What are the greatest needs of community?

When you think “United Way,” probably our annual fundraising campaign is what first comes to mind. Maybe you saw an article, commercial or billboard, or heard it discussed at your workplace. And if you’ve made a contribution, we thank you.

But beyond the dollars that it takes to make change happen, it takes data.

Earlier this year we surveyed residents, community leaders and experts from local nonprofit health and human services providers to identify what they believe are the greatest needs in our area. The results, compiled in what we call a Community Needs Assessment, help guide our funding decisions, primarily by giving our volunteers data to consider when making their program funding decisions, impacting local agencies.

It is valuable research, even beyond our walls. We partnered with Via Christi Health and the Sedgwick County Health Department to collect and compile the data; they have important uses for the findings, too.

You can find the full report on our website, unitedwayplains.org, but a primary theme that emerged was the importance of education and nurturing children’s potential. This was particularly true in the areas of children entering kindergarten ready to learn and children reading at grade level by third grade. Issues affecting income and self-sufficiency, such as employment/job training and housing, were also identified as important community priorities to address, as was access to health care.

Many of the concerns cited in the survey have common themes or are symptoms of deeper issues. United Way recognizes that lasting change comes from changing the existing environment and from addressing the basic, underlying problems. Driving that change is the most important work that we do. We use the information to make a direct and lasting impact on the lives of the people we serve – just another way United Way adds value to every donated dollar.

In the next few weeks, we will be talking with community groups, area employees and other community members, learning in greater depth what the community thinks. Whether in person or online, we hope you will become part of the conversation.

This story was originally published June 19, 2016 at 12:01 AM with the headline "What are the greatest needs of community?."