COMMUNITY Summer Newsletter 2022
Steven E. Laymon, Ph. D. Hollins University
Congratulations and thank you for your willingness to serve!
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Bob Cowell Operations and Finance Chair
Christopher Finely LewisGale Regional Health System
Blair Celli Secretary
MEET OUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS ELECT
The following individuals joined the UWRV Board of Directors for a three-year term starting July 1, 2022.
Kristi Mallory Eaton Crouse-HindsCorporation,Division
Paula Brown Resource Development Chair
Cheri Hartman Community Impact Vice-Chair
Tiffany Bradbury Botetourt County
Aubrey Wright Kroger Mid-Atlantic
Bettina Mason Anthem
Melinda Payne Board Chair
Anita James Price Community Impact Chair
Mathew Thomas Wells Fargo
Verletta White Roanoke City Public Schools
Paul Droubay Vice-Chair
Carolyn Kiser Communications Chair
United Way of Roanoke Valley elected the following officers to its Board of Directors at its Annual Meeting in June:
Jillian Papa Moore City of Roanoke
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Cheryl Mosley joined United Way Roanoke Valley in May as the VP of Community Impact. She comes to United Way Roanoke Valley with over 20 years of combined non-profit and leadership experience. Her background also includes, Human Resources, Administration and Entrepreneurship. Most recently she served as the Director of Operations at Feeding Southwest Virginia’s Community Solutions Center.
In her spare time, Cheryl is an avid baker and novice interior designer. She loves all things home, traveling and being a foodie! She is an active member of The Hill Church where she serves as a member of the Leadership Team, lead of the Hospitality Team and recently became a member of the Worship Team. She has 3 adult children, Rayshon, Bryce and Micah.
Cheryl cares deeply for matters centering on social justice, equity and marginalized communities. She considers this work her life’s purpose and is excited to bring this perspective and experience to the United Way team. Reflecting this commitment, Cheryl is currently a member of several local boards and committees: the Roanoke Cultural Endowment, VA CARES, Inc., Restoring Hope Roanoke, Northwest Grocery Hub Stakeholder Committee and Trajectory Community Development Corporation Steering Committee. She is also continuing her education at Norfolk State University majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Sociology.
Her many contributions to the Roanoke Valley have been recognized with the SCLC Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award; the Media Award for Black Girls Rock; the Roanoke Branch of NAACP Citizen of the Year Award for Media; and by readers of the Roanoker Magazine. However, her greatest reward is being the mother to her blessed and beautiful blended family of five children with her supportive and loving husband Donnie by her side.
UWRV WELCOMES NEW VICE PRESIDENTS
Kianna Price Marshall is the latest member of UWRV’s senior staff stepping into the role of VP for Marketing and Communications on August 1. Kianna is a graduate of University of Richmond with a double major in Leadership Studies and Speech Communications. She is a recognized subject matter expert within the broadcasting industry with over 15 years of experience in communications, multimedia, digital & social media marketing, fundraising, event planning and organizational leadership. Her skills as a storyteller have been instrumental in creating compelling and innovative stories delivering quality content for several local broadcasting shows, on both radio and television. During her time as host, she was afforded the opportunity to interview people that make impact every day both locally and nationally. The highlight of her career was interviewing former President Barack Obama and later, former First Lady Michelle Obama.
Community involvement has always been important to Kianna as she currently serves on the following non-profit boards: Carilion Medical Center, The Rescue Mission of Roanoke, and is the Board Chair of Apple Ridge Farm. She has also been appointed to the Berglund Center Commission and Truist Community Advisory Board in Roanoke. For over a decade Kianna has proudly served on the Henry Street Festival Planning Committee, the major fundraiser for the Harrison Museum of African American Culture. She’s a member of various civic organizations including “Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.;” “The Roanoke Valley Chapter of Links, Inc;” and former President of “The Roanoke Chapter of Jack and Jill of America”.
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UWRV spent its Day of Action on June 17 at Washington Park. More than 80 volunteers picked up trash and stained the wood trails along the Greenway. It was a great way to connect the local neighborhood to the outdoors, and share the health and family benefits of this great resource. Thanks to all our volunteers who joined us and our event co-hosts, Clean Valley Council and the City of Roanoke Parks and Recreation. Special recognition to our sponsors Entré Computer Center, Kroger, Sheetz, and the Freedom First Scoop ice cream truck!
LIVING UNITED IN ACTION
Day of Action
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Juneteenth and African American Heritage Night
Roanoke Cultural Collective celebrated Juneteenth with a Family Reunion at Eureka Park, and UWRV was there to help celebrate! Afterwards, we joined Humble Hustle at their Black Heritage Takeover at the Salem Red Sox Stadium. The UWRV team was on hand to interact with the thousands of families who flocked to both these events. Thanks to Hollins University for the donation of children’s books by alumna Margaret Wise Brown, which we gave away at these events.
16,411 child
2,011 child care slots needed to meet demand 40% of children started kindergarten without key skills Ready Region West At-A-Glance Ready Region West Footprint MARTINSVILLE SALEM ROANOKE CITY BOTETOURT COVINGTON BUENA VISTA BATHHIGHLAND PATRICK FRANKLINHENRY ROCKBRIDGE CRAIGROANOKEALLEGHANY LEXINGTON UWRV leads RRW in the cities of: UWRV leads RRW in the counties of: • Buena Vista • Covington • Lexington • Martinsville • Roanoke • Salem • Alleghany • Bath • Botetourt • Craig • Franklin • Henry • Highland • Patrick • Roanoke • Rockbridge Our team is growing, join us! Visit uwrv.org/careers to learn more! 5
As of July 1, 2022, the Smart Beginnings Greater Roanoke brand is now known as Ready Regions West (RRW). RRW is brand new to Virginia in 2022, created with bipartisan support. It is designed to bring coordination, accountability, and family engagement to early education programs in every community within the Commonwealth, under the oversight of the Virginia Department of Education. Ready Regions will use public-private partnerships and bring greater access to quality child care services to families. children under the age of 6 years old have all available parents in the workforce under the age of 5 years old care slots in the region
23,680 children
ANNOUNCING READY REGIONS 68% of
to the ALICE Focus On Children report, 878,514 children in Virginia — 47% of all children — lived in a household with income below the ALICE Threshold of Financial Survival in 2019. ALICE households don’t earn enough to afford the essentials of housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, a smartphone plan, and taxes — the basics needed to live and work in the modern economy.
There is a lot more to be done to change the trajectory for ALICE children. Visit uwrv.org/meet-alice to learn more. Join United Way as we address these inequities in our community, and stand UNITED for ALICE. 101%.
Family financial stability is one of the strongest predictors of current and future well-being. Financial instability not only contributes to current experiences of stress, trauma, and hardship, but it impedes a child’s opportunity for future success, including higher education, a higher income, and long-term asset building. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, children below the ALICE Threshold experienced the ripple effect of challenges related to their parents’ work status, lack of income/savings, and family responsibilities. Households below the Threshold suffered disproportionately during the pandemic, with vulnerabilities caused by longstanding racial inequities ensuring that Black and Hispanic households experienced the greatest Accordinghardship.
ALICE FOCUS: CHILDREN IN FINANCIAL HARDSHIP Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed CHILDREN BY HOUSEHOLD, VIRGINIA, 2019 Number of Children in Virginia = 1,852,456 Note: This research uses the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS) and focuses on children, whose ALICE status is determined by their household’s income compared to local cost of living. The data does not include children who are unhoused or living in group quarters. In this brief, percentages are rounded to whole numbers for ease of reading, which may result in percentages totaling 99% or
KEY FINDINGS
All numbers are presented in the ALICE Children Data Dashboard Sources: ALICE Threshold, 2019; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, PUMS, 2019 * FPL - Federal Poverty Level ** SNAP - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Poverty12% 53% 35% AboveThresholdALICE ALICE Below ALICE878,514Threshold47%
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While there are children below the ALICE Threshold across all demographic groups, 69% of Hispanic children and 67% of Black children in Virginia lived in households with income below the ALICE Threshold in 2019, compared to 36% of White and Asian children.
• Nearly half (47%) of children in Virginia lived in households experiencing financial hardship in 2019. While 12% were below the FPL*, an additional 35% — twice as many — were ALICE.
Having working parents or guardians does not guarantee financial stability: 27% of Virginia children in households with two adults in the labor force were still below the ALICE Threshold in 2019.
• Children below the ALICE Threshold often lack access to resources ranging from stable housing and public assistance to education and broadband services. More than 620,000 children below the ALICE Threshold in Virginia did not participate in SNAP** and nearly 243,000 had no high-speed internet access at home in 2019.
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• UWRV also earmarked funds for use during the year: $50,000 for mental health services; and $20,000 for sponsorships and projects furthering the organization’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategic plan.
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• $230,000 to three collaborative efforts involving multiple partner organizations: the Early Learning Collaborative led by CHIP of Roanoke Valley, Strengthening Youth Opportunities for Success led by Family Service of Roanoke Valley, and Onramp led by Total Action for Progress.
• $201,000 to the Healthy Roanoke Valley Community Resource Hub. This will support the continued placement of Community Health Workers (CHWs) at Bradley Free Clinic, New Horizons Healthcare, and Rescue Mission – Fralin Free Clinic. Funds will also provide training, professional development, and support to grow the number of CHWs in the community.
The UWRV Board of Directors approved the allocation of more than $500,000 in grants as part of the 2022-2023 Community Investment Process:
Mr. N came into Bradley Free Clinic but couldn’t communicate as a result of a stroke. As a Community Health Worker (CHW) I met with the patient consistently, coordinated his first medical visits and supported him in learning to pick up his medications. I helped him find a way to keep track of his appointments, pay rent, gain access to his bank account, apply for a free phone, apply for disability, and call Medicaid for transportation.
YOUR UW DOLLARS AT WORK
UNITED WAY INVESTS $500,000 IN PARTNERSHIPS
Our partnership with UWRV allows Bradley Free Clinic to explore the true utilization and coordination of a community health worker in our clinic environment. The leadership and support of UWRV is the only way Bradley is able to integrate a CHW into our operations and provide the direct support to our patients that only a CHW is able to provide. This partnership makes it possible to achieve what we see as an ideal system of care, for there to be no wrong door. Being embedded within a clinical operation allows all CHWs to make a direct connection between patients with needs that are outside of our scope and the services they need. My fellow CHWs (in other organizations) and I make referrals and suggestions to agencies throughout the Valley, allowing a true warm handoff and assisting clients along the way. – Karen Swanson , Community Health Worker
Karen Swanson and Christine Wright - Bradley Free Clinic
In many ways I acted as his “interpreter” and advocate, helping him to connect with additional necessary community support and resources, and to remain engaged with other services at the clinic.
Black Father Family Initiative hosted the second installment of its quarterly fireside chat series on July 14. This program brought together grassroots and national medical experts to discuss health disparities that affect Black men, fathers, and families. Rev. Dr. William Lee, Founding Board Chair of New Horizons Healthcare and a former UWRV Board Chair, along with Robert A. Winn, MD, Director of the VCU Massey Cancer Center, were the featured speakers. Special thanks to our sponsors: Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, New Horizons Healthcare and the Roanoke Alumni Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.
Generational Health: An Intimate Conversation on Black Men and Health Disparities
CHILDREN, FAMILIES & COMMUNITIESTHRIVING BLACK: 8
QUARTERLY FIRESIDE CHAT
Healthy Roanoke Valley (HRV) has launched a new operating structure and strategic plan, to address the priorities identified in the 2021 Community Health Assessments. Leaders from the Steering and Operations Committee presented the plan to more than 50 guests in May. The plan will identify where HRV’s work overlaps, integrates, and complements the work of efforts such as the Mental Health Collaborative, Collective Response and the Regional Food Systems Partnership. To learn more, visit uwrv.org/healthy-roanoke-valley. It also features the addition of advisory councils, with participation of those with lived experience to drive the work. TO SHARED HEALTH PRIORITIES
PARTNERS COMMIT
HRV STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK OurOurmission:vision: Target Population: HRV is a partnership that mobilizes resources, addresses vital conditions for well-being and engages community members to create pathways to wellness A community where all can achieve and sustain optimal health and well-being. GOAL 1 Address rise in mental illness and substance misuse through stigma reduction and integration of access to care. • Support and align with existing community efforts that address mental health and substance misuses. • Develop a well - resourced HRV initiative that coordinates and mobilizes resources for the benefit of the community • Develop and/or support existing campaigns to promote vaccination • Support education strategies to promote healthy eating for adults and children • Increase number of people involved in functional fitness activities through targeted activities/events • Address food desserts and access to healthy foods • Increase the use, integration and institutionalization of Community Health workers within the Roanoke Valley region • Engage in activities that address workforce shortages and access to care • Promote the use of Unite Us platform to increase access to care GOAL 2 Decrease prevalence and negative health impacts of Covid-19 in the Roanoke Valley. GOAL 3 Increase healthy eating and active living to improve health and well-being at any age. We strive to target the underserved/vulnerable populations, disproportionately impacted by vital conditions for well-being, such as poverty, race, ethnicity, education and/or lack of insurance. 9
United Way of Roanoke Valley Golf Classic 2022 Friday, September 9th 2022 $125$500 Blue Hills Golf Club 2002 Blue Hills Dr NE Roanoke, VA 24012 IndividualsTeams RegisterShotgunHere Start 1:30 PM Sponsorships are available, contact development@uwrv.org for more information
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND LIVING UNITED! 325 Campbell Avenue, S.W Roanoke, VA 540.777.420024016 United Way of Roanoke Valley United Way of Roanoke Valley JOIN US FOR OUR September 13, 2022 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM $25 per person, breakfast will be provided. Register Below Please RSVP by Tuesday, September 6, https://portal.uwrv.org/celebration2022 Jefferson Center, Fitzpatrick Hall 541 Luck AVE SW, Roanoke, VA 24016 &CELEBRATIONKICKOFF2022 UPCOMING EVENTS 2022 EARLY LEARNING STRATEGIES ANNUAL CONFERENCE: P.L.A.Y. August 27th, 2022 8:00 AM -4:00 PM To register, visit uwrv.org/events Northside Middle School
