FAMILY, Inc. (familyia.org) is pleased to announce it was recently awarded $72,000 in funding from United Way of the Midlands to support southwest Iowa communities. Thanks to the generosity of the United Way donors, parents of children under age 3 will continue to receive family support services in their home, individualized to the unique needs of each child, and FAMILY, Inc.’s Mobile Wellness Unit will serve the community with health screening services for pregnant women and children primarily residing in rural areas of Pottawattamie and Mills Counties. Additionally, Raise Me to Read will infuse literacy across Council Bluffs through collective impact to ensure more children are reading at grade level by 3rd grade.

With the help of this grant, FAMILY, Inc. will realize at least a 10% increase in referrals for service via the Mobile Wellness Unit for women, children, and adolescents from rural areas and/or those who identify as Hispanic. It is anticipated that 500 individuals will receive preventative services and supports over the course of the program year. Through in-home family support services, 75 children will be screened for developmental progress and participating families will demonstrate a connection with at least one community resource. The number of 3rd grade children reading at grade level will increase by 12% through the literacy support of Raise Me to Read.

FAMILY, Inc. is a human services organization with a mission to engage and educate our community, inspiring a healthy future through literacy, family, and public health services. Learn more at familyia.org.