United Way Of The Piedmont Inc

UNITED WAY OF THE PIEDMONT'S MISSION IS TO CONNECT, ENGAGE AND INSPIRE PEOPLE TO TRANSFORM OUR COMMUNITY. UNITED WAY OF THE PIEDMONT SERVES SPARTANBURG, CHEROKEE, AND UNION COUNTIES OF UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA. THE PROPOSED VISTA PROJECT ALIGNS WITH THE EDUCATION, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, AND HEALTHY FUTURES FOCUS AREAS. THE VISTA PROJECT WILL SEEK TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES K-12, FINANCIAL SERVICES-RELATED ASSISTANCE TO ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED PEOPLE TO IMPROVE THEIR FINANCIAL LITERACY, HOUSING SITUATIONS, AND EMPLOYMENT, AND PROVIDE SERVICES TO INDIVIDUALS IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES TO GAIN ACCESS TO PREVENTATIVE AND PRIMARY BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE SERVICES AS WELL AS A NEW FOCUS ON FOOD ACCESS IN CHEROKEE COUNTY. SPECIFIC FOCUS WILL BE GIVEN TO INVEST RESOURCES IN RURAL COMMUNITIES SERVED BY UNITED WAY OF THE PIEDMONT. UNITED WAY OF THE PIEDMONT EXPECTS TO BENEFIT THOUSANDS OF CITIZENS IN A THREE-COUNTY FOOTPRINT. UNITED WAY OF THE PIEDMONT WILL RECRUIT & DEPLOY TWENTY VISTA MEMBERS (18 MEMBERS & 2 VISTA LEADERS) WHO WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE GOALS OF THE PROJECT BY PERFORMING ACTIVITIES SUCH AS COORDINATION OF INTER-AGENCY COLLABORATION, RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT, AND PROGRAM, CURRICULUM, AND DATABASE DEVELOPMENT. UNITED WAY IS PREPARED TO MATCH THIS GRANT WITH SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING TO SUPPORT A ROBUST PROGRAM. THIS PROJECT WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED OVER THE COURSE OF THREE YEARS.

VISTA STATE

RETIRED AND SENIOR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

ESTIMATED TOTAL FUNDS REFER TO THE FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR CASH GRANTS WHILE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF GRANTS EQUALS TOTAL OF ALL AMERICORPS VISTA PROJECTS, TH

ENGAGES PERSONS 55 AND OLDER IN VOLUNTEER SERVICE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES

RETIRED AND SENIOR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

RETIRED AND SENIOR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

UNITED WAY OF THE PIEDMONT, SPONSOR OF THE RETIRED AND SENIOR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM OF SPARTANBURG COUNTY, ENVISIONS A COMMUNITY WHERE INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES LIVE UNITED AS AN EDUCATED, FINANCIALLY STABLE, AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY. RSVP OF SPARTANBURG COUNTY CURRENTLY HAS 73 ACTIVE, UNDUPLICATED VOLUNTEER PARTICIPANTS. SOME OF THE PROGRAM'S ACTIVITIES CURRENTLY INCLUDE DELIVERING AND SERVING MEALS IN SOUP KITCHENS, MENTORING AND TUTORING, DELIVERING HEALTH CARE SERVICES, AND PREPARING TAXES FOR LOW INCOME AND ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS. FOR THE 2017 ? 2020 GRANT CYCLE, AN ESTIMATED 100 UNDUPLICATED VOLUNTEERS WILL SERVE. OF THIS NUMBER, 58% WILL BE PLACED IN OUTCOMES-BASED ASSIGNMENTS. SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES INCLUDE LEADING FINANCIAL LITERACY CLASSES, ASSISTING WITH VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE (VITA), AND HELPING WITH GED CLASSES. THE PRIMARY FOCUS AREA OF THIS PROJECT IS PROVIDING FINANCIAL LITERACY SERVICES SENIORS AND DISABLED ADULTS, ALLOWING THEM TO AGE IN PLACE. AT THE END OF THE THREE-YEAR GRANT CYCLE, 100 INDIVIDUALS WILL RECEIVE FINANCIAL LITERACY SERVICES, 10 VETERANS AND VETERANS? FAMILY MEMBERS WILL RECEIVE CNCS-SUPPORTED ASSISTANCE, 20 ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED INDIVIDUALS WILL RECEIVE SKILL DEVELOPMENT SERVICES (GED), AND 30 ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED INDIVIDUALS WILL HAVE THEIR TAXES COMPLETED THROUGH VITA. THIS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY PARTNERING WITH LOCAL NONPROFIT AGENCIES WHO ARE CURRENTLY SERVING SENIORS, DISABLED ADULTS, VETERANS, AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED POPULATIONS AND IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UNITED WAY OF THE PIEDMONT?S FINANCIAL STABILITY INITIATIVE. RSVP OF SPARTANBURG COUNTY HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO RAISE BASELINE FUNDING. THE AMOUNT OF FEDERAL FUNDS WOULD INCREASE FROM $26,899 TO $40,000 IN THIS PROPOSAL. UNITED WAY OF THE PIEDMONT WILL LEVERAGE THE ADDITIONAL FEDERAL FUNDS TO HIRE AN RSVP COORDINATOR AND INCREASE THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT / LONG-DISTANCE TRAVEL BUDGET FOR THE RSVP DIRECTOR. FOR THE LAST NINE YEARS, RSVP OF SPARTANBURG COUNTY WAS PERMITTED TO HAVE A PART-TIME RSVP DIRECTOR. SINCE APRIL 2016, UNITED WAY OF THE PIEDMONT HAS IDENTIFIED SEVERAL DATA COLLECTION ERRORS THAT WERE MADE IN PRIOR GRANTS AND HAS SOUGHT TO BRING ALL RSVP POLICIES INTO COMPLIANCE. THIS PROCESS HAS DEMONSTRATED THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL STAFF SUPPORT TO EFFECTIVELY AND ACCURATELY MANAGE THE RSVP PROGRAM. THE CURRENT RSVP DIRECTOR IS UNABLE TO MOVE TO FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT, SO UNITED WAY OF THE PIEDMONT PROPOSES KEEPING THAT POSITION AS A 24 HOUR / WEEK PART-TIME POSITION AND HIRING A 16 HOUR / WEEK PART-TIME RSVP COORDINATOR TO ASSIST WITH ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS. THE ADDITIONAL STAFF SUPPORT WILL ENABLE RSVP OF SPARTANBURG COUNTY TO CONTINUE TO PERFORM AT THE HIGHEST STANDARDS. SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDS WILL BE ALLOCATED TOWARD PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR THE RSVP DIRECTOR. THIS STAFF MEMBER HAS BEEN WITH UNITED WAY OF THE PIEDMONT SINCE JULY 2016. THE RSVP COORDINATOR AND THE PROGRAM WILL BENEFIT FROM HAVING A LEADER WITH ENHANCED KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROGRAM AND VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT BEST PRACTICES. CAREFULLY UTILIZING THE REQUESTED $40,000 IN GRANT FUNDING, UNITED WAY OF THE PIEDMONT WILL SUPPLEMENT THE PROGRAM WITH AN ADDITIONAL $27,792. THE RESULT OF THE THREE-YEAR GRANT WILL BE AN OUTSTANDING RSVP SPARTANBURG PROGRAM WHICH HAS RETAINED AND RECRUITED A TOTAL OF 100 ACTIVE VOLUNTEERS AND HAS PRODUCED MEASURABLE OUTCOMES IN THESE VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES.

THE SPARTANBURG AND CHEROKEE VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE COALITION

VISTA RECOVERY SUPPORT GRANTS

THE SPARTANBURG COUNTY VOLUNTEER TAX ASSISTANCE COALITION

VITA GRANT PROGRAM