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May 30, 2006

United Way of Greater New Haven Names New COO and Vice President for Community Leadership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 30, 2006

Media Contact: Michelle Wade
203.772.2010, Ext.202
mwade@uwgnh.org

Heather Calabrese, Senior Vice President of United Way of Greater New Haven, will become Chief Operating Officer on July 1. In addition, Jennifer McGrady Heath has joined the organization as Vice President for Community Leadership. The changes are part of United Way’s ongoing effort to improve lives in our community and to focus on successful children and youth, economically vibrant communities and community wellness.

Calabrese joined United Way of Greater New Haven in September 2000 as Director of Marketing and Communications. Prior to joining United Way she served as Director of Corporate Development for the International Festival of Arts and Ideas and Vice President of Community Affairs at the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce. Calabrese is active in the local community. Her volunteer activity includes work for Read to Grow, with School Volunteers for New Haven, the New Haven Free Public Library, St. Rita School and Habitat for Humanity.

As COO, Calabrese will be responsible for the daily operations of United Way including the areas of finance, marketing and communications, community leadership and investment and resource development. She is a graduate of Wheelock College and lives in Hamden with her husband, Victor, and her son, Andrew.

Jennifer McGrady Heath joins United Way after four years as a Senior Associate at Holt, Wexler and Farnam, LLP, a planning and management consulting firm in New Haven where her clients included United Way, the William Casper Graustein Memorial Fund, the City of New Haven and the City of Hartford. Heath has also worked as a consultant to United Way’s Success by 6® initiative to improve school readiness and Community Compass which identifies the assets and needs of the region and opportunities for action.

As Vice President for Community Leadership, Heath is responsible for United Way community investments, nonprofit relations, civic engagement and public policy leadership. This new position will enable the United Way to create positive change in three priority areas: Successful Children and Youth; Economically Vibrant Communities; and Community Wellness.
Heath graduated from Davidson College and has a Master in Public Affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. She and her husband, Ken, live in Hamden where she serves as an elected member of the Board of Education.

About United Way:
United Way mobilizes the caring power of our community to create measurable, sustainable change and to improve lives. To do this we: help identify our region's greatest needs and best opportunities for change; raise dollars and invest those dollars for results; connect people to their caring through volunteer opportunities.

For more information about United Way of Greater New Haven’s community leadership and how you can help please visit www.uwgnh.org.


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May 25, 2006

YOUTH PHILANTHROPY PROGRAM TO AWARD GRANTS TO LOCAL YOUTH PROGRAMS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 2006
Media Contact: Michelle Wade
203.772.2010, Ext.202
Cell – 860.834.0128
mwade@uwgnh.org

MTV/ UNITED WAY OF AMERICA STORM CORPS MEMBER, ELIZABETH WHITE,
TO SPEAK AT EVENT


United Way of Greater New Haven’s Youth Philanthropy Project (YPP) will announce and celebrate three grant recipients at its second annual award ceremony on Thursday, May 25, 2006. A total of $11,000 will be awarded to AIDS Project New Haven, The New Haven Ecology Project, Inc. and West Haven Community House Association.

The Youth Philanthropy Project (YPP) is an innovative, youth grant-making and leadership development program for high school students in the Greater New Haven area. This group is made up of fifteen local youth, ages 13-18, from ten different high schools, who dedicate their time, talent, and treasure to develop civic and social awareness in their regional community through leadership and academics. Through YPP organized events, the group raises money, which is then matched by local community organizations, to be awarded to local youth programs. This youth serving youth format is a key ingredient in the program’s success.

This will be the group’s second year of fundraising and grant making. After a second successful NFL Players Youth Clinic in March, the group sent out a request for proposals to area non-profits who provide youth related services. The group of fifteen YPP youth then reviewed each grant application and decided which programs they would fund and how much each would receive.

Additionally, a “Service before Self” award will be presented to Elizabeth White, a New Haven resident and Fordham University student, who spent her spring break as a Storm Corp volunteer in Biloxi, Mississippi helping hurricane Katrina cleanup efforts. Storm Corps is a joint venture between United Way of America and MTV to provide college students the opportunity to become involved in rebuilding the Gulf Coast.

About United Way:
United Way mobilizes the caring power of our community to create measurable, sustainable change and to improve lives. To do this we: help identify our region's greatest needs and best opportunities for change; raise dollars and invest those dollars for results; connect people to their caring through volunteer opportunities.

More information about United Way’s Youth Philanthropy Project (YPP) can be found at www.uwgnh.org.

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