To those of you who attended the Town Hall meeting last Tuesday, thank you for your feedback on the benefits structure. I shared your feedback with Brown and Brown, and they have identified other insurance options that decrease premiums so that the cost to employees for the PPO and current HMO are less. Many of you have accepted the open enrollment invitation for June 6. Representatives from Brown and Brown will be with us to explain our options and help us enroll. They will be with us all day for one-on-one meetings to help us select the best insurance for our needs. Tracy Pickett will send an email explaining how to sign up for an individual appointment.

Summer is here, and I hope you all have plans to relax over the summer. One United Way tradition to assist us in downshifting is Summer Hours, which begin this Friday and continue through Aug. 11. More info is below in the Human Resources section. If you have any questions about summer hours, please check with your supervisor. 

- Melanie

PEOPLE

Farewell Daniel Garcia

988 says a big thank you to Daniel Garcia for being a part of their team. We wish Daniel the best in his next endeavors and are appreciative of his time!

HUMAN RESOURCES

Summer Hours!

We will enjoy Summer Hours again this year! Please see the following instructions on how summer hours are taken and applied to your timecards.

Team members will be expected to work their regular schedules during the week, while generally being able to close our virtual or onsite offices each Friday at 12 p.m. Although schedules vary among team members, when using Summer Hours, full-time staff members will work a 36 hour work week, and will be paid for a standard 40 hour week. Part-time staff members will work their regular schedule, and be paid for regularly scheduled Friday afternoon hours. Please keep in mind that some departments, such as 988 and 211, may have unique scheduling needs and business priorities. Also, we will need to ensure adequate coverage for urgent and essential needs on Friday afternoons. As a reminder, for full-time staff members regular and Summer Hours should not exceed your standard 40 hour work week. For part-time staff members, regular hours and Summer Hours should not exceed your scheduled work week. 

Additional information on the program: 

• Summer Hours are to be taken starting at noon on Fridays between May 26 and Aug. 11.
• As with any time off, employees will need to discuss Summer Hours schedules with their supervisor.
• Any sick or vacation days taken on a Friday during this time will be adjusted. See examples below: 
• Full Time      4 HRS SUMMER and 4 HRS VACFT/SICK
• Part Time     3.50 SUMMER and 3.50 VACPT/SICK
• Summer Hours are independent of any other paid time off benefit and cannot be rolled over
• Please remember to update your voicemail and email with out of office notifications before leaving on Fridays and upon return.

For Salaried/Exempt employees adjusting their own timecards, see instructions below for entering Summer Hours: 

• In the Hours Amount Field, all employees will use the + to Add HOURS (do not use punch)
• In the Earning Field, use the drop down to select the appropriate code for “SUMMER”
• Full Time employees example: 4.0 hours Summer and 4.O Regular Earnings
• Save your entry

**Please note: Managers/Supervisors will need to manually enter the applicable amount of Summer Hours on all direct reports’ timecards in Paycor. Non-exempt/hourly employees will not be able to manually add these hours to their own timecards in Paycor.**

For Managers/Supervisors adjusting their non-exempt/hourly direct reports’ timecards, see instructions below for entering Summer Hours:

• In the Hours Amount Field, all employees will use the + to Add HOURS (do not use punch)
• In the Earning Field, use the drop down to select the appropriate code for “SUMMER”
• Full Time employees example: 4.0 hours Summer and 4.O Regular Earnings
• Part-time employees example: For a 7:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. shift, enter 3.50 Summer and 3.50 hours Regular Earnings 
• Save your entry

Questions? Contact Tracy Pickett.

MANAGEMENT & GENERAL

Downtown Vision wants to hear from downtown employees!

Take their survey, and submit your email for a chance to win one of three $200 #DTJax e-gift cards. Winners will be selected in June.

DTJax Employee Survey

211 & 988

988 received a visit from FSU to participate in a Vicarious Trauma workshop! This workshop really supported 988 team members in being intentional about caring for themselves. 988 team members were able to create vision boards together, practice self-care techniques, and take home a journal to continue their self-care journey. If anyone is interested in what vicarious trauma is or wanting additional techniques in caring for themselves, reach out to any 988 team member. Thanks FSU!

RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

Sheela Murthy and Coretta Hill

René Kurzius (center) opens up her home

Melanie speaking about the ALICE population in Northeast Florida (left) and centerpieces created by Michelle Dennis and Kristie McBee (above)

Michelle Dennis and Kristie McBee at registration

Women United Event

United Way and local women leaders were gathered this past Wednesday at the home of René and Lawrence Kurzius. Tocqueville member René welcomed nearly a hundred Women United members and prospects into her beautiful home. Guests were able to share time together, then hear from Melanie Patz about the new ALICE data and speaker Sheela Murthy, nationally known immigration attorney and author, about leadership, passion and service. Special thanks to Chef’s Garden catering, Sight and Sound, ABC concierge, Auto Valet, and photographer Greg Olech! Biggest thank you to Coretta Hill, Melanie Patz, and special guest Sheela Murthy!

We have received very positive responses from our post-event survey. Below are some things people liked most about the event:

• Location, speaker, food – everything!
• Connecting with other woman and learning about their experiences
• It was like a reunion. Great to see so many wonderful women in one place. Sheela and Coretta’s conversation was great too!

Thank you to all the staff and crew that assisted to make this event great!

Recent Grants 

Jessie Ball duPont Fund - $15,000

United Way of Northeast Florida received approval for $15,000 towards professional development in order to strengthen organizational leadership. The conference and other professional development opportunities covered through the grant will provide the RealSense team with opportunities to network, learn best practices, and strengthen their leadership and expertise in increasing Earned Income Tax Credits that provide economic support for low-income workers and their families. Executive coaching will provide Melanie with tailored guidance on how to manage people and processes to improve organizational results, while building leadership capacity to deliver those results over the long term. As United Way continues to position itself as a dynamic organization committed to positive change, executive coaching provides tailored guidance to effectively implement the new strategies identified in United Way of Northeast Florida's strategic priorities.

Baptist Health - $50,000 (Ride United)

According to the most recent Community Health Needs Assessment, reliable transportation continues to be a major barrier to accessing care in Northeast Florida. Transportation is critical to securing employment, accessing medical care, obtaining healthy food, and dealing with emergencies and crises. Thanks to the support of Baptist Health, the $50,000 grant will provide 4,000 free rides to those experiencing transportation barriers through our Ride United program!

VyStar Foundation - $20,000 (Veterans Emergency Assistance and Unmet Needs Fund)

Thanks to VyStar Credit Union’s foundation support of $20,000, we will soon have a little more financial assistance in assisting our military-connected clients in addressing unmet and emergency barriers to living their best lives! Mission United routinely assists numerous Veterans falling through the cracks, who are at risk of homelessness or other forms of extreme poverty because of a fragmented and non-integrated system of care. Often partnered-services solutions are not able to be implemented because of a singular, non-supported – yet very relatable – fee or expenditure that would be the final piece of the solution. This can derail a Veteran's path towards sustainability. Seed funding for the Veterans Emergency Assistance and Unmet Needs fund will be used to provide emergency financial assistance after all community resources have been exhausted so that our Veterans and their families can be made whole!

Stein Fellowship Applications Extended

Do you know a young professional who would be a great fit for our Stein Fellowship program? Founded by philanthropists David and Linda Stein, the Stein Fellowship is a year-long immersive leadership and mentorship experience designed to prepare young professionals for philanthropic leadership. The fellowship is committed to developing high-performing leaders who have shown a commitment to philanthropy, improving our community and a desire to grow professionally through mentorship.

We are now accepting Stein Fellowship applications through June 9 (extended from May 31). Please share this information with your friends, family and neighbors. If you have any questions regarding this program, please feel free to reach out to Kenya Bell or check out the webpage for further details.

VOLUNTEER & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

United Way Volunteer Hub

If your department uses volunteers in any way or you want to learn more about the United Way of Northeast Florida’s Volunteer Hub, please be sure to reach out to the VCE department. VCE is eager to be of service and to share the awesome benefits of the Volunteer Hub!  

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

ALICE Resources

Marketing has created a folder in the All Staff Teams folder for a variety of ALICE resources to help you tell the ALICE story in and of Northeast Florida. Access the folder here (All Staff>ALICE Resources). The folder includes:

• Our official press release from April to share with others
• Talking points to use as an internal messaging guide for your own communication needs (do NOT share this document externally)
• Slides with accompanying notes to use in your own presentations, as needed
• Social media graphics and language
• United Way of Northeast Florida and United for ALICE logo lock-up
• ALICE one-pager
• And more coming soon!

Please do not edit or remove these documents. If you would like your own copy, please DOWNLOAD a copy for your own files. Questions? Email Sarah Henderson.

KEY DATES AT A GLANCE

Don't see below a key date you'd like listed? Request your supervisor submit to it the Monday Message template next week (due Friday).

• May 26: Summer Hours begin
• May 29: Memorial Day (holiday; office closed)
• June 3: Blue Zones Community Kickoff Event
• June 5: Heather McGhee: The Business Case for Community Building (presented by 904WARD and United Way)
• June 15: Board meeting
• June 17: Juneteenth Melanin Market
• June 19: Juneteenth (holiday; office closed)
• June 20-22: United Way of Florida statewide conference in Orlando
• July 4: Independence Day (holiday; office closed)
• July 28: Stuff the Bus with First Coast News
• July 31, Aug. 1-2: "Unstuffing" the Bus
• Aug. 5: Historic Eastside Back to School Community Event
• Aug. 11: Summer Hours end

UNITED WAY IN THE NEWS

Explore recent news content related to United Way of Northeast Florida:

First Coast Connect: Struggling households; DeSantis campaign; Community Foundation; Best Jax events

First Coast News: Jacksonville nonprofits fight displacement in historic neighborhood with home repair program

Action News Jax: New report shows minority households in Northeast Florida are struggling financially

News4Jax: IamJax: Campaign launched to counter recent hate messages in Jacksonville

Jax Today: North Riverside program reviving neighborhood one home at a time

Jacksonville Business Journal: Q & A: United Way CEO talks personal, professional focus on equity