Advocacy seeks to ensure all people in our society have a voice, heard on issues that are important to them, and that their views are genuinely considered when decisions are made about their lives. It means taking action to create change United Way raises attention about challenges in our community and lends voice to ensure opportunities for children and families to thrive. Advocacy creates positive change towards greater social justice and equality, and 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 Stark and Carroll Counties.

Civic engagement is an important part of advocacy. There are three simple and effective ways you can be take action: Sign -on letters, provide public testimony and contact your officials.

At United Way of Greater Stark County our advocacy is rooted in equity. We seek to elevate the voices of the communities we serve, particularly underserved communities, to drive systematic change to ensure all people in our community, especially those who have been overlooked, have sufficient income and opportunities to thrive. We help people today but also set policies that will serve our communities in the future.

We work with partners in the community to assess community needs, devise strategies, and mobilize resources to improve people’s lives and build strong communities. Through the work done each day, the community relationships maintained, and the close ties served, United Way seeks to address unique needs of their communities.

United Way seeks to create opportunities for systemic change through policy in the areas of health, education, financial stability. Our approach to policy is non-partisan and issue-focused and we aim to inform, educate, and build consensus.

Coming soon.

Sharing your voice and your story matters. With the right tools, anyone can be an effective advocate for change.

This toolkit will give you information on each policy priority, tips on how to communicate effectively with your elected representatives, sample social media posts, scripts for calling your representatives and a template for writing a letter to your representatives.

At the end you will find a list of resources that will help you draft letters, call your representatives, and where you can find your local representative’s contact information.

Find your state and federal officials here.

Register to vote or update voter registration information using the Ohio Secretary of State’s secure online system.

The current challenges that Stark and Carroll County residents have cannot be solved by one person or program and is why we firmly believe in engaging the entire community. United Way leads and participates in advocacy coalitions and working groups with community partners to engage in strategic policy work. As a multi–issue organization, we partner with like-minded organizations, leaders and coalitions across the counties to amplify our collective voice.