United Way of Mahaska County

**United Way’s Mission** United Way of Mahaska County empowers our communities by promoting education, encouraging healthy living, and strengthening financial stability. **TO DO THIS WE WILL…** - Ignite a community-wide social movement to volunteer, advocate and give to improve the conditions in which we live. - Unite donors, volunteers, businesses, nonprofits, community leaders, government, experts, and those in need in our community and seek out Mahaska County’s toughest challenges, set sound strategies and goals, and then tackle them at their roots. - Invest funds annually in generous contributions to create and support innovative programs and approaches to generate community impact. - Hold ourselves accountable to this cause through our commitment to continually measure – in real terms – improvement in Education, Income and Health. **United Way’s Vision** United Way envisions a community where all individuals achieve their human potential through education, financial stability and healthy lives. **A COMMUNITY WHERE…** - All children receive an education that offers a pathway to a brighter tomorrow. - The cycle of poverty and financial dependence ends, and productive livelihoods begin for even the most disadvantaged. - Everyone has access to healthy food, physical activity and quality healthcare that improves quality of life. What does United Way of Mahaska County do? **Unite** We bring together community stakeholders like our donors, volunteers, businesses, nonprofits, faith-based, community leaders, government, experts, and those in need to identify challenges in the areas of Education, Income and Health. **Strategize** Each challenge is broken down to its root causes, and together United Way and the stakeholders develop research-based comprehensive strategies to make significant and sustainable progress on addressing central Iowa’s toughest issues. **Tackle** Once the strategies are set, it’s time for action. We invest in or create initiatives designed to move us steadily toward the goals for 2020. We convene coalitions, advocate for public policy, raise awareness and mobilize volunteers. **Evaluate** We create metrics and continuously measure and evaluate the results of these investments, holding every initiative accountable to ensure they are making real progress