United Way is putting your dollars to work

We're working toward lasting change, and making every contribution count

United Way is meeting needs today and working for lasting change—that’s progress. Just think of the potential when you give more to United Way!

Issue: 13.1% of Elgin residents do not have health insurance, compared to 7.5% of the Kane County population.

Progress: Thanks to United Way’s Community Fund 55,362 individuals will receive services including healthcare, crisis intervention, and counseling.

Potential: An estimated 55% of uninsured children in our region are eligible for public insurance programs but aren’t getting them. Outreach efforts to families in other communities have shown promise in increasing access to healthcare.

Issue: 33% of children who enter school are not ready to learn.

Progress: Each year, United Way provides 8,000 "Getting Ready for Kindergarten" calendars to families with 3-4 year olds, which offer simple everyday activities for parents and caregivers to do with their children to help prepare them to enter kindergarten ready to succeed. Also, United Way launched the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program for the Elgin, South Elgin, Hampshire, and Burlington communities. The program provides children every month with an age-appropriate book until their fifth birthday.

Potential: A quality education for preschoolers is proven to improve graduation rates, but only 25% of children eligible for programs such as Head Start are being served.

Issue: People make an average of 12 phone calls before finding the right agency for help.

Progress: United Way led the way in bringing an Internet-based “one-stop shopping” for almost any social, health, or human service need in Kane County. The Kane County Guide to Community Services, www.kanecountyguide.org, has received over 400,000 page hits since the launch in November 2006. People are getting connected.

Potential: Adding additional program information for available services would help people connect to even more services every day -- and especially during this economic crisis our country is facing.

Issue: 12% of people in Elgin live at or below the Federal Poverty Level and about 13% of the under 18 population is living in poverty.

Progress: United Way partnered with the Center for Economic Progress to provide the free tax program. Last year they completed 992 returns for $1.9 million in tax refunds for people whose income for a family was $50,000 or less and individuals with an income of $25,000 or less.

Potential: Millions of dollars in tax credits are left unclaimed in Elgin each year. Expanding free tax preparation sites will help hard-working, low income people afford basic needs like food and housing.

Issue: There is an upward trend in the number of arrests of juveniles in the past few years. In 2007, there were 479 juvenile crimes recorded. Charges range from curfew violations to theft to assault and battery.

Progress: United Way is collaborating with after-school partners to ensure that children have a safe place to go after school with positive role models. After-school programs worked with almost 2,000 youth to increase academic success teach character values and leadership skills and develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Potential: It is critical that the gap between 2:00 and 8:00 pm be filled with opportunities for young people to take part in positive activities. Filling this gap between these hours directly combats the potential high-risk behavior that young people could take part in or be a victim of.

Results Matter

United Way’s Community Fund:

Your gift to United Way of Elgin changes people's lives like this every day. If you'd like to make a gift to United Way now, click here.