Advocate
Join the cause. Make your voice heard. Create real change.
Advocacy means shining a light on the issues that affect LaPorte County and lending our voice to ensure children, adults, and families have opportunities to thrive. It is crucial to our success as a community. United Way engages in public policy advocacy because – as a nearly 100-year-old institution – we have the longstanding community connections and firsthand experience to help guide policy makers as they tackle the problems that face LaPorte County and the region.
Policy change can be big or small. It can be advocating for healthier cafeteria meals. It can be urging your government to invest more in schools, or make child tax credits permanent, or make more children eligible for health insurance. Or it can be mobilizing your contacts to speak out on a critical cause, in person, or online.
United Way galvanizes people to speak out for change. We're amplifying individuals’ voices on important community issues. As a part of United Way Worldwide, the largest privately-funded nonprofit in the world, we provide a platform for people to take meaningful action that makes a difference.
United Way of LaPorte County advocates at the state, county, and municipal level for the appropriate funding and policies that protect the non-profit sector’s capacity to advance the common good. Along with our sister offices across the state, United Way of LaPorte County has established engagement strategies that reflect our work within the areas of education, income and health. United Way’s public policy agenda is focused on building the state’s vital public infrastructure in order to support stronger, more vital communities.
United Way's National Policy Work
United Way’s Policy Agenda for the 115th Congress helps fulfill our obligation to assist policy-makers in crafting the best possible governmental policies in the areas of education, financial stability and health, while also tackling important policies that strengthen communities at-large.
TAX REFORM
The recently passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will drastically impact charitable giving for 21 million Americans and damage the very fabric of the charitable sector and our communities. Fewer charitable donations means fewer resources to fund private food banks, homeless or domestic violence shelters, provide day care, or job training. United Way is continuing to weigh in to on solutions that support American values of giving by expanding charitable giving tax benefits. Join us in asking Congress to protect charitable giving and fight for charities.
VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE (VITA)
VITA leverages volunteer power so that millions of Americans can access free quality tax preparation, asset-building resources and financial education services. We’re asking Congress to shore up support for this vital public-private partnership to build financial stability in communities around the country. Check out how our sister United Ways are leveraging VITA volunteers to support millions of Americans and return millions of dollars to communities.
SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP)
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) is the nation’s largest anti-hunger program. The program provides timely, targeted and temporary support to low-income households for the purchase of food. As Congress debates the Farm Bill, United Way is committed to protecting and strengthening SNAP to maintain its responsiveness to combat hunger and provide financial stability for families, the elderly, and workers. Join us in protecting SNAP—enabling seniors living on a fixed income, working moms earning $10 an hour, or a vets struggling to get by to continue to put food on the table.