OUR WORK Education, income and health are the building blocks for a good life. Education is essential to getting and keeping a job with a livable wage and health benefits. An income adequate to pay for today’s necessities and save for the future provides families some sense of financial stability. Access to quality health care keeps children on track in school and adults productive at work.
Working with many partners, United Way of Seneca County continually works to advance the common good in these three focus areas:
Helping Children and Youth Achieve Their Potential Through Education
- Improving access to quality, affordable child care and early learning opportunities
- Partnering with schools and parents to improve graduation rates
- Providing after school and mentoring programs
Helping Families Become Financially Stable and Independent
- Supporting basic needs while increasing financial education
- Helping hardworking people obtain job training and family-sustaining wages
- Increasing affordable housing for seniors and families
Improving People’s Health
- Increasing access to critical healthcare services
- Reducing substance abuse, child abuse and domestic violence
- Increasing health education and preventive care
It takes everyone in the community working together to create a brighter future.
We invite you to join us in becoming a part of that change by Living United through Giving, Advocating, or Volunteering. Together, when we LIVE UNITED we can make a real difference in our community.
Every year, more than 1 million students fail to get their diplomas on time in the United States. Youth who drop out of high school face the likelihood of reduced employment opportunities and earnings potential and may be at a greater risk for needing public assistance. High school dropout rates have also been correlated with increased likelihood of teen pregnancy. The dropout rate for Seneca County has fluctuated between 3% and 4.9% since 1996-97. Teen pregnancy rates in Seneca County have continually increased over the past decade, in 2004 the pregnancy rate was 26.4%.
To decrease the number of high school dropouts, United Way of Seneca County has set the following goals:
- Increase the number of children entering school on track with literacy, social, emotional and intellectual skills.
- Boost the number of fourth-graders reading at grade level.
- Help more young adults transition from school to work, whether that’s college, training or a job.
We are committed to improving education for children of all ages throughout Seneca County, working to help young kids prepare to enter school, improving graduation rates by partnering with schools and parents and providing after-school mentoring programs for all youth through our grant funded Surge After School Program.
Statistics from: The Seneca County Community Profile - The United Way of America
The community and family issues that stem from the economic and financial pressures facing individuals and their families are growing increasingly complex and more difficult to address. Wages have not kept pace with the rising cost of housing, healthcare, and education in many areas, and skill levels have not stayed in alignment with changing industry needs. As a result, more than 12 percent of the U.S. population has an income below the federal poverty level, in spite of the fact that many are employed, some with two or three jobs.
In Seneca County, from 1990 – 2004 the median household income in real dollars declined 7%. In 2004, 3,690 Seneca County residents were officially living below the federally-defined poverty level, including 1,171 children.
With your help, United Way of Seneca County is working to improve financial stability in Seneca County. We do this by:
- Providing greater stability for working families through community partnerships that will increase income, build savings and provide opportunities to gain and sustain assets
- Providing job-skills training, affordable childcare and educational opportunities
- Promoting financial stability and independence by partnering with Seneca County Workforce Development through the Earned Income Tax Credit and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance programs.
Volunteers Needed
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sponsored by the Seneca County’s Division of Human Services and the United Way is looking for volunteers to help people file tax returns.
Click here to learn more (pdf)
Statistics from: The Seneca County Community Profile - The United Way of America
The number of Americans without health insurance has increased steadily since the beginning of the century, now totaling about 47 million. Nearly 9 million of these are children, and more than 8 out of 10 are from working families.
Nearly 12% of Seneca County residents (about 3,800 individuals) did not have health insurance in 2000. Among these residents, almost 700 children also lacked health insurance.
Health is such a basic need, it impacts every aspect of a person’s daily life. A family without health insurance is often overwhelmed to the point of bankruptcy by the financial burdens of an illness. Seniors without prescription assistance have to make frightening decisions on which medicine they can afford and which ones they will go without.
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 so they can lead safe, healthy, and rewarding lives. We support local health and human service programs as well as partners with local advocates, faith leaders, healthcare professionals, the business community, and policy makers to create sustainable answers to the current healthcare crisis.
Join United Way and make our community stronger by ensuring families receive the healthcare they need to stay healthy and thrive. Every day our friends, neighbors and colleagues are forced to live with the fear of getting sick or injured. We can make a difference and the time is now.
Statistics from: The Seneca County Community Profile - The United Way of America
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
