United Way of Tucson has collected
$561,291 to help individuals and families in our Southern Arizona community.
United For Southern Arizona
COVID-19 Fund Updates:
As we pivot now from Response to Recovery, your United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona is excited to share bi-weekly updates related to our United for Southern Arizona COVID-19 Fund. Funds raised are used to help local individuals and families in our community as we work towards recovering and rebuilding our community from the COVID-19 crisis. It is only through your generosity that we are able to create a positive impact in the lives of others. Thank you for making this possible! Read on below for individual stories of impact, volunteer opportunities and other important updates.
Partner Agencies:
Community Stories
Thanks to the generous support of our funders and donors like you, United Way of Tucson has been able to help individuals and families start to recover and rebuild their lives in conjunction with our partner organizations. Below you will read the stories of these individuals and how they have been directly affected during this COVID-19 crisis.
Dealing with Loss and Grief during the Pandemic
Pima Council on Aging: “Back in February, Margaret’s* son passed away. The death was unexpected, and even though Margaret was getting older, she never imagined that she would pass before one of her children. Her grief was compounded by cremation expenses, which totaled $5,000. As an older adult living on a limited income and in a Section 8 apartment, she could not cover the full amount herself. So after talking with her ex-husband (her son’s father) and daughter, she decided to charge the expense to her credit card, hoping that all three of them could chip away at the cost over time. Unfortunately, her daughter has only been able to assist small amounts amid the pandemic, and her ex-husband has not contributed anything yet. Her financial strain is growing and becoming more difficult to manage as she attempts to keep meeting the monthly payments. Our team was able to provide Margaret with support and resources, including grocery assistance from the United for Southern Arizona COVID-19 fund, to help her navigate this difficult time.” 
United Way Family Support Alliance: “Lucia* is an 18 year old who recently had a baby. She enrolled in one of our partner home visitation programs while she was expecting and has stayed in touch with her visitation team even as the pandemic has made contact more difficult. She and her baby live with her mother and two young sisters, and like most families, they have experienced many challenges over the past few months. One of their biggest challenges occurred when Lucia’s great-grandmother contracted COVID-19. The family was forced to limit contact with their great-grandmother during her illness, and not too long after becoming sick, Lucia’s great-grandmother passed away. Grief has been especially difficult during the pandemic, and the family was forced to change many aspects of the funeral services. On top of that, the funeral expenses greatly strained the entire family’s financial situation. However, our home visitation partners were able to use COVID-19 funds support Lucia and her family with groceries and household supplies to keep them safe, stable, and healthy amid their loss.”
United Way of Tucson Response:
End of Life Care Partnership
The pandemic is bringing unexpected loss and raising awareness of end-of-life issues, including what people want when faced with serious illness. What interventions would be acceptable and what are the values that inform end-of-life decisions? Suddenly, mortality is prominent in people’s minds. Before COVID, 68% of a Pima County sample reported they had not written down their end-of-life wishes (Arizona End of Life Care Community Survey, 2019). This is in sharp contrast with the reported desire to not be a physical or financial burden to their family. The United for Southern Arizona COVID-19 fund is helping people meet immediate needs of food, shelter, and stability amid unforseen expenses, such as funeral costs, and the loss of family income that can follow a death. 
Concurrently, our Arizona End of Life Care Partnership (Arizona EOLCP) continues their work to enhance the way we live by fundamentally changing the way we talk about death with the vision of ensuring that people receive the quality care they desire at the end of life. By bringing together cross-sector organizations and individuals who are focused on end-of-life planning and support, the Arizona EOLCP is committed to serving the community in a variety of ways, including healthcare, community education, hospice services, grief and bereavement support for families and children, legal services, and healthcare provider curriculum development. With a focus on equity, inclusivity, and access, the Arizona EOLCP endeavors to provide clear and compassionate communication, education, support, and resources that are tailored to the needs of individuals and communities.
  • Through funding from the Vitalyst Health Foundation, a partnership with Tu Nidito, Goodwill of Tucson and Southern Arizona, and the Pima County Juvenile Court Center, customized grief support is being provided to Opportunity Youth. View a video highlighting our work Here.

  • Through funding from the David and Lura Lovell Foundation, free community workshops are offered by multiple Partner community organizations to learn how to initiate a conversation about end-of-life wishes and complete the appropriate documents ensuring that wishes are honored. These workshops emphasize that this process is complicated and that wishes may change over time.

  • Through funding from the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, Step Up to Justice is providing free expert legal services to low-income Pima County residents for all aspects of advance care planning using an innovative approach in their “Prep with Tech” project.
We need your help to keep
Southern Arizona United
We need your continued support to help our community recover and rebuild from the COVID-19 Crisis. For nearly 100 years, your United Way of Southern Arizona has been fulfilling our mission of mobilizing the community to solve real-time problems. Your gift to this fund will quickly support a child, family, or older person with what they need most as our community heals. Together, we can help each other and our community emerge from this stronger than ever. When we LIVE UNITED, we can achieve more than any single entity can alone. When you GIVE UNITED, you can change lives.