Can you imagine what it would be like to open up a book and only see letters on a page?
Or to have a pain in your stomach so strong you cannot focus on anything but that feeling? Not having the opportunity to learn and grow at the same rate as others unfortunately is an issue for some families in our community.
United Way Women in Philanthropy and the Women’s Leadership Council (WLC) are making headlines as they educate the community on the needs of working families. Working together with United Way, we know feeding the mind is just as important as filling stomachs. When we can give children the power to learn, nothing is impossible!
Brain development is so important in young children. Women in Philanthropy recognize that reading together builds strong minds, strong relationships, and helps set the stage for future success. As you would read to your child, snuggled in your lap, he or she begins to learn the joy of reading. Women in Philanthropy raise dollars to purchase books, which are personally delivered and read to the children. Helping to increase the number of readers, tutors and mentors in the community is important to keep children learning. What better way to learn than in the pages of a book?
Knowing that the women in this community wanted to do more with their time, talents and dollars, in 2010 the Women’s Leadership Council was formed. With the help of 82 founding women, the Leadership Council was ready to get started. Partnering with Boys & Girls Clubs of Lincoln/Lancaster County, CEDARS Youth Services, Community CROPS and the Food Bank of Lincoln, more than 9,000 days of care and over 4,500 food backpacks was provided the first year.We’re excited about the opportunity to educate the community and continue to grow our WLC membership. An increase in members means we will be able to assist more families in need and continue to work towards our goal of an 85% graduation rate in Lincoln Public Schools.
Our Mission is to inspire, educate and engage women in philanthropy, community service, advocacy and mentoring in order to positively impact the lives of people in our community. Over the past two years, the group has held a number of educational meetings in the workplace as well as the community. Educating and engaging women to get involved to make a difference. The impact it has had in the community can be seen in the faces of children as they study the pictures and read the words from books. Lincoln is a wonderful place, filled with giving families that want to help their neighbors succeed.
If you would like more information on how you can get involved, we invite you to join us. For more information on United Way and the Women in Philanthropy, contact Lona Thompson at lthompson@unitedwaylincoln.org or (402) 441-7700.