By Jenni Marsh—
MUNCIE, IN—Children struggling with reading, falling behind on homework, or having difficulty focusing in class may be facing challenges that reach far beyond school. Their adults may be worrying about rent, healthcare costs, or stretching a paycheck to cover basic needs. Families don’t experience challenges in silos, and that’s why Heart of Indiana United Way doesn’t address them that way.
Heart of Indiana United Way serves Delaware, Madison, Henry, Randolph, and Fayette counties, where 44% of households struggle to make ends meet—despite most of them working. In Muncie, that number climbs to 55%.
We know that children’s success is closely tied to their families’ stability. When a caregiver has the support they need, children are more likely to thrive. That’s why we focus on helping entire families move forward together.
Our approach connects support across four key areas.
—We help children build strong foundations through early learning programs, literacy initiatives, and family engagement in education.
—We help families strengthen their financial futures through the THRIVE Network, which provides one-on-one coaching, budgeting support, and pathways to higher income.
—We help families remain stable through housing assistance, disaster response, and services that prevent larger setbacks such as eviction.
—And we connect people to healthcare through free navigation services that help families access and keep health coverage.
Each of these efforts is important on their own. Together, they create lasting change.
Thanks to the generosity of donors, that impact is being felt across our region. Last year, 112,417 people received support through United Way-funded programs, partnerships, and community initiatives. That’s roughly one in three people across our five-county area!
The results are encouraging. Eighty-three percent of third graders served through Read & Achieve-funded programs read proficiently by the end of the school year. Ninety-one percent of participating children met developmental milestones. Through the THRIVE Network, 835 people received one-on-one coaching, and every participant with a housing goal improved their housing situation. More than 3,800 households received assistance with housing and utility needs, and 8,414 people received help navigating health coverage and healthcare resources.
These numbers represent real families finding stability, opportunity, and hope.
Heart of Indiana United Way donors are helping children and their grown-ups move forward together. And when families move forward together, our communities grow stronger.
I invite Muncie’s citizens, local businesses, and workplaces to invest in this work. Whether through a personal gift, a workplace campaign, event sponsorship, or another form of support, every contribution helps create opportunities for local families.
Because when we help a family move forward, we all move forward.
Jenni Marsh is president & CEO of Heart of Indiana United Way serving Delaware, Madison, Henry, Randolph, and Fayette Counties. She can be reached at jmarsh@HeartOfIndiana.org or 765-896-5902.
