Stories

Six months. That’s how long it took Dayquon to put his plan into action. In September of 2021, Dayquon returned home after serving in the Army for five years. Having spent so much time away from family and friends, Dayquon was ready to reconnect and share the valuable life lessons…

“Come on in, sweetie!” Bessie Tyler called out from the back room.   Blanketed arm chairs circled around the coffee table in the center of the living room. The home exuded an ambiance of warmth and comfort, a feeling cultivated by more than 40 years of homemaking and Bessie’s all-around kind,…

Meet Chaella Dent, a graphic design student at John Tyler Community College. This spring, Chaella completed an internship at United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg to support Workforce Partnership Team activities.

The job market has gone through big changes in the last decade, and it can be difficult to secure a steady job with a sustainable income. We want to help equip young people in our communities with the skills needed to land such a job and lay a foundation for financial stability later in life.

Melicka tearfully remembers her daughter Justice’s first five months: She couldn’t keep milk down, had trouble eating and was constantly vomiting. “We rushed to the hospital more times than I can remember,” said Melicka. “In fact, one time, on the way to the hospital, Justice stopped breathing, so I had…

COVID-19 left many people in our region without access to basic needs. As more households lost one or more of their primary sources of income, the needs continued to increase and agencies throughout Hanover began expending all their resources to support the community. We partnered with Hanover County to provide CARES Act funding to organizations, such as Beaverdam Food Pantry, that are supporting residents with food assistance and other basic needs.

Securing a steady, sustainable job with a livable wage is a critical element of many of United Way’s Steps to Success. Unfortunately, many Richmond residents face barriers that prevent them from finding and keeping a steady job. And many employers report difficulty in locating candidates to fill open positions. We are working to bridge that gap by working with local nonprofits and service providers to remove barriers to employment.

The Steps to Success look different when we deepen our understanding and realize we all know someone working their way up the Steps. For Terressa Campbell-Oten, it was her previous students. Terressa is currently Strategic Initiative Coordinator at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Before beginning her career at the…

Prior to her 13 –year tenure at Virginia Department of Health (VDH), Dr. Triggs worked with non-profits in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From 2004 to 2017, Dr. Triggs served in multiple capacities at VDH, including Public Health Nurse, Health Equity Specialist and Rural Health Program Specialist. Dr. Triggs retired from VDH in 2017.  Dr. Triggs has…

For many of us, the thought of doing one’s income taxes has all the allure of attending a root canal (your own). In my mind, those who volunteer to do other people’s taxes would appear to have a leg up on sainthood. Cara Cardotti and her family have made that sort of good work a family affair.

A diverse network of nonprofit organizations is important, but corporate leadership will make or break a community’s ability to thrive. In our region, we are fortunate to partner with dozens of local and national corporations who support their local United Way by running a workplace fundraising campaign, providing volunteers and sponsoring important United Way programs.

Most parents of young children understand the importance of early education. Not many have a clear plan for how to pay for tuition, which often costs 1,000 a month or more. Bonnie found herself in that exact situation when her twins, Lilli and Leo, were born in 2014. Then she learned that United Way was launching a Kindergarten Countdown Camp in her area.

As a former teacher, Dorothy understands what it takes to help a child succeed. When her grandson, Cameron, started to struggle in school, she sought help to keep him on track and engaged in his academics. What started as difficulty in comprehending lessons led to a decrease in Cameron’s self-esteem…

Ashley knew she needed help. It was 2015, she was pregnant, and she had recently left a physically and verbally abusive relationship. That’s when Ashley found Quin Rivers, a United Way-funded partner in New Kent, VA. Ashley shares her story of how United Way was able to help her and her children during that difficult time.

Her first exposure to United Way came when she was an undergrad at James Madison University, where she served as an intern for United Way of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. In that role, Mollie participated in the grant making process, joined the team on site visits and sharpened her interest…

Meet Debra, a 63 year-old Chesterfield County resident who has dealt with multiple financial hardships over the past few years. With medical issues, a bankruptcy filing and a sudden job loss, taxes were always complicated, stressful and expensive. Then she found United Way’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.

A Grace Place closed unexpectedly in March 2018, which left more than 120 adults with disabilities without a care program. United Way worked with SOAR365, then known as Greater Richmond ARC, to find a solution that would help these families. Linda Adams shares her story of how United Way was able to turn the situation around and help her son, Justin.