What We Do

United Way builds a better community, specifically
in the area of health and human services.

  • We identify important social issues and bring together money and people to address them;
  • We give donors a trusted, one-stop way to support critical services for people in need;
  • We make sure that donated dollars are spent wisely and well.

    Prevention Programs. Keeping families healthy. Making sure little kids thrive in excellent day care. Helping older kids succeed by nurturing their skills and interests after school. Helping seniors stay independent. Strengthening families through education and access to services that can keep them out of poverty.

    Safety Net Programs. Providing food, shelter, clothing, health care, companionship and counseling to people in crisis. Giving them one simple phone number to call - 211 - when they need help.

    Missoula Kids MatterTM.
    The death of even one child disturbs the order of the universe and diminishes us all. It is especially heartbreaking when a child's death is caused by abuse or neglect, and could have been prevented. That's why prevention is the focus of Missoula Kids Matter™, a new United Way of Missoula County initiative aimed at reducing child abuse and neglect by strengthening families. Because strong families mean strong, safe, healthy kids.

    It is almost unthinkable that nearly 2,000 Montana children are neglected or physically, sexually or emotionally abused each year. Abuse and neglect exact a terrible price, not only on the children themselves, who suffer extensive and often irreparable physical and emotional damage, but on society as a whole. Child welfare agencies and medical institutions spend millions of dollars annually addressing the immediate consequences of physical abuse alone. Children who die from abuse and neglect never have the opportunity to contribute to society - and far too many abused and neglected children die.

    It doesn't have to be this way. Montana and national studies show that many of these deaths could be prevented.

    Although the horrors of child abuse and neglect understandably spark a focus on punishing the offender and treating the victim, all authoritative research shows that prevention is key. Prevention programs targeted at parents before they become abusive or neglectful reduce the likelihood of future maltreatment.

    As a result, we created Missoula Kids MatterTM, which will raise awareness of and financial support for programs that

    • 1. Facilitate friendships and mutual support, reducing the isolation of new parents and isolated families by forging connections between families and developing supportive networks.

    2. Strengthen parenting by providing parents with formal training and education, home visits, and informal opportunities for information-sharing.

    3. Respond to family crises, offering extra support to families when they face crises such as job loss, illness, financial problems, substance abuse and other issues.

    4. Link families to services and opportunities. Working with families to help them meet their social, economic and career goals by connecting them with supportive services and opportunities builds healthy families.

    5. Facilitate children's social and emotional development, including by helping kids appropriately express their feelings, which can improve relationships between children and parents.

    6. Observe and respond to early warning signs of child abuse or neglect. Effective programs quickly help solve problems, including by reaching out to parents who are hostile and angry.

    7. Recognize, value and reward parents' efforts to improve their parenting skills and strengthen their families.

    Missoula Kids MatterTM grew out of the work of a United Way-convened Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect last year. The task force comprised frontline experts in the field from the Department of Child and Family Services, the city/county health department, the sheriff's department, the medical community, youth programs and representatives of United Way-funded agencies. Our challenge was to develop an evidence-based program to effectively address alarming incidences of child abuse and neglect in our county.

    To do this, we relied on the advice and expertise of task force members; we looked to local and national resources and abuse/neglect-prevention strategies that had been proven effective; and - because strong families correlate to reduced incidences of child abuse and neglect - we convened a focus group to hear from directly from parents about the factors that strengthened their families.

    We also looked at the varied and complex causes of child abuse and neglect. In addition to "generational abuse" - abuse by parents who were themselves abused as children - neglect and abuse can occur disproportionately in families affected by substance abuse, poverty, and mental health issues. Teen parents and single parents face additional stressors that can push them over the edge. But all children, regardless of age or family income, are at risk, and all children can and should be protected.

    How best to do this? Treatment services, while critical, are often ineffective in permanently altering parental behaviors. But our task force was swayed by evidence showing that the seven strategies described above build protective factors known to reduce child abuse and neglect. Parents become more knowledgeable and better at parenting and in fostering their child's development. They forge stronger social connections and learn from their peers. They receive concrete support like respite care and emergency child care in times of need. And their children succeed and thrive.

    Fortunately, Missoula is rich with programs with a long and commendable history of strengthening families and improving children's lives, using the exact strategies described above. Many of them are already supported by United Way of Missoula County. But many of them lack the resources to reach all who would benefit from their services. Missoula Kids MatterTM will raise the profile and the resources of these critical family-strengthening programs, enabling them to effectively broaden their reach. Because all Missoula kids deserve to be safe, to thrive, and reach their full potential. Because even one neglected or abused child is one too many. Because all Missoula kids matter.

    Give to what matters. See the results.