$33,000 to The Community Children's Dental Center

The Community Children’s Dental Center is a non-profit full service pediatric dental practice dedicated to caring for children up to 21 years of age who are covered by Medicaid, FAMIS and FAMIS Plus. Their mission is to provide quality dental care to under served children in our community. They place emphasis on education about oral health issues, encouraging personal responsibility and promoting routine preventive service.

On September 15, 2009, Director, Ellen Tobey, along with Board Chair and Founder, Dr. William Viglione, accepted the grant of $33,000 on behalf of The Community Children's Dental Center. Ellen Tobey graciously expressed her gratitude in a letter to Women United donors in the November 2009 newsletter: "Please know that the return on your investment is multi-faceted; it is basic wellness treatment that prevents serious chronic disease such as heart disease, diabetes, abscess leading to septic infection, and other terrible conditions. And of course, then we have the smile! The smile of a teenager who has perfect healthy teeth and an improved self-esteem, leading to better grades at
school (we hope!) and improved social acceptance at all levels."

 

 

 

$36,000 to Smart Beginnings

Smart Beginnings is a comprehensive public/private approach to make our community a place where children grow up healthy and arrive at school prepared to succeed.

On March 16, 2009 Kathy Glazer, Director of Virginia's Office of Early Childhood Development; Miriam Rushfinn, Coordinator of the Smart Beginnings Program; and Jon Nafziger, United Way Vice President for Community Initiatives spoke to a WUP group on the progress of the Smart Beginnings Initiative and how their $36,000 grant is being utilized. The Seal of Quality Child Care received $12,500 of the grant to be used in Child Care Scholarships and as incentives for providers to join the Seal system; family support received $5,000 for parent resources and Latino family resources; $6,500 went to transition to kindergarten pilots including the School Readiness Report; and $12,00 towards the Smart Beginnings Director and business/community engagement. Today Smart Beginnings continues to work on making kids "Ready for school. Ready for life."

$19,300 to the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and $14,525 to Children Youth and Family Services (CYFS)

The IRC provides opportunities for refugees to thrive in America. Each year, thousands of refugees are invited by the U.S. government to seek safety and freedom.  Forced to flee conflict or persecution, many have survived for years against incredible odds. They step off the plane with next to nothing but their dignity, hope and determination.  In Charlottesville, the IRC helps them rebuild their lives. On November 17, 2007 Susan Donovan, the IRC's Executive Director, and colleague, Miran Dickey, accepted the $19,300 WUP grant and discussed how the grant will benefit refugee high school students in our area. Susan noted that not only do teenage refugees have to learn English as a second language, but they also must figure out how to fit into a social and cultural world that is often very different from their own. With this grant, the students will have access to support and counseling as they transition into their new life in Charlottesville.

CYFS, who focuses on children age 0-18 years old, meets kids and families where they are (physically, socially and emotionally) with the goal to have kids develop the skills, knowledge, experiences they need to become productive adults. At the WUP meeting on September 17, 2007 Jacki Bryant, Executive Director of CYFS, reported their WUP grant enabled the continuation of their Victims of Child Abuse (VOCA) program which provides counseling for children and their non-offending family members. Their amazing work was highlighted further through a thank you letter from a client who granted WUP the right to share her story in the April 2008 WUP Newsletter.

 

$15,000 to the Jefferson Area Child Health Investment Partnership (CHIP)

Jefferson Area CHIP helps low-income families with preschool children improve family health and self-sufficiency. Children 0-6 and pregnant women are the point of entry into the program and are served based on demonstration of need. Some characteristics of families enrolled include: 26.3% of moms are teens, 64% are single parents, 16% pay more than one half of their income towards rent, and 94% are on Medicaid/FAMIS/FAMIS Plus.

WUP's $15,000 grant enabled CHIP to purchase a van for staff to transport families across the community to a variety of medical appointments. Families who get to medical care appointments stay in better health and do not need to use emergency departments or ambulances when their children need care, saving the community even more money!