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United Way Announces Funding for Programs to Help the Poor, Infants, Students, and Elderly

Local programs providing services for new parents, people living in poverty, students and the elderly are getting a nearly $14 million dollar boost from the United Way.

The money comes from the agency's Community Fund. The United Way’s director of community investment, Patricia Leo, says the investment marks the first year of a three year partnership between the United Way and its program partners.  She said the overall goal is to better address the complex needs of families and people in our community, and end the structural barriers that keep people from being successful.

"There are a lot of big initiatives in town, and rather than work independently, we need to all work together to ensure that we're bringing together as many resources as we can in a collective way to be able to make a bigger impact," she said.

The funding will, among other things provide basic living needs for 33,000 people living in poverty; in-home education and support for 800 new parents; after school learning and summer enrichment programs for 4,700 students; and nutrition education transportation and other support services for 13,000 elderly people.

The United Way raised $25.1 million in its annual campaign this year, an increase of nearly $500,000 from last year.

Beth Adams joined WXXI as host of Morning Edition in 2012 after a more than two-decade radio career. She was the longtime host of the WHAM Morning News in Rochester. Her career also took her from radio stations in Elmira, New York, to Miami, Florida.