United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra (UWNNS) announced that the UWNNS board of directors has approved the accreditation of four new nonprofit partner agencies including Nevada Public Health Foundation (NPHF), Reno Youth Bridge, Volunteers of America (VOA) and Elvirita Lewis Forum: Senior Companion and Foster Grandparents programs.
UWNNS is committed to ensuring that donor contributions are invested in high-quality, credible organizations, therefore in order to achieve partner agency status, nonprofit agencies must meet a rigorous set of “Standards of Excellence.” An organization must be a partner agency in order to apply for UWNNS funding during a separate process in which they can submit an application for funding of a program in United Way’s three inter-related areas of focus: health, education and financial stability.
The UWNNS Standards of Excellence process involves a volunteer-driven review of each applicant agency’s managerial and organizational components, including governance, program practices, financials, facilities, human resources and legal documentation. Volunteers also conduct a site visit to ensure program facilities are well maintained and appropriate for those being served.
Additional information regarding the four newly accredited nonprofits:
- NPHF is an organization dedicated to strengthening public health in Nevada through partnerships that build public awareness and promote actions to address public health needs.
- Reno Youth Bridge is an after school activity program at all the Washoe County School District’s middle schools where volunteers teach students how to play the game of Bridge.
- VOA provides emergency shelter, transitional and affordable housing, substance-abuse treatment and job training. VOA also teaches classes in independent living and parenting skills, as well as operates the homeless shelter on Record Street in Reno.
- Elvirita Lewis Forum has two programs that benefit our communities – Senior Companion and Foster Grandparents. The Foster Grandparents program places senior volunteers in supervised settings with K-12 schools, public agencies, family drug court and juvenile detention with the goal of helping at-risk children meet academic standards as well as provide positive intergenerational social interaction. The Senior Companion program is designed to have senior volunteers provide basic social support to seniors over the age of 60 who live alone (or in need of respite care), have limited access to outside resources, and who will benefit most from social support such as visiting, playing games and assisting with accessing supportive resources.
