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See 100 Stories of Impact
June 5, 2018
A Book Buddy celebration for this first-year volunteer
Deb Bremser volunteers to read with four-year-old students at two child care centers during the school year. Here she shares her Book Buddy experience:

April 24, 2018
How Many Books Could This 4-Year-Old Carry?
A preschooler's life is changed by United Way of Central Iowa's Book Buddy program, where volunteers read with 4-year-olds twice a week and the students receive a copy of the book each Friday.

April 23, 2018
Coding leads refugee high school student to college scholarship
Learning to code changed Bonito's view of what he could achieve for his future. This refugee high school student is now at Iowa State University on a full-tuition scholarship.

April 23, 2018
The Power of High School Girls
Jessenia, a 15-year-old freshman, attends Empowerment Groups at the Young Women's Resource Center to find her voice, boost her confidence, learn about feminism and women's health, and, most importantly, make friends that will support her through the tough high school years.

April 20, 2018
Refugee, graduate, future nurse
Tara has graduated from United Way of Central Iowa's Bridges to Success initiative and is on a path to becoming a nurse through Central Iowa HealthWorks.

April 12, 2018
Real Men Never Stop Reading
United Way started the Real Men Read program so that kids could see more men modeling good reading skills and serving as mentors. Jon Sullivan, a retired lawyer from Ankeny, stepped right up to the challenge.

March 19, 2018
Hurricane survivors get taxes done for free
After losing everything to Hurricane Maria, Soleil and Juan moved from Puerto Rico to Des Moines, where a friend introduced them to MyFreeTaxes—a free online filing service provided by United Way and H&R Block.

March 19, 2018
Survivor Mom
How a homeless mom took on domestic abuse and addiction—with the help of a United Way-funded program—and won her kids back.

March 6, 2018
The Friendship that Saved a Family
Bad relationships and drugs ruined her life. United Way, a female friend and mentor, and her own determination saved it. Her kids’ smiles are the reward.

February 8, 2018
Children's Mental Health Explained
United Way of Central Iowa works to address children's mental health and the trauma they experience through mental health consultants at child care centers.

November 24, 2017
A central Iowa student gets the vision to learn
Aainece is among 1,000 students in central Iowa who will receive free glasses thanks to Vision To Learn. The program improved her health and ability to learn.

November 9, 2017
Giving Garden Volunteer Rolls Up Her Sleeves to Give Back
Meet a volunteer with the Giving Garden at Telligen where about 20 volunteers donated more than 3,000 pounds of fresh produce to a central Iowa food pantry.

October 4, 2017
After-school program changes Warsame's life
Warsame began to disengage from school, but BE REAL Academy, funded by United Way of Central Iowa's Education Leadership Initiative, helped Warsame succeed.

September 12, 2017
The Boy No One Thought Would Go to College
At age 18, Matthew faced nearly two decades in prison on drug charges. That was the start of a long journey toward sobriety, stability, and education.

August 30, 2017
A Smile Saved
Women United's Smile Squad visited Lam's elementary school to provide free dental screenings. Since her family didn't have insurance, Smile Squad connected her to a clinic where she could get cavities treated for free.

August 18, 2017
How a hearing-impaired third-grader learned to read
Nine-year-old Breiner Morales speaks three languages: English, Spanish, and American Sign Language. But until last summer, he couldn’t read in any of them.

June 1, 2017
After All the Doors Slam Shut
When she was homeless in Redhead Park on the East Side, living out of a suitcase, sleeping on a bench, and quitting crystal meth cold turkey—Michelle Jackson wouldn't have believed she would soon be a boss.

June 1, 2017
Bilingual Buddies
Gema Garcia of Ankeny volunteers to read with preschool students in both Spanish and English, teaching them essential literacy skills for kindergarten.

June 1, 2017
Meet United Way of Central Iowa's New President
Elisabeth Buck became United Way of Central Iowa's President this May. As we welcome her to this role, we took a moment to ask what has shaped her as a leader.
April 30, 2017
Hope is Never Lost
At age 30, Mikeesha came to a crossroads. A single mother of two, she was unemployed and struggling financially—with no clear plan for where to go next.