Nearly five years ago, United Way partnered with the School District of Philadelphia's newly formed Office of Strategic Partnerships to help create vibrant environments where students thrive by engaging with external partners to provide programs and services to the School District at no cost.
Anjela Alvarado, OSP’s Partnerships Coordinator – a position United Way partially funds – says the School District knew it needed more volunteers, but didn’t know what each individual schools’ needs were or what capacity they had to take on volunteers. Now at the beginning of each school year, principals complete a simple survey asking them to prioritize their volunteer needs around mentoring, beautification, literacy building, career exploration, and more.
From there, Anjela then spends her days matching corporate volunteers’ skills and interests with schools’ needs, creating one-time and ongoing opportunities for volunteers to make a meaningful difference in kids’ lives. Opportunities range from financial literacy and STEM workshops to career days, job shadowing, reading support, and beautification projects.
I’m committed to ensuring that every child receives a high-quality, affordable education. I want children of color and children from low-income families to have the same opportunities as their peers. I enjoy working with members of our local business community to provide resources and discover new ways to partner with schools. Fostering these relationships gets employees active in our community, shows the company’s commitment to improving education, and develops a talented workforce in our region.
United Way’s partnership with OSP is just one example of how we seek out the best initiatives in our region and help them serve this community even better. Learn more about the Office of Strategic Partnerships here.