UNITED WAY OF UTAH COUNTY

Women United

As Women United, we use our strengths, means, and passions to lift others. We build strong foundations of success by focusing on early childhood literacy and parent education. Our vision is to increase resilience in children, families, and neighborhoods through supportive homes and communities.

To accomplish this goal, we support:

Early childhood development programs

Reading, volunteering, mentoring, and tutoring programs for K-3rd grades

Educational programs that empower women to contribute to their children's reading success

Lend Your Time

Our projects can always use your volunteer time and donations.

Build literacy in children of inmates; volunteers audio record inmates reading bed time stories, which is then mailed to their child. This helps strengthen family connections and encourage literacy. Children of inmates are at greater risk of dropping out than their peers.

Ensure that babies get off to a good start. Volunteers visit new parents to answer questions and teach about the importance of reading and talking to their babies to stimulate development and strengthen family connections. Parents are also able to make connections with other parents and adults in the community.

Help parents get their children ready for Kindergarten by identifying early childhood development issues through screenings and connecting parents with community resources that can help. This resource helps parents as they support children's physical, social, and emotional development.

A safe space for mothers build connections to other mothers and for their children to play together.

Access to quality children's books is one of the biggest barriers to literacy. Volunteers deliver books to elementary schools, tutor, and encourage parents to read with thier children. Reading together can help a child feel connected to family members, feel confident in their learning and strengthen overal emotional health.

Become a driving force for change and help make decisions about our communications, events, membership, fundraising, or volunteering.

Support Our Work

Become a member at one of three membership levels.

100% of your membership donation goes to support Women United and United Way programs.
Your donation can provide any of the following to our community:

Emerging Leaders

  • 40 child development screenings OR
  • 66 homes visits to new parents OR
  • 100 books to build a child’s personal library OR
  • 400 audio recordings of inmates reading bedtime stories to their child

Leaders

  • 80 child development screenings OR
  • 133 homes visits to new parents OR
  • 200 books to build a child’s personal library OR
  • 800 audio recordings of inmates reading bedtime stories to their child

Supporters

  • 8 child development screenings OR
  • 13 homes visits to new parents OR
  • 20 books to build a child’s personal library OR
  • 80 audio recordings of inmates reading bedtime stories to their child

Join Women Like You

Women United is open to all women

Lucinda Stevens

"Several years ago, Barbara Leavitt (United Way Staff) told me about a group of women she was organizing that would concentrate on the needs of women and children in Utah County and asked if I would join. I said absolutely!! This was the beginning of a wonderful friendship and a wonderful cause. Over the years I have met so many women with a deep passion to serve our community and especially women and children. I have seen first hand the miracles of our laboratory; children with books in their homes that were unable to keep up in their classes and family units that were able to support their family because of better education. I continue on this quest because our work is not done. There will always be a child or parent that will need our help in some way. Women United has only just begun!"

Genevieve Gribble

"I first became aware of Women United when I received a flyer that talked about their literacy initiative. I was immediately hooked! One of my brothers has special needs and by the time he finished high school he still couldn’t read and write. He is now more than 40 years old and I have seen first-hand the negative impact that illiteracy has in his life. He has low self-esteem and very little confidence. His job situation is always precarious. One of the saddest days in his life was when his oldest child asked him to read a story to her and he couldn’t. Being a part of Women United gives me power to help children so that they do not grow up with sad outcomes."

Brenda Minor

"I have always been interested in Community Service. I am often looking at the United Way website for new ideas to serve. One day as I was perusing the United Way website, I came across the opportunity to deliver books to schools. Children's books and teaching are passions of mine (I am a substitute teacher) and this opportunity sounded like one I wanted to try. I expressed my interest on the site and was contacted by Holly Kent (United Way Staff) to help with labeling and delivering the books. As I attended some Women United activities, learned about the mission and vision, and met the women with whom I would be serving, I knew I had found a great opportunity. I enjoy helping promote literacy in the community as well as working with women who share my same interests."

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!