sparks! is an emergent network in La Crosse County, located in western Wisconsin. The network was founded after receiving a grant from the State of Wisconsin in 2015. This funding came through a state-level initiative granting money to 10 communities across the state. Part of the inspiration for these grants was to encourage businesses to understand the importance of early childhood, to create relationships between public and private-sector organizations around
Anne Arundel County Partnership for Children, Youth and Families was created by the State Legislature in 1993, under the direction of the Maryland Governor’s Office for Children. Each of the 24 counties in Maryland was assigned to assemble a collaborative board (Local Management Board) to manage the implementation of a local, interagency, community-based human service delivery system for children, youth, and families. The Partnership is the Local Management Board for
United Way of Miami-Dade, located in Miami, Florida, recently celebrated its 95th birthday! In 1924, the precursor to United Way of Miami-Dade, the Miami Community Chest, held its first campaign, which raised $136,095 to support 12 local agencies, including Salvation Army, American Red Cross, and the YMCA. The Community Chest became the United Fund of Dade County in 1957, and it was finally in 1972 when the United Fund became
The Westbrook Children’s Project was formed in 2009 in Westbrook, Maine, just outside the city of Portland. The network’s founding goals and vision were mainly around high school graduation rates, specifically to have every student in Westbrook graduate high school prepared for their next steps, whether that be post-secondary education, the workforce, or military service. Some initial champions of the Westbrook Children’s Project included the mayor and other local municipal
About 7 to 10 years ago, the Bay Area Community Council (BACC) led an effort among community leaders to formulate ideas on how to create change in the community. Major partners in the effort were the Brown County United Way, the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation, and the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. The action planning relied on information from the Brown County LIFE (Leading Indicators for Excellence) Study
Voyage (formerly the Blue Ribbon Commission on the Prevention of Youth Violence) was formed in 2008 by a collection of elected officials and community leaders. The mayor of Wilmington, the district attorney, the superintendent of schools, local faith-based community leaders, and the head of United Way partnered together in response to a community call to address the rise of community crime and gang activity in 2007-2008. These players felt the need