Have you ever rocked an abused child to sleep? Given shelter to a homeless family? Provided tutoring to a struggling child? You have when you've given to United Way of South Hampton Roads.

For more than 85 years, United Way has brought people together with the passion and expertise to create opportunities for all. Our focus is on Education, Financial Stability, and Health - the building blocks for a good quality of life. With a quality education, a stable job and access to affordable health services, people thrive.

Every parent's dream is for their children to succeed – and for the next generation to be more successful than the last. Far too often a child in South Hampton Roads enters kindergarten without the basic skills to learn.

Last year, our community could have saved $120 Million in tax dollars if all the children who were not promoted to the next grade would have passed. For every child who has to repeat a grade, it costs the school system and tax payers on average $10,000 per student. United Way is committed to engaging families in their children's education from birth through high school. Through our Raising A Reader program, we ensure that children have the foundation they need to be ready to learn. Each week, over 12,000 preschool students receive bright red book bags filled with story books. These books inspire all families, regardless of their reading abilities, to share books. Since Raising A Reader's inception, the kindergarten retention rate has been cut by 50%.

Pay rent or buy groceries? Working families struggle with this decision every month in our community.

Approximately 1 out of every 10 people in our region live in poverty and over 1,400 people are homeless on any given day in South Hampton Roads. United Way is committed to providing a safety net for our friends and neighbors. We not only give you shoes, we provide you with the opportunity to get back on your feet.

This year United Way's Financial Stability Coalition in partnership with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program helped hard working families keep $2.8 Million of their own money in their pockets this past tax season. The Financial Coalition also facilitates financial workshops for youth groups, clients of homeless and domestic violence shelters, other non-profits, and employer groups.

A child with a toothache is unable to concentrate in school and succeed. A family without health insurance is often overwhelmed to the point of bankruptcy by the financial burdens of an illness. Seniors without prescription assistance have to make frightening decisions on which medicine they can afford and which ones they will go without. If you're unhealthy, you can't live up to your full potential.

In South Hampton Roads, there are more than 123,000 persons in our region without health insurance and that includes dental care. Through our Oral Health Initiative partnered with Access Partnership and Landmark Communications, United Way is working to create a well coordinated safety-net of oral health services available to the uninsured. So far, we've provided an estimated $143,725 worth of dental services through dental outreaches across the community.

Nearly 40% of the U.S. population doesn't buy medicine they need or reduce the required dosage because of the high cost. Through our work with FamilyWize, $3.4 million has been saved by local residents on medications who have used these free, prescription discount cards.

Change can only happen when we all work together.

Encouraging individual and organizational participation is vital to continuing the mission of United Way of South Hampton Roads. Based on current community needs, we bring together local volunteer leaders from corporate partners, non-profits, and others organizations with the passion, expertise and commitment to creating lasting change in South Hampton Roads.

Our volunteers, people just like you, work together on panels to visit with each agency, learn their needs, and allocate the dollars. This year, we started a new process, focused on specific program outcomes that align with our focus on Education, Financial Stability, and Health.