North Texas Area United Way
FUNDED AGENCIES/PROGRAMS
Child Care Partners – Quality Childcare: Provides high quality child care to low-income children birth to age 5. The program utilizes a curriculum approach, including teachers’ observations in the classroom, as well as supportive and reflective supervision and objective monitoring of meeting standards.
Communities In Schools (CIS) – ACE (Afterschool Centers on Education): Provides research-based learning opportunities outside of the regular school day to students in need of academic assistance and enrichment opportunities by developing highly effective, structured programs on designated Wichita Falls ISD campuses; focuses on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), fine arts, physical education, college/career readiness, and literacy.
Helen Farabee Centers – PACK (Pursuing Alternative Choices Through Knowledge): The PACK program increases quality services for at-risk youth through incorporating comprehensive substance abuse and mental services for CIS enrolled high-risk youth. Program strives to achieve outcomes related to increasing grades, decreasing truancy, decreasing substance abuse and reducing problem behaviors in youth enrolled in the program.
Iowa Park Recreational Activity Center – RAC PAC Kids: RAC PAC Kids (Recreational Activity Club’s Playful, Artistic, and Creative Kids in Developmental Stages) operates as a licensed out-of-school time program that promotes education retention and provides affordable youth enrichment activities for families with school age children. In collaboration with the Iowa Park CISD, RAC PAC utilizes the school’s facilities to help prevent latch-key kids in our community.
Southside Youth Senter – Summer Learning Program: The Summer Learning program focuses on continuity of education during summer months. SYS currently serves approximately 100 students in the afterschool and sports programs.
YMCA – Early Childhood Education: Provides early childhood education that primarily focuses on learning through playing to develop the child’s physical, sensory, communicational, cognitive, emotional, and social development. Children learn the importance of making choices, taking turns, developing language skills and working in a group while they play games and create using their imaginations.
Zavala Hispanic Cultural Initiative – The Road to College and Beyond: The Road to College and Beyond is a college readiness initiative designed to education economically disadvantaged parents and students regarding the essential step necessary for realizing a post-secondary education. The program focuses on creating a college-going culture in the home, working with families to promote school achievement, and initiate best practices for coaching students in college preparedness.
Catholic Charities – Community Connections: Community Connections provides professional case management services, financial coaching, information and program referrals to families in person and over the phone. The program seeks to ensure individuals and families receive needed resources to achieve self-sufficiency.
Wichita Adult Literacy Council (WALC) – Building Lives of Families through Education and Income: WALC serves low-income adult’s ages 18 through seniors with the purpose of increasing financial stability through job training and financial education. The Building Lives of Families program collaborates with community entities to offer “one-stop” financial stability services including interviewing skills; resume assistance; job search; skills identification and development, GED, ESL, literacy, college and vocational training.
Senior Citizens Activity Center of Burkburnett – Meals on Wheels and Congregate Meals: Meals on Wheels program provides one nutritious noon meal Monday through Friday to seniors 60 years of age and older. Congregate meals provides center-based meals to individuals over 60. Additional components include community referrals, access to transportation, health services and educational programs.
THE Kitchen – Meals on Wheels: Hot balanced meals are delivered Monday through Friday to the elderly and disabled in Wichita Falls and Archer City. The intent is to improve the dietary intakes of participants and to offer opportunities to form new friendships and to create informal support networks.
Big Brothers, Big Sisters – Professionally pairs at-risk children aged 6-18 with a volunteer mentor who has been screened and trained for the purpose of making a match that will last for one year or longer. As the mentor/child relationship grows, children gain self-confidence. They also develop decision-making kills and future orientated outlook which helps them to overcome obstacles and negative environments inherent in the low-income, single-parent households in which they reside.
Habitat for Humanity – Corporate Challenge: Provides a low-income family with a safe, decent, affordable home. Habitat also requires each individual/family receiving a house to attend and pass a 6 week financial training course.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) – Ending the Silence and Parents and Teachers as Allies: Ending the Silence is a mental health awareness program for all middle school to college age students. The program teaches students about symptoms and indicators of mental illness, negative impacts of stigmas, and raises suicide awareness and prevention. Parents and Teachers as Allies is a nationally recognized on-site health presentation for teachers to help improve the lives of those students that may be affected by a mental illness. School personnel are in a prime position to help students and their families navigate challenging territory of mental illness. Both programs work to educate the community on early warning signs of mental illness and resources for those who may be affected.
Teen Court – School Courts & Campus Courts: Both programs are designed to provide youth an alternative to the traditional legal through education and redirection that enables them to realize their full potential as citizens of the community. Teen Court is a peer driven judicial system serving first offender youth with school violations.