Join us for the March edition of Community Connections presented by the United Way on WTIC 1080AM! Maura Cook, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Development, joins the program to discuss the homelessness crisis Connecticut is seeing. Cook explains how the United Way is tackling this issues in two ways. The first is by preventing individuals from becoming homeless through rent and utility assistance. The second is by assisting those who are already homeless by placing them in a shelter and working with them to get them into stable housing as soon as possible. Melissa Ferrucci, Managing Par ..read more

Join us for Community Connections presented by the United Way on WTIC 1080AM! Senior Vice President of Marketing and Development, Maura Cook joins the program to remind us to appreciate our employees! March 1 is National Employee Appreciation Day and it is a great way for workers to be acknowledged. United Way steps in by offering volunteer and team-building activities that offer a mental health boost to employees and superiors alike. The United Way will also help personalize the experience to ensure it will benefit the individuals participating. Groups can also give back through the United Wa ..read more

Join us for the first Community Connections of 2024 with the United Way on WTIC 1080AM! Maura Cook, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Development, rings in the New Year by reminding everyone that it’s tax season! Tax season also means talking about VITA. VITA stands for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance. This service allows families and individuals to file their taxes at no cost. VITA is especially helpful for individuals who: Are 60 years or older Individuals with disabilities Individuals who speak limited English Those who earn up to the income threshold ($64,000 a year) The VITA progra ..read more

Join us for the final Community Connections of 2023 with the United Way on WTIC 1080AM! While many of us look back this time of year, Maura Cook, the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Development, is looking forward. Cook tells Steve about the 11th annual Red White and Chocolate fundraiser. This event is made possible through United Women, who through financial stability initiatives they empower and help women and families in Connecticut. According to the most recent ALICE report, 40% of families are struggling to make ends meet. This event can help families in your community gain financi ..read more

Join us for the October edition of Community Connections on WTIC 1080AM This Month, Vice President of Marketing and Development at United Way Maura Cook is joined by Humberto Hormaza, the  President and General Manager of FOX 61/CW 20, TENGA and Liz Salvatore, the Community Marketing Manager, FOX 61/CW 20, TEGNA. Both join Cook in talking about the inaugural impaCT awards. Cook explains the creation of the award, and how FOX 61 along with The United Way want to make sure the daily heroes we see in our communities get recognized for the work that they do. Liz Salvatore continues ..read more

Join us for the September edition of Community Connections here on WTIC 1080AM! Vice President of Marketing and Development at United Way Maura Cook is joined by two guests. Her guests are Taniqua Huguley, Director of Economic Mobility at United way and Jessica Vargas, the Network Relations Representative from Connecticut Foodshare go over the data revealed in the latest ALICE Report. ALICE stands for Assets Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. This report sees how much a family needs to make in order to cover their basic needs. Cook explains that to survive in Connecticut, a family of four ..read more

School is back in session! Join us for the August presentation of Community Connections with the United Way on WTIC 1080AM. Maura Cook, Vice President of Marketing and Development, joins us to discuss the upcoming academic year and September now being recognized at Attendance Awareness Month. Cook emphasizes how many times children miss school due to factors beyond their control, and the resources that the United Way has to bridge those gaps.   Nuchette Black Burke, Chief of Family and Community Partnerships from Hartford Public Schools, joins us to give us an update on how the distric ..read more

Join us for this month’s presentation of Community Connections with The United Way on WTIC 1080AM. Vice President of Marketing and Development Maura Cook tells Steve about how important it is to make sure kids keep reading, even though school is out of session. Cook also explains how hard it can be for children to read at grade level when they are part of a family struggling to make ends meet. Cook’s guest this month is Luis Rivera, Community Relations Manager from Connecticut Children's Hospital. Rivera explains the importance of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and how it's helping the c ..read more

Join us for the May installment of 'Community Connections' with the United Way on WTIC 1080 AM! This month Vice President Maura Cook talks about ALICE. ALICE stands for: Assist Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. Those who fall under this category are working and fall above the Federal Poverty Line, but still struggle with affording their basic needs.  Mark Abraham from Data Haven joins Cook to discuss mental health and how transitioning in and out of the Pandemic has affected Connecticut residents. Cook also mentioned the Power of the Purse event, which will be happening on June 8. Th ..read more

Join us for this month’s installment of 'Community Connections' with the United Way on WTIC 1080 AM. This month Maura Cook talks about “The Power of the Purse,” the annual fundraiser which helps families achieve financial security. Tiffany Mazur, Vice President of Key Bank and Jan Turner, Vice President at Travelers, as well as co-chair of this year's event join Cook to talk about this event and how they hope to inspire women and families alike.  The three talk about how advocacy, programs like VITA and how coming together at this event will have a lasting impact on women and families in ..read more