Hoping to give needy families the resources they need to survive and compete in the information age, the
United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County on Tuesday announced plans to provide 50,000 computers for families without such technology in their homes over the next three years.
The announcement came as the United Way’s 2023 Campaign co-chairs –
Sheldon Cuffie of American Family Insurance Group,
Michelle Nettles of ManpowerGroup and
Stephanie Riesch-Knapp of R&R Insurance Services, Inc. – announced the three major initiatives expected to be funded with dollars raised with the funds raised during the 2023 campaign.
Those initiatives aim to help needy access the internet effectively, avoid homelessness and obtain a job with a family-sustaining wage.
“You may have heard the term digital divide. The digital divide is the gap between those who have what they need to access the internet and those who do not. We all know that the digital divide existed before the pandemic, yet over the past few years, it has continued to widen and get worse,” said Cuffie, addressing supporters at a kickoff event held on American Family Insurance Amphitheater stage at Henry Maier Festival Park in Milwaukee. “This has impacted the lives of so many people in our community. We know that the digital divide limits job opportunities. The digital divide impacts education opportunities. And the divide prevents connection opportunities.”
To help address the issue, the United Way won’t be writing a check to a nonprofit but will aim to solve the hardware problem hands on.
“United Way and partners have set a goal: We will provide 50,000 computers to people who need them across our four counties by 2027,” announced Cuffie, who is co-chairing the initiative that the United Way has dubbed “Techuity.”
Another highlight of the event, was the announcement that the United Way plans to advocate for record expungement of nonviolent offenders as part of a 2023 initiative to curb barriers to gainful employment for individuals whose criminal records could be keeping them from a fulfilling job.
$57 million fundraising goal
The group also announced the United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County’s 2023 fundraising campaign goal of $57 million.
The amount is the same as last year’s goal, which the organization exceeded, ultimately raising just over $58.8 million.
“We say that tonight is the campaign kickoff, but really the 2023 Campaign co-chairs, along with United Way staff, have been working diligently over the last several months to get us ready for this announcement,” said Donald W. Layden, United Way board chair, kicking off the event.
Youth mental health
Amy Lindner, president & CEO of United Way, closed the evening by providing an update on efforts of its newest initiative Empowering Minds, which is focused on improving school-based mental health resources.
“We know we can change the lives of high school students and their families, by focusing on mental health promotion, early intervention and treatment services,” Lindner said. “We are currently in the pilot phase of this initiative, and we anticipate having a bold goal to share with all of you in the first half of next year.”
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