The United Way of the Laurel Highlands is an independent, volunteer-driven, community leading organization responsible for creating, expanding, and accelerating positive social change in Cambria and Somerset Counties. Most recently, we have been working to build a framework around shared community goals, collaborative actions, evidence-based outcomes, and investment and sustainability. We evaluate, measure and report to the community the positive change that occurs around targeted social change initiatives. To implement our work we follow our Enhanced Community Impact Model© as shown below:
Social Change Initiatives
- Early Childhood Education
- Parental Engagement
- Youth Drug & Alcohol Prevention
Our Goals
- Preparing all children socially, emotionally, and academically for kindergarten,
- Increasing parental knowledge of child development and care, and,
- Prevent substance abuse among our youth.
The United Way of the Laurel Highlands funds 27 diverse Partner Agencies that come together to solve these complex social problems and provide needed services in Cambria and Somerset Counties. Specific evidence-based programming introduced and/or expanded in Cambria and Somerset Counties to address the Social Change Initiatives are; The Nurse-Family Partnership, Parents as Teachers, and Botvin LifeSkills Training.
As an independent, volunteer-driven, community leading organization, responsible for creating, expanding, and accelerating positive social change, the UWLH has established networks, partnerships, and long-term strategic initiatives to benefit the communities of Cambria and Somerset Counties. Working together, we can move toward achieving a shared community vision, with evidence-based measurable outcomes, that are sustainable.