United Way funds to help Tarrant residents Learn, Earn and Live Well

By Jessamy Brown

jessamybrown@star-telegram.com

United Way of Tarrant County's $32.6 million budget will target funding at programs to improve education, family financial stability and healthcare.

The spending plan for fiscal 2012, which started July 1, includes $12.2 million for 44 "community partner" organizations that provide basic health and human services for Tarrant County residents, such as the Women's Center of Tarrant County and Catholic Charities.

The Learn Well, Earn Well and Live Well initiatives, launched last year, will receive $5.2 million, $2.8 million of which is included in the allotments to community partners.

As part of the Learn Well initiative, United Way officials are working with the Arlington, Birdville and Fort Worth school districts to address on-time graduations, early grade reading, preschool readiness and middle school education.

Earn Well is a three-year program that provides lessons in reading, math and financial literacy, job skill training and free tax preparation to help 16,000 more low-income working families increase their financial stability.

Live Well is a three-year initiative aimed at helping 10,800 more people with Alzheimer's disease and diabetes get care at home to reduce hospital visits and admissions to nursing homes.

The bulk of the nonprofit organization's funding comes from its annual workplace fundraising campaign, which wrapped up June 14. More than 800 companies participated in the effort, which raised $22.5 million.

The partner organizations were told to expect slightly less allotment money because United Way is shifting more funding toward the three initiatives, officials said.

"We're in the middle of a transition period," said Tim McKinney, United Way of Tarrant County's president and chief executive officer. "We're trying to make a very significant improvement to those three areas."

The YWCA of Fort Worth & Tarrant County will get $352,305, down slightly from $360,867 in fiscal 2011, a YWCA spokeswoman said. That money will help pay for the YWCA's child-development programs for low-income and homeless families and its work to improve local child-care centers.

"United Way funds help bridge the gap between the tuition low-income parents can afford to pay for child care and the true cost of providing a high-quality child-care experience. This funding makes a real difference in the lives of the families served by the YWCA," said Linda Winkelman, YWCA's director of early childhood programs.

The United Way budget also includes:

$5.6 million for the United Way's Area Agency on Aging to aid older adults, people with disabilities and their caregivers.

$2 million for community services provided by United Way, including the 2-1-1 Texas program, a free information and referral telephone service.

$3.2 million for fundraising and administration costs.

$3.4 million for funding directed by donors to go to other United Way and community organizations.

$3.7 million from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and Fort Worth to administer homeless services.

Jessamy Brown, 817-390-7326

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