UNITED WAY OF SOUTH MISSISSIPPI
11975 SEAWAY ROAD NO B-170, GULFPORT, MS 39503 www.unitedwaysm.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: UNITED WAY LEADS POSITIVE CHANGE THAT TRANSFORMS OUR COMMUNITY AND IMPROVES PEOPLE'S LIVES IN OUR IMPACT AREA. WE ADVANCE THE COMMON GOOD BY INVESTING IN OUR GREATEST ASSET - OUR CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES - TO CREATE A BETTER TOMMORROW TODAY.

UNITED WAY LEADS POSITIVE CHANGE THAT TRANSFORMS OUR COMMUNITY AND IMPROVES PEOPLE'S LIVES.

UNITED WAY OF SOUTH MISSISSIPPI, WHICH SERVES HANCOCK, HARRISON, PEARL RIVER AND STONE COUNTIES, AWARDED MORE THAN $760,000 IN GRANTS IN FY 2019. GRANTS INCLUDED MULTI-YEAR COMMUNITY IMPACT GRANTS TO NINE LOCAL NONPROFIT AGENCIES CAREFULLY SELECTED BY A VOLUNTEER COMMUNITY INVESTMENT TEAM; EMERGENCY AND EMERGING NEEDS GRANTS, WHICH ADDRESSED COMMUNITY NEEDS THAT ARISE FROM CRISES OR TIME-SENSITIVE OPPORTUNITIES WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR HIGH IMPACT; PASS-THROUGH DISTRIBUTIONS; AND FUNDERS' GRANTS. ADDITIONAL IMPACT INITIATIVES INCLUDED THE FAMILYWIZE PRESCRIPTION DRUG SAVINGS CARD, WHICH SAVED SOUTH MISSISSIPPIANS $409,353 AND THE VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE (VITA) PROGRAM, WHICH RETURNED $319,779 TO THE AREA THROUGH FREE TAX PREPARATION SERVICES. DONORS WERE ALSO FREE TO DESIGNATE CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANY 501(C)(3) OR 509(A) ORGANIZATION.

DURING FY 2019, UNITED WAY OF SOUTH MISSISSIPPI WORKED TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS SCHOOL READINESS AND GRADE-LEVEL READING. ACCORDING TO THE ANNIE E. CASEY FOUNDATION 2020 KIDS COUNT DATA BOOK, 48% OF 3 AND 4 YEAR- OLDS IN MISSISSIPPI ARE NOT ENROLLED IN A PRESCHOOL PROGRAM. IN ADDITION, THE SAME STUDY INDICATES THAT 68% OF FOURTH GRADERS ARE NOT AT GRADE LEVEL PROFICIENCY IN READING. UWSM BELIEVES THE COMMUNITY'S MOST CRITICAL RESOURCES ARE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, AND THE ORGANIZATION INVESTED IN THOSE RESOURCES THROUGH SEVERAL EDUCATION INITIATIVES. INITIATIVES INCLUDED DOLLY PARTON'S IMAGINATION LIBRARY, WHICH DISTRIBUTED 12,546 FREE BOOKS TO OUR AREA'S CHILDREN; UNITED WAY READERS, WHICH PAIRED ADULT VOLUNTEERS WITH CHILDREN TO PROVIDE READING PRACTICE; THE LITTLE LIBRARY PROGRAM, WHICH PROMOTED NEIGHBORHOOD BOOK EXCHANGES THROUGH FREE, PUBLIC BOOKCASES; AND PREK4WARD, WHICH OFFERED FREE PRESCHOOL TO 137 AREA CHILDREN ACROSS FIVE CLASSROOMS. ADDITIONALLY, UWSM FUNDS THE NOURISHING PLACE'S ENHANCE AFTER SCHOOL TUTORING PROGRAM, WHICH PROVIDED 734 AREA CHILDREN WITH NEEDED TUTORING SERVICES.

IN FY 2019, UNITED WAY OF SOUTH MISSISSIPPI PROVIDED, THROUGH VOLUNTEERS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS, CRITICAL COMMUNITY SERVICES. VOLUNTEERS SIGNED UP FOR OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH THE ORGANIZATION'S DIRECTOR OF VOLUNTEERS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS AND WERE FIELDED IN THE COMMUNITY THROUGH EVENTS LIKE THE ANNUAL DAY OF ACTION. VOLUNTEERS LOGGED A TOTAL OF 10,871 HOURS WITH A MONETARY IMPACT OF $276,450. ADDITIONALLY, THE ORGANIZATION WORKED COLLABORATIVELY WITH THE GULF COAST HUB FOR VOLUNTEERS AND NONPROFITS TO PROVIDE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES FOR VOLUNTEERS. UWSM ALSO DIRECTED A DIAPER DRIVE AND "FILL THE BUS" SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE, WHICH GENERATED MUCH-NEEDED DONATIONS FOR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, SCHOOLS AND CHILDREN.

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