UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL IOWA BLOG

On June 20, the longest day of the year, more than 1,000 volunteers came together at sites across the city to build literacy kits for central Iowa's kids.

Whether you are picking up groceries, waiting at the doctor's office, cooking from a recipe, or hanging out at home, you have an opportunity to read with a child.

Des Moines received the prestigious All-America City Award for its civic engagement to help more young children from low-income families achieve grade-level reading proficiency and early school success. This is Des Moines’ sixth award; the city is tied with Roanoke for receiving the most awards of any community nationwide.

As summer kicks off, so has a campaign to encourage families to access sites providing free meals to kids and teens ages 18 and younger. 

 A community kick-off event at Lovejoy Elementary this morning celebrated the launch of Vision To Learn in Des Moines and provided 20 students with free glasses to help them succeed in school and life. Approximately 160 students at five Des Moines elementary schools will receive glasses this spring as part of a pilot project that brings a successful national model to central Iowa, and as part of Vision To Learn’s plan to serve kids throughout the state.

Central Iowa students involved with Read to Succeed have shown significant improvements, United Way of Central Iowa announced at a press conference today at Willard Elementary School. United Way also renewed its community-wide call to action by asking parents, caregivers, and volunteers to Read Together with a child for 15 minutes every day, lifting up a research-based strategy.

How many books did you have as a kid? Even if you weren't an avid reader, you may have had a shelf or two filled with colorful stories like "Where the Wild Things Are," "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom," or "Good Night, Moon."

If you don't have a high school diploma, you're not alone.

34,000 central Iowans ages 18 and older don't have one. Fortunately, a new, free program called Bridges to Success makes earning your high school equivalency diploma (HSED), formerly known as the GED, easier than ever before. And it will change your life.

Des Moines Public Schools, United Way of Central Iowa and DART are teaming up to offer free public transit access to Hiatt Middle School students to see if the program improves student attendance. The pilot program begins December 19 and continues through the rest of the 2016-17 school year.

As your holiday shopping wraps up, stop by Barnes & Noble in West Des Moines on December 8 or 21 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. to purchase a gift for a child in need of books.