Congratulations & Thanks to Wayne Stevens |
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It’s happening, Wayne Stevens, CEO/President of the United Way of Southeast Alaska is retiring after 12+ years of leadership with the organization.
Wayne said goodbye to the agency at the end of September. However, he may be around a few hours here and there throughout early October to wrap up some pending items.
Going forward, the UWSEAK office will have limited office hours from 10:00 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday. Lisa Bogert will be manning the office and taking care of the day-to-day items. The Board of the UWSEAK remains active and available during this time of transition.
The main phone number for UWSEAK is 907-463-5530. Please feel free to give us a call and leave a message and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Many thanks to Wayne and his contributions to the organization and to the community of Juneau. Should you see Wayne out and about, be sure to congratulate him on his retirement.
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AmeriCorps Update
In mid-September, the Board of UWSEAK made the determination to discontinue the AmeriCorps program for now.
This decision was made largely because of the hardships encountered around AmeriCorps member recruitment, enrollment, and retention. There has been a significant and continuous decline in enrollment over the past three years. This is largely contributed to COVID-19 and is a nationwide problem and not just specific to Juneau.
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The 2022-2023 AmeriCorps program year was a success!
Even though we started out with six members and ended the year with five, these members had an amazing year and achieved great things. The AmeriCorps program had a focus on early literacy.
Over the past year (August 2022-August 2023) a total of 1,360 children and youth and Alaskan beneficiaries were served.
Within the Juneau School District, we had three AmeriCorps placements (Kaxdigoowu Heen/Riverbend, Sayeik-Gastineau Community School, and Harborview Elementary). Combined, there were 59 total students served. Of those, all 59 showed academic gains and improvement. This is verified through data received from the district through Diebel’s testing they conduct three times a year. The remainder of the children served were through our host sites at Gruening Park after-school program and through the Juneau Economic Development Council’s (JEDC) STEM Lego League/Robotics programs. The Gruening Park After School program saw the highest number of student engagement they’ve seen in a while. This had everything to do with the AmeriCorps member and the experience she brought with her as a second-year AmeriCorps member. There was a high emphasis placed on social-emotional learning and it was a success! JEDC had a very busy year. Again, this is attributed to the AmeriCorps member and the experience he had in Robotics from his middle school and high school engagement. Not only was the AmeriCorps member able to coordinate very successful statewide competitions, but he was also able to accompany our state champions to the nationals in Dallas where they took second place in specified categories.
The member’s experience was also valuable in his contributions to a grant the JEDC applied for with the intent of expanding Lego Leagues and Robotics into the Bristol Bay Region of the state. They were awarded the grant and JEDC is very excited to have the opportunity to offer STEM in areas of the state where STEM education is lacking or not available at all mostly due to geographic location and lack of opportunity. The AmeriCorps member and the JEDC made several trips to the Southwestern regions of the state (New Halen, Utqiagvik, Nome, and Bethel) laying the groundwork for expansion.
In addition to the work around STEM, the member was also directly involved in establishing “Alaska Graphs” or WGOITAG (What’s Going On in This Alaska Graph). WGOITAG is a service that the Juneau STEM Coalition created with and for Alaska educators and community members. The goal is to provide strategies and Alaska-based graphs that will be engaging and relevant to students and stimulate them to think and feel deeply, communicate clearly, and apply critical thinking strategies. This program mimics both the NYTimes and Jenna Laib’s “Slow Reveal Graphs. The AmeriCorps member worked hard to make this Alaska-specific and we now have this available in schools across the state. If you would like more information on WGOITAG, please visit www.juneausteam.org.
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In addition, AmeriCorps members recruited a total of 109 volunteers across the state with a total of 1,728 volunteer hours given.
AmeriCorps members also contributed countless volunteer hours in the community outside of their AmeriCorps service. Volunteer hours were performed at AWARE, Native Youth Olympics, Statewide Academic Decathlon, Mountain View Senior Center, Black Awareness Association, Fill-a-Bag events to address hunger for students on weekends and holiday breaks, and various other events throughout the community.
The five members have moved on. One was offered a prestigious position at a private school in Pennsylvania teaching Physics and Economics. One has entered her freshman year at George Washington University. One is teaching adult education at SERRC in Juneau and is planning on graduate school in the fall. One has returned home to Texas and is now teaching early literacy at a local school and two others are pursuing graduate school.
It was a great year!
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Southeast Alaska Independent Living (SAIL) is gearing up for its Unmasking Disability Gala Dinner and Silent Auction.
This event will be held at Centennial Hall on October 21, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. There will be a live silent & and dessert auction as well as live music. There are many exciting items to bid on including Princess and Allen Marine Dream cruises, artwork, vacation packages, and decadent desserts. Plus, a chance to bid on 2 roundtrip tickets anywhere Alaska Airlines flies.
The Gala is filled with a scrumptious fall menu by Red Spruce Eatery, a silent auction and spirited live auction, friends, and a photo booth. Dress up, bring a mask, or come as you are. Tickets are $75 per person or share a table with your friends. Tickets can be purchased through sailinc.org or by calling 800-478-7245.
Holiday Donations
The United Way of Southeast Alaska is committed to advancing the common good by focusing on the building blocks for a good life. The United Way collaborates with communities and agencies across Southeast Alaska to strengthen and improve the Health, Education, and Financial Stability of all individuals.
As we are approaching the holiday season, and you are thinking about donating, you can help in our mission by donating directly to the United Way. Now more than ever, the United Way could greatly benefit from your donation. There are multiple ways you can donate. You can give through our donation site on our website at unitedwayseak.org or through Venmo using our QR code, you can mail in your donation or make a direct on-site donation at our location at 8711 Teal Street, Suite 204 or you can also participate in a workplace campaign where available. All of the information on ways to donate can also be found on our website through the “Donation” link. Thank you for considering the United Way of Southeast Alaska as a place you’d like to donate to.
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