You will support essential community programs through the Community Program Fund. Your gift supports programs to help with basic human needs like hunger and homelessness and also provides services for children, youth, and people with special challenges. This fund currently supports 95 quality programs at 35 agencies.

United Way’s Volunteer Center is the local host for 1-800-Volunteer.org – a free online and telephone service that allows people to find volunteer opportunities that suit their interests and availability. You support this central volunteer connection that helps agencies find the volunteers they need and helps individuals and businesses participate in meaningful volunteer experiences.

Your gift will also support the Gifts-In-Kind program which connects businesses that have usable equipment, materials or products to non-profits that can use these items. Not only do you help agencies conserve cash resources by helping them find the things they need from donated sources, finding effective ways to reuse goods and equipment is a “green” way to give!

• The Success By 6 Initiative. A community-wide focus on children that connects leaders from across the community to build a better future for our youngest children so that they develop the mental, emotional and physical readiness needed to succeed.
• The community alliance for literacy that includes FLAGS, The Family Literacy Alliance of Greater Syracuse and the Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County: a collaboration of people from more than 85 organizations that works to improve the availability of high-quality literacy services for people of all ages.
• A partnership with Organized Labor. Our Labor Liaison serves the labor community as we unite around the shared goals of helping those in need, especially helping people facing unemployment, and making our community a better place to live.