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Author: United Way of Metropolitan Dallas

United Way Gets Dallas Students and Teachers Ready for Successful Start with ‘Stock the School’ Event

Written by United Way of Metropolitan Dallas on . Posted in Press Release.

(DALLAS) – Getting ready for school can be costly for both teachers and students. United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Stock the School event, presented by Mr. Cooper, bridges the opportunity gap, setting both students and teachers up for a successful school year. Volunteers will collect and stock essential learning supplies for 20 classrooms at Dallas Independent School District’s Cedar Crest Elementary School on Saturday, August 10. Volunteers will also work to provide a facelift to facilities, creating a fresh and revitalized learning environment for young students.

United Way volunteers will stuff dozens of classroom kits with much-needed supplies, including composition notebooks, folders, markers and pencils, before the campus’s official first day of school on August 19. In addition to sorting donated supplies, more than 100 volunteers will work to revitalize areas of the school to create a re-energized, positive learning environment. Projects will include remodeling teacher workspaces, painting and cleaning shared spaces, and assembling and installing updated educational décor. The event, supported by Mr. Cooper and TXU Energy, aims to ensure students and teachers walk into the classroom confident, empowered and prepared from day one.

“We are especially proud to support United Way’s work to help North Texas teachers and students get excited and ready for a successful school year,” said Francis Lobo, Chief Business and Product Officer at Mr. Cooper. “We want to equip and empower students early on by providing essential supplies to make them feel confident both academically and socially laying the foundation for a bright future.”

A recent national survey by Deloitte estimates the average back-to-school spend per household is $519. The latest Huntington Backpack Index shows the cost of school supplies has nearly doubled during the last decade. Rising costs can create financial challenges for hardworking parents of school-aged children. United Way’s initiative helps fill the gap, relieving the budget pinch for financially-strapped families.

“Together, we can ease financial stress for students, allowing them to focus on learning and starting strong on the path toward academic achievement,” said Jennifer Sampson, McDermott-Templeton President and CEO of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. “United Way is committed to putting opportunity in the hands of North Texans, ensuring all students can thrive and succeed.”

United Way leads the charge to improve education, income and health—the building blocks of opportunity. The Stock the School event is part of United Way’s effort to bring the best people, ideas and projects together to achieve lasting results right here at home. To learn more about United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and how to give and get involved, visit UnitedWayDallas.org.

Celanese Announces $100,000 Century Grant to Support South Dallas

Written by United Way of Metropolitan Dallas on . Posted in Press Release.

DALLAS (July 24, 2018) – Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE), a global specialty materials company, today announced a $100,000 grant challenge for the southern sector of Dallas, Texas.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Celanese where “Improving the World” is a core value lived every day. Celanese will celebrate its centennial anniversary by promoting volunteerism as well as giving grants in the Americas, Europe and Asia regions where it operates more than 50 manufacturing facilities, commercial offices and technology innovation centers. Combined with the Dallas-area $100,000 grant, Celanese anticipates granting more than $400,000 total in these communities globally.

“In honor of our centennial year, we are proud to offer grants in all global locations where we do business. Since 2013, Celanese’s employees have volunteered nearly 400,000 hours addressing community needs in the areas of: Primary Education, Thriving Families and Safe Places,” said Gretchen Rosswurm, Vice President of Philanthropy. “The Celanese Century grants honor the communities that support us while challenging us to be even more deeply engaged community change agents in South Dallas and beyond.”

The Celanese Foundation in partnership with United Way of Metropolitan Dallas (“UWMD”), will launch the “Celanese Century Southern Dallas Impact Grant” to support efforts within the Grow South Grow Strong program.

“The Grow South Grow Strong program provides children and families in the Roosevelt High School feeder pattern with targeted programming in the three City Year Dallas ISD schools, serving 1,700 students and their families,” said Susan Hoff, Chief Strategy, Impact and Operations Officer, UWMD. “Grow South Grow Strong aims to support students and families and engage the community and corporations through targeted programs to address the community’s biggest opportunities and challenges.”

The purpose of the grant is to identify and engage community partners to address a critical need that supports and advances the work of Primary Education, Thriving Families or Safe Places. We seek innovative solutions that support Dallas Mayor Mike Rawling’s Grow South effort to revitalize the southern sector of Dallas and the potential of students and families of the community.

While other funders are supporting the Grow South program, these three things set this grant apart:

  • We seek to fund ideas that are bold and innovative, thereby bridging the gap between current support within the community and larger funders who can bring scale and collaboration to South Dallas.
  • We aim to encourage interdisciplinary sharing of ideas that support and expand upon current thinking and work.
  • We seek grantees who will integrate community insight, input and involvement to create ownership and empowerment.

UWMD will release the RFP on Friday, July 20, 2018.  Deadlines for the grant process are as follows:

Stewardship Deadline – Friday, August 3, by 4:00 PM, applying organizations submit Stewardship Packet electronically at: https://unitedwaydallas.org/celanese-grant.

Proposal Submission Deadline – Friday, August 17, by 4:00 PM, applying organizations submit Proposal Packet electronically at: https://unitedwaydallas.org/celanese-grant.

The vetting committee, comprised of representatives from UWMD and Celanese, will begin reviewing applications in mid-August. Applications that will advance to the interview stage will be notified by the end of August. Interviews will be held throughout September and the organization chosen will be announced in October. Funding will begin on November 1 and extend through October 31, 2020.

To learn more about the Celanese Foundation and its focus areas, go to Foundation.Celanese.com.

About Celanese

Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. Our businesses use the full breadth of Celanese’s global chemistry, technology and commercial expertise to create value for our customers, employees, shareholders and the corporation. As we partner with our customers to solve their most critical business needs, we strive to make a positive impact on our communities and the world through The Celanese Foundation. Based in Dallas, Celanese employs approximately 7,700 employees worldwide and had 2017 net sales of $6.1 billion. For more information about Celanese Corporation and its product offerings, visit www.celanese.com or our blog at www.celaneseblog.com.

All registered trademarks are owned by Celanese International Corporation or its affiliates.