Black River United Way

Programs: Black river united way focuses its attention on root causes of community issues surrounding health, education and financial stability through programs that address 3rd grade reading, housing and workforce development. This year we led the long term recovery group to recover 160 homes for flood victims and we provided intensive summer and academic year tutoring and support to over 180 children struggling to read in k-2 grades. We also expanded out volunteer base in all areas of our work including vita, tutoring, board and councils. We serve both georgetown and williamsburg counties.

the mission of our organization is to improve the community's capacity to care for one another. We identified that our community is rich in resources that do not work together towards common goals. This year we created advisory councils in education, housing and workforce development comprised of people from all facets of the community. Bringing them together to talk, explore opportunities, and address root causes from a new collective perspective. This process involves great amounts of time of strategic planning, public education and listening. Some of the partnerships formed and developed include georgetown jobs connection, winyah bay long term recovery and summer slide data team that are changing the way our community addresses its chronic needs.

as a partner in the community that encourages connections: we advocate and manage several resources that benefit all of our residents including dolly parton imagination library, 2-1-1, vita, united to read, emergency food and shelter program, americorps vista and americorps. As the key advocate for these programs we are the only agency in the community that serves so many facets and if we did not take the leadership these resources would be taken from our residents.