• Introduction
• How is RUW Involved?
• Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
• Success by 6 ®
• Volunteer
• Information and Referral
• Member Agencies

Rappahannock United Way is not just a fundraiser, the historical image that many people still have in their minds. Today, Rappahannock United Way fulfills different roles depending on what the community and situation requires. RUW has played the role of convener, facilitator, data collector, resource mobilizer, and direct service provider. As the community changes, RUW’s roles will change as well.

Currently, RUW is a...

Convener:

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Coalition—RUW convenes the EITC Coalition, which educates low income workers about their eligibility for the EITC and provides low income families with free tax preparation and asset building information. During the 2005 tax season, the Coalition and volunteers returned more than $70,000 in tax refunds to 35 local hardworking families and to the local economy.

Success By 6® Early Childhood Coalition—Success By 6 is a community partnership created in 2001 to help parents and child care providers prepare children ages 0-6 for school so that they are ready to learn and achieve success in the years that follow. To date, Success By 6 has been focused on developing early literacy skills in children through the education of parents and childcare workers. Recently, RUW with the help of our partners broadened the Coalition to include representation from various community stakeholders in order to focus on the needs that prevent large numbers of children from entering school ready to succeed.

Partner:

Behavioral Health Taskforce - The Behavioral Health Taskforce is a collaboration of stakeholder organizations with a focus on mental health services provided to the community.

Behavioral Health Taskforce goals are to identify current mental health resources, eligibility and capacity, to identify unmet needs, service gaps and emerging trends, and to work together to tailor solutions to address identified needs through coordinated resources.

The Behavioral Health Taskforce meets monthly.

Community for a Coalition Without Violence - Rappahannock United Way along with 14 other community organizations works to create a coalition which mobilizes and energizes individuals, families, the faith community, businesses and agencies to join together to improve our community's quality of life by providing a safe environment where all individuals are respected and valued.
The CCWV sponsors an annual Family Fun Day each year which is a day of fun and learning for the community.

Planning District 16's Prevention Planning Partnership  - The Prevention Planning Partnership (PPP) is made up of over 25 agencies in the Greater Fredericksburg Area. It was developed to form a working group to provide guidance and direction to community agencies and faith based groups providing prevention programs and strategies to families in Planning District #16.
The PPP promotes the use of proven research-based programs and strategies, community collaborations, and long range planning based upon the assessment of local risk and protective factors.

Senior Advisory Council - With projections growing for the senior population in our communities, we are all struggling to prepare our communities as the baby boomers reach the magic age of 65.  A recent survey estimates that 88% of all elder care in Virginia is provided by family and friends.  Along with the increase in the senior population is the need for information about the different services that are provided in our community.

With all of this in mind the Senior Advisory Council was formed; a collaboration of community organizations and businesses all with the shared mission of serving seniors in our community. 

The purpose of the Senior Advisory Council is to develop awareness of public resources in our community among seniors and their caregivers.

The Senior Advisory Council members have worked together to produce the ‘Senior Tip Sheet’ a printed resource designed to promote independent, healthy living for our seniors. 

This year the Senior Advisory Council organized the first annual “Art of Aging – Life Begins at 50” an informational event for all those over 50 in our community.  The event attracted more than 500 seniors, featuring 80 vendors and 6 workshops promoting community information on health, wellness, recreation, dining, and financial issues to name a few – all free of charge.

The Senior Advisory Council meets quarterly.

Youth First Partnership - The Youth First Partnership formed in 2006.  It is a partnership of several agencies, Rappahannock United Way, Rappahannock Area Office on Youth, Orange County Office on Youth, Stafford County CSA, Spotsylvania County CSA, Fredericksburg CSA and Snowden in Fredericksburg.

The mission of the Youth First Partnership is “To build a stronger community by promoting collaborations amongst youth serving agencies.”

In January 2007 the Youth First Partnership organized the first annual “Youth First” event, an annual collaboration of community youth services.  The event delivered inspirational speakers, informational workshops and a wealth of youth service agency vendors.  The event was a great success with more than 200 attendees.

The Youth First Partnership meets monthly.

Direct Service Provider:

Volunteer Services— acts as a volunteer clearing house, promoting and recruiting volunteers to match the needs of local non profit agencies. For more information.

Information & Referral —a free and confidential service to the community provided by Rappahannock United Way. Callers speak to trained staff who refer callers to the appropriate resources to meet their need. Callers have a variety of needs including financial assistance, transportation, counseling, parent education resources, etc. For more information.

To join forces with Rappahannock United Way as a community partner or to find out more about any of the above collaborations contact us.