations

• Seneca Falls Ladies Auxiliary #992
• Seneca Falls Rotary
• VFW Post 6200