Program areas at MUW
Community impact: the community impact program carries out Mesa United Way's mission. This program brings Mesa United Way staff together with volunteers, agencies, and companies in Mesa to help members of the community lead better, more self-sufficient lives. Community impact is accomplished through funding agency and grant programs, developing, and executing initiatives, and building relationships between community members. Current initiatives are: 12 books/mesa youth unite program (literacy and hunger intervention for low-income and low-performing children between kindergarten and third grade), americorps (a volunteer service program providing support for foster care initiatives at helens hope chest), Mesa k-ready (a collaborative program offering innovative pre-school solutions), Mesa veterans resource center (resource navigation and essential services provided to veterans through a one-stop-shop center), vita (volunteer income tax assistance program providing free tax return preparation to low- to moderate-income families and individuals), helen's hope chest (clothing for foster and kinship families), and foster360 (resource navigation and homelessness intervention for aging-out foster youth).
12books strives to prevent poverty and improve life outcomes for disadvantaged children in Arizona by providing literacy resources and support critical to 4th grade reading proficiency. Literacy is essential for success in school and life, and we are committed to serving vulnerable kids in our communities with compassionate support. This work is completed through a virtual reading mentorship program and a book distribution. -18,982 books distributed-3,136 children in title i schools or foster care were served-266 volunteer hours donated to program-91% of students who participated in the virtual reading program for at least 6 weeks made growth in at least one area (phonics skills, reading accuracy, comprehension)-100% of surveyed parents saw increased reading motivation and enjoyment in their children
For more than 14 years, the Mesa United Way volunteer income tax assistance program (vita) has worked to ensure low-and-moderate income families receive tax preparation services, free of charge. Tax preparation services are costly, and many households cannot afford to file their taxes by the federal deadline. To assist in addressing this challenge, trained volunteer tax preparers dedicate their time to assist households with filing their personal taxes.-7,500 hours donated by 140 volunteer tax preparers-4,813 tax returns completed-$5.9 million dollars in refunds secured for community members-average federal refund of $1,600
Mvrc. Serving all who served. One team, one fight. On average, 22 veterans take their own lives per day. To ensure veterans receive the assistance they need, Mesa veterans resource center provides a centralized location offering comprehensive resources to access services and personal assistance. These resources include employment, transportation, navigation for housing and rental assistance, and veteran-focused support groups. Through its intensive case management services, veterans are able to receive the assistance they need to find stability and thrive.-753 veterans received services in fy23-482 veterans received assistance with benefits and/or claims-253 veterans received assistance with employment