Mercer County United Way Receives $354,650 Grant

Editor's Note: The following is a news release issued by the United Way of Greater Mercer County.

United Way of Greater Mercer County (UWGMC) is pleased to announce that the organization has received a $354,650 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) for 2012-13.

This grant will support United Way’s community impact work over the course of this coming fiscal year in the areas of Helping Children Succeed (Education), Fostering Self-Sufficiency (Income), and Caring for Seniors and People with Disabilities (Health).

This grant marks the 11th consecutive year that UWGMC has received funding from RWJF.

The RWJF grant allows UWGMC to fund more critically needed services in Mercer County, such as the United Youth Mentor Link program, which provides student peer and adult mentors to help teens stay in school and graduate on time. The goal is to reduce the Trenton High School dropout rate. The program currently has a graduation rate of 90 percent with the first group of 42 students who graduated in June.

In addition, UWGMC is helping to end chronic homelessness in Mercer County by providing permanent housing and supportive services, as well as housing vouchers, so that homeless individuals have a place to call home.

“We are extremely pleased to be awarded this grant. The philanthropy that RWJF practices seeks to be transformative—to change society and the lives of all Americans for the better. UWGMC is working on the same guiding principal in Mercer County. With support from RWJF we will be able to continue to make progress in housing homeless individuals and helping children get the necessary education to become self-sufficient and on the path to success,” says Patrick Cacacie, vice president of resource investment at United Way of Greater Mercer County.

By focusing on the underlying causes of problems and engaging the community to work together, UWGMC is creating lasting changes in community conditions that no one organization can accomplish alone.