ROANOKE, VA—The United Way of Roanoke Valley Board of Directors today approved volunteer recommendations to invest $2,954,241 in community impact efforts to measurably improve the quality of people’s lives. Total investments represent a 4.4% increase over last year.

 Investments are made in seven impact areas: investing in children and youth, strengthening families, promoting senior independence, building self sufficiency, caring for people in crisis, improving health and wellness and community planning.All the money will stay here to help people in the Roanoke Valley through a caring network of 30 local agencies and 68 programs.

"The United Way fulfills  the need for a coordinated and thoughtful approach to funding health and human care needs across the Valley. We strive to be sure that these gifts are used effectively and produce positive, measurable results,” said Donovan Young, United Way Community Investment Chairman. “This is a great benefit to our community, especially now when money is tight.” 

 All programs underwent an extensive evaluation by teams of investment volunteers in each impact area. Programs were reviewed and rated by specific criteria:

• Programs must align with specific priority needs

• Agency program budgets are reasonable and have adequate resources to achieve results

• Programs are able to demonstrate that significant outcomes are being achieved

• Programs engage in collaborative activities with other community organizations and activities. 

 “We are very grateful to our 30,000 donors for generously contributing these important funds. Also, we are indebted to over 100 volunteers who intelligently made these difficult investment decisions,” said Frank Rogan, United Way of Roanoke Valley President. “This is a community-wide effort to address what matters most and to help those in need. We can all be proud of this great effort.”