United Way of Southeast Missouri unveils child care, transportation plans at campaign kickoff

United Way of Southeast Missouri (UWSEMO) launched its 70th season of giving Thursday, Aug. 31, during its annual Campaign Kickoff event. Dozens of industry leaders flocked to VFW Post No. 3838 in Cape Girardeau for the occasion.

"We are very grateful that some of the leading employers in our region see the benefit of investing in area nonprofits. We could not do the work that we do without the incredible support we receive from these employers and their generous employees," UWSEMO executive director Elizabeth Shelton told the audience.

Shelton hosted the kickoff alongside UWSEMO's director of market development Mark Stone and board of directors president Brooke Roth. Many other staff and board members were in attendance, as well as representatives from the 30 organizations UWSEMO is aiding this campaign.

"We do not just give funding to an organization," Shelton said. "We support a specific program that helps fill our mission and our commitment to the community. Many of the programs we support help people who are in dire situations. The real power of the United Way network occurs when this collective group tackles the issues that create (problems) in the first place."

Across its 30 partner groups, UWSEMO will help fund 34 programs. Representatives met with attendees seated at their tables to let them know more about how their programs function.

Representatives from United Way of Southeast Missouri's 30 partner groups pitched their organization's benefits to tablemates during Thursday's campaign kickoff. This was a new initiative to build closer connections between interested donors and the programs they'd be supporting.CHRISTOPHER BORRO

Representatives from United Way of Southeast Missouri's 30 partner groups pitched their organization's benefits to tablemates during Thursday's campaign kickoff. This was a new initiative to build closer connections between interested donors and the programs they'd be supporting.CHRISTOPHER BORRO

"We do want you to share what you learned with your friends and colleagues, because much of the work you learned about will not continue without continued support from corporate investors, our workplace campaigns, our individual donors and you," Shelton told the audience afterward.

During the campaign kickoff, Shelton, Stone and Roth went over some recent successes United Way has had. These include launching an education coalition to boost graduation rates at Cape Central High School from 68% in 2011 to 89% in 2020, as well as expanding a K-2 Read to Succeed reading program to four Cape Girardeau elementary schools.

The UWSEMO leadership also announced its future goals of expanding child care and transportation access. Stone said those two areas had been identified through surveys by employers and job seekers as the biggest local obstacles to employment.

Shelton said there are more than 5,000 families in Cape Girardeau County with children younger than 5 years old to take care of, but there are only 25 licensed child care facilities countywide.

She explained how UWSEMO provided a new child care provider with a grant to expand her facility and got her in touch with Procter & Gamble to service parents who work there. Like the education coalition, UWSEMO is also forming a child care coalition to brainstorm more ways of increasing child care access in the region.

United Way of Southeast Missouri leadership at Thursday's campaign kickoff included, from left to right, executive director Elizabeth Shelton, board of directors president Brooke Roth and director of market development Mark Stone. The three also announced various awards given to impactful volunteers, donors and organizations.CHRISTOPHER BORRO

United Way of Southeast Missouri leadership at Thursday's campaign kickoff included, from left to right, executive director Elizabeth Shelton, board of directors president Brooke Roth and director of market development Mark Stone. The three also announced various awards given to impactful volunteers, donors and organizations.CHRISTOPHER BORRO

The group also aims to create a transportation coalition to address similar problems.

Members have raised money to install five covered bus benches and are now waiting to receive said benches. A new program called United We Work aims to help new employees overcome employment obstacles starting with transportation.

This program would provide them with transportation vouchers for the first month of their job, with additional financial empowerment opportunities to help participants create a budget and avoid the need for transportation in the future.

Stone said this program could also include microloans from banking partners to help new employees work on buying homes.

As part of a larger alliance of Missouri United Way groups, the Southeast Missouri chapter revealed a new statewide initiative to use Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding to promote self-sufficiency among new workers.

Participants would need to be low-income, have at least one child and participate in the Missouri Work Assistance Program. United Way groups met with Gov. Mike Parson and legislators to explore a more effective distribution of TANF funds.

"Due to the foresight and collective power of our state association, $5 million in temporary assistance funds will be distributed to needy families by the United Ways throughout Missouri," Shelton said. "Based on the most recent census, more than $100,000 of those funds will come into Southeast Missouri."

Stone said many details of these plans still need to be finalized, but the goal is to use TANF funds to bolster transportation and child care access.