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United Way of Sarasota County’s REALTORS® for Kids Fund
By Katie Knight
“Our goals are long lasting change, preventing problems from happening in the first place, and bringing people together to build a brighter future for children.”
As the economy slowly recovers we must ensure our children continue to have chances to succeed in life. With unemployment still in the double digits, local families identify that their primary hardship is job related. Stress in early childhood can either promote growth or cause serious damage. What children need now is caring adults, a safe and healthy start and effective early learning opportunities.
United Way’s REALTORS® for Kids program is a collaborative partnership between real estate professionals and United Way of Sarasota County Inc. Together, we recognize that early childhood development and learning begin at birth. Understanding the importance of this critical time in a child’s life, United Way REALTORS® for Kids program concentrates on providing uninterrupted quality childcare to children between the ages of 0-6 years old through the Emergency Child Care Fund.
United Way’s Emergency Child Care fund assists families who are experience an unexpected crisis or financial hardship. The short-term funding allows the child to remain in a quality preschool while the family gets back on their feet.
United Way’s REALTORS® for Kids program supplies scholarships to high quality pre-schools to pay for one to four weeks of a child’s learning and care costs. By contributing to the fund, you are investing in our families and children. You can get involved by donating:
$30 – $40 = 1 child/infant care for 1 day
$150 – $200 = 1 child/infant care for a week
$500 & up = Leadership Giver
Since May 2002 over $429,000 has been raised for emergency assistances, funding 3,571 combined scholarship weeks, assisting over 980 families and supporting 1,224 children.
Reaching out, REALTORS® have created a unified network and allowed for vast support, spreading the word on this important cause. We know that when children and families are supported in the first years of life, the return on investment is astounding.
We all win when a child succeeds. Make a difference in a child’s life. To become part of United Way’s REALTORS for Kids program contact:
Katie Knight
Senior Vice President
United Way of Sarasota County
1445 2nd Street
Sarasota, FL 34236
(941) 366-2686
katiek@uwsrq.com [2]
www.uwsrq.com [3]
Katie Knight is the Senior Vice President of the United Way of Sarasota County, Inc. and works with volunteer leadership on strategic initiatives, community investments and annual resource development. Katie is originally from the Mid-West and began her career with United Way as a national intern in St. Paul, Minnesota and Madison, Wisconsin. She has two wonderful daughters at Brookside Middle School and lives in the South Gate area of Sarasota. Katie may be reached at 941-366-2686 or via email at katiek@uwsrq.com [2].
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