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Monday, October 17, 2011
Did you know that 41 percent of renters in Buncombe County now pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing? According to the Consolidated Strategic Housing and Community Development Plan, the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) has the most expensive housing of any MSA in North Carolina, even though the median income is below the state figure and hourly wages are well below state averages.When the Smithfield family rented a home last year, the landlord promised them the property would be up to code within two months. However, as the months passed by, still no work had been done. The Smithfields and their four children were...
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
As we reach the mid-point of our annual fundraising campaign, let’s keep our eyes on the prize – raising as much money as we can to support United Way’s critical work in Education, Income and Health! Then, on Nov. 4, we’ll celebrate our success and honor those who made it possible at our annual LIVE UNITED Celebration. As always, we'll eat well, laugh hard, applaud loud and be back to work on time!This year we will be at Crowne Plaza and enjoy a buffet breakfast. Tickets are $15… but, if you act now, there's a 20% early bird discount! Get details and purchase tickets here. We look forward to seeing you there!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Do you want to know how the Asheville City Council candidates responded to questions dealing with housing, child poverty, the transit system, living wage, education and more? Click on 2011 City Council Candidate Questionnaire to see how the candidates responded.
This candidate survey was undertaken by Children First/Communities In Schools (CIS) of Buncombe County. United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County is proud to be one of many sponsors.
Monday, September 12, 2011
In this edition of the BTC Brief they analyze the impact state budget cuts could have on our western North Carolina economy and workforce. Read it here.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Follow Detective Bill Dingblocks (Get it? building blocks! Go ahead and groan.) as he searches for people who Give, Advocate and Volunteer.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Imagine you are at the grocery store, and the cashier notices that you’ve got a certain product and that it is buy one get one free. She tells you to go and get your free product while she finishes ringing you up. Sweet!
Situations like that can make us feel good, like someone is watching out for us. In however small a way, someone noticed us and wanted to make sure we were taken care of.
2-1-1 Referral Specialists do their best to look out for every caller. Here’s an example:John called to find out about food pantries. While pulling up locations, Elizabeth, a 2-1-1 Referral Specialist, asked a little more about his situation. John is...
Friday, July 15, 2011
Once again we are thrilled to have a City of Asheville Youth Leadership Academy (CAYLA) intern with us for the summer. Calvin Clark joined us a few weeks ago and today several of our staff spent some time with all the CAYLA interns to get their thoughts on the issues facing our community in the area of Education. When asked about the biggest take-away from her time with the students, Ann Von Brock had this to say; "I realized that they (teens) have important ideas to share but they don’t always feel that people (parents, teacher, and other adults) really listen to what they have to say. They want to be involved and they want to be heard. ...
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Big thanks go out to Dr. Hoskins who gave us a supply of toothbrushes and toothpaste today. We'll be including them in every fully-stocked backpack that we put together for students this fall.
Donations will be accepted until July 22. If you'd like to be a part of this effort, be sure to visit Hands On Asheville-Buncombe where you can get a list of the school supplies needed as well as information about the different drop-off sites.
Friday, July 8, 2011
A few days ago I stood in line behind a woman attempting to get her medications. There were a lot. I couldn't help overhear her conversation with the pharmacist - a difficult one where he attempted to help her decide which ones were the true priority for her immediate life safety and which she could hold off on for a few weeks until she could find the money. It was excruciating to watch as she told her young daughter to sit to the side while she conferred with the pharmacist.
I didn't know if it would help in her specific situation, but I did approach her and share that there is a discount prescription drug card available free of charge...
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
"Ann Young, general counsel for Mission Health System, won the chamber's Athena Award, given to a woman who personifies professional excellence. Young, who has worked for Mission since 1981, helped implement a program that gives patients with pressing legal needs access to the local nonprofit Pisgah Legal Services. She's also volunteered with organizations such as the YMCA and United Way of Asheville-Buncombe County." taken from the Asheville Citizen-Times article
Ann has been an incredible friend to us at United Way for over twenty years and we particularly appreciate her leadership as Board Chair for the last two. There's no way...