United Way of the Columbia-Willamette has been bringing our community together to do good for nearly 100 years. We connect the people, nonprofits, businesses and government agencies addressing poverty in our region. Our region’s poverty rate is down, yet poverty is still growing for too many kids. We continue to struggle with helping the kids who need it most stay in school and graduate. And, our region’s housing crisis has many families on the edge. The system is not working for ALL of our region’s kids which has an effect on all of us. We’re working hard to create a future where kids in our region are free from instability and worry so they can be free to play and discover, free to learn and grow. Free from poverty. Free to reach their potential. Together, we will continue to accomplish a lot for kids, families and communities: • More kindergarteners will show up prepared for school. • Kids who need help the most will stay in school and graduate on-time. • Families' basic needs will be met so their kids can focus in school. • We’ll keep connecting 1000s of volunteers to things that matter in our region. These strategies work when our community is UNITED behind them.