Access to quality education is vital to child development, lifelong learning and regional economic growth. United Way of Mower County understands that barriers exist in our community that impact one's ability to obtain quality education, so we continually strive to address these issues by ensuring equal opportunities exist for all.
Equipping students and parents with the tools to learn and grow is an integral part of United Way of Mower County's education efforts. Through funded partners, UWMC is strengthening education at every age-level.
Through 2020 funding...
success stories.
LIFE MOWER COUNTY - Our Place Recreation Center
"TW is a 20-year-old young woman who has Down Syndrome. She lives with her mother in Austin. She has been a member since the 10th grade but didn't attend a lot of programming because she was busy with school. After graduating high school last year her mom was having some behavioral issues with her. When TW started participating in our Virtual Programs in May 2020 she has since participated in 50 virtual programs including crafts, bingo, trivia, game night, and more. TW has set reminders on her cell phone for each virtual program so she doesn’t miss anything. TW’s mom has told us that she has seemed much happier since having a purpose to get up each day. Her mother quoted, "If it wasn’t for your virtual programs, TW wouldn’t be able to see her friends and have a social life". "
Serveminnesota - Minnesota Reading Corps
“I have a 2nd grader this year who at first struggled to come with me to our 20 minute reading sessions. He would fight with me and just hated reading, and it showed on his scores. One night his mom came to pick him up and asked me how things were going with him. I told the mom I would like to have a sit down with her, my internal coach Paula, and the 2nd grade teacher. At the meeting, I told the mom the frustrations I was having with my student. It turns out, she was having the same issues at home trying to get him to read.
She said she can deal with the frustrations, but he shouldn’t be disrespectful to his teachers. The next day, my student came up to me and apologized, even giving me a hug! It was afterwards, my student started putting more effort into our reading sessions, and now slowly his scores are starting to improve. I saw his parents, and they thanked me for not giving up on him, which made me realize how much of an impact I am making on my students.”
