Community Initiatives

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United Way is a catalyst for proactive and lasting change at the root causes of challenges facing greater Stark County. As a convener, partner, advocate and issue educator partnering with government, education institutions, foundations, key funders and community leaders on countywide agendas, United Way of Greater Stark County works to address the urgent needs facing our community.

Physicians have always provided charity health care. They see established
patients who have lost their health insurance, or agree to care for a fellow
physician’s patient who needs specialized care. This network is informal,
and arranging care for a single patient can be time consuming and
frustrating.

When implemented, Access Health Stark County will coordinate charity
health care for the uninsured, low income residents of Stark County
who have no other resource for health care. With the support of the Stark
County Medical Society, Access Health will bring together area hospital systems,
rehabilitation facilities, community health centers, health departments,
ancillary services, and others, along with participating community physicians to
facilitate a service delivery network and case management.

For more information about Access to Health Care, call (330) 445-1079 or email accesshealth@neo.rr.com.

Bridges Out of Poverty examines sources and impact of generational poverty on families and communities, reveals the hidden rules and norms of social class, and supports addressing and solving generational poverty at the community level. It begins with a mental model of prosperity and addresses poverty across a continuum that moves from the individual, to infrastructure and policy.

For more information about Bridges Out of Poverty, contact Jim Pennetti, Vice President of Community Impact at United Way of Greater Stark County, by calling (330) 491-9961 or by email at jpennetti@uwgsc.org.

A CARE Team is compromised of teachers, administrators and staff from multiple community agencies including law enforcement, mental health and other social service agencies. This team works together in a school-based environment to address obstacles facing the at-risk student population and their families. School performance is affected by many issues, among them: physical health, substance abuse, physical abuse, housing, nutrition, and poverty. The best way to affect change is through on-site collaboration between human service organizations that address these issues. The program is school/community-focused, holistic, year-round, and consequence-based. The program provides prevention, intervention and asset building tailored to the needs of the individual.

CARE Team’s goal is to address the quality of life of children in Stark County, Ohio, by addressing the tough issues of physical health and well-being, substance abuse, physical abuse and poverty. The program’s main goal is to help at-risk children stay in school and become self-sufficient and productive in the work force. The main goal of the program is to assist students and their families overcome obstacles that could prevent the students from
obtaining an education. The team identifies the gaps in the student’s basic needs development and addresses those needs areas so that the child will be able to achieve the higher levels of the needs pyramid. The team also identifies strengths and assets that will promote growth and improvement. The program provides students and families with prevention, intervention, and asset building support tailored to the needs of each individual child. These services, offered within the school setting, are easily accessible for the families and are part of the student’s
daily routine.

ALLIANCE CITY SCHOOLS: Alliance Middle School
CANTON CITY SCHOOLS: Arts At Summit • Crenshaw Middle School • Fairmont Elementary • Hartford Middle School • Lehman Middle School • McKinley High School (Freshman Academy) • Timken High School • Youtz Elementary
CANTON LOCAL SCHOOLS: Canton South High School
FAIRLESS LOCAL SCHOOLS: Fairless Middle School
LOUISVILLE CITY SCHOOLS: Louisville Middle School
MASSILLON CITY SCHOOLS: Massillon Middle School
OSNABURG LOCAL: East Canton Elementary • East Canton Middle School • East Canton High School
SANDY VALLEY LOCAL: Sandy Valley Elementary

Care Team is a collaboration between United Way, Stark County Family Court, Stark County Education Service Center, Mental Health and Recovery Services Board, Stark County Job and Family Services, Stark County Family Counsel funded in part by Aultman Health Foundation, American Electric Power Foundation, JPMorgan Chase Bank and Key Bank.

For more information about CARE Team, call the United Way of Greater Stark County Headquarters at (330) 491-0445.

In early 2009, United Way of Greater Stark County partnered with Family Economic Success Project, Community Services of Stark County, and Trillium Family Solutions to promote awareness of the Earned Income Tax Credit. with the following results:

• Number of federal returns filed: 648
• Earned Income Tax Credits received: $703,813
• Total refunds received: $1,382,484

On March 7, 2009, United Way of Greater Stark County, The Repository, and the Charter One Foundation hosted the Family Financial Fair at Stark State College in North Canton, Ohio. The event had over 40 exhibitors, 15 mini-workshops, and about 500 attendees.

The Stark County Saves Campaign is tentatively scheduled for February 2010.

For more information about the Family Financial Stability Partnership, contact Pete Schaeffer, Impact Council Director at United Way of Greater Stark County by calling (330) 491-9986.

The purpose of the Management Assistance Program is to enhance the management capabilities and capacities of nonprofit agencies and organizations within Stark County.

The Management Assistance Program offers group and individual
consultation to agencies and boards of directors through the recruitment of volunteers from local business, industry, government, and educational institutions.

Volunteer consultants are recruited with experience in several areas of management to assist agencies individually or conduct seminars on selected management topics.

To learn more about MAP, please contact Elizabeth Ramsburg at eramsburg@uwgsc.org.

Shop & Learn is an 8-week learning and reward program for families with infants, toddlers and pre-school age children. Developed by United Way of Greater Stark County and Sisters of Charity Foundation and piloted by Fishers Foods, the program aims to help families make grocery shopping a learning experience with young children.

The Stark County Interagency Council on Homelessness was formed in 2004. Its mission is to develop and implement strategies and solutions to address the problem of homelessness throughout Stark County, including the development of supportive housing options and the securing of federal, state and local resources. The Council’s mission also includes developing measures to prevent and end chronic homelessness, insure a coordinated safety net of emergency services for those in a short-term housing crisis, and coordinate and consolidate local efforts to provide a cost-effective and streamlined system for addressing homelessness.

Members of the Council include representatives of service providers for the homeless, the courts, law enforcement, city and county government, hospitals, United Way, Mental Health Board, Regional Planning Commission, Stark County Jobs & Family Services, Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, foundations and community volunteers.

For more information, call the United Way Headquarters at (330) 491-0445.

Teen Court is an alternative to traditional juvenile court proceedings for first-time nonviolent offenders. This program is based on the premise that young people respond positively to the influences of their peers. Teen Court is funded through a grant from the United Way of Greater Stark County.

Teen Court offers juveniles the option of participating in a diversion program that uses peer pressure and early intervention as its main tools in preventing recidivism. As an alternative to adult-to-youth programs, youth-to youth systems have been successfully utilized across the country to hold youth accountable and educate them on the impact their actions have on others and themselves. Whether participating as the prosecutor, defense attorney, bailiff or jury member, Teen Court offers students the opportunity to positively impact their peers. Addressing juvenile crime gives court members a “sense of stake” in the community and empowers them to make their communities safer and to hold offenders accountable.

Juveniles are referred to Teen Court by the Court’s Intake Department upon a complaint of delinquency or unruly behavior. The defendant must be under the age of 18; have the parents/ guardians consent; and admit involvement with the charge.
Once a youth is referred, the Teen Court Coordinator contacts the defendant and the parents to explain the program. They must voluntarily agree to participate in the program.
Each defendant appears in court with his/her parents and admits involvement with the charge. The Bailiff introduces the defendant to the jurors and informs the jury of the charge. After the prosecutor and the defense attorney each present their cases, the juvenile and parents are given an opportunity to speak. The jury then deliberates and recommends a sentence. The sentence is read and the juvenile and parents are given a copy of
the recommendations. The juvenile then has a specific time frame within which to complete the sentence. Failure to complete the sentence results in the case being set before a Judge or Magistrate

The Teen Court program has been in operation since 1996. Over 1,000 cases of juveniles charged with delinquency and or unruly offenses have been decided through this program. In addition, over 350 high school students have volunteered for this effective diversion program. The recidivism rate for those completing this program remains low. The parents of the juveniles charged are asked to rate their level of satisfaction with the program. In almost every case, parents said the program had a positive impact on their child and they would recommend this program to other families coming before the Juvenile Court.

For more information, call the United Way of Greater Stark County Headquarters at (330) 491-0445.