Russ is the director of Central District Health Department, which serves a population of about 475,000 people.

“Our mission is partnering to promote, protect and preserve health in our communities,” Russ said. This led to a natural partnership with United Way of Treasure Valley.

Jet is a re-payer. As a teenage mom in the 1970s, Jet was able to access community services she needed to continue her education.

“I had access to the right help at the right time,” said Jet, who is now the chair of Women United, a volunteer group of women through United Way of Treasure Valley.

As a young mom with little means, child care support made earning a bachelor’s degree possible through night classes. And, behavioral and mental health support meant a mother and daughter could thrive, together.

Diane loves books and she loves passing on her passion for reading. In 2013, when she attended the Voices Reading Summit and learned that only one in 300 children in low-income households have books, she was stunned.

“We could not fathom that – 1 book for 300 kids!? – after all, our kids had access to books and we read to them every day for 20 minutes, so why wouldn’t all kids have that? Well, that bubble burst then and there,” Diane said.

Each year, children all across the Treasure Valley attend school with tooth aches. Many can’t focus on learning in the classroom because their mouths hurt as their families do not have access to dental care.

Donna wants to change that. As a part of Miles of Smiles, a mobile dental truck that visits local schools to provide free oral care for children and remove the barrier of transportation and cost, Donna and United Way are making a difference.

Theresa wants to end domestic violence. She wants to help the children and women—and men—flee from abuse and find shelter in safe, secure homes.

Theresa’s passion for helping people led her to get involved with United Way of Treasure Valley. United Way works with nonprofit organizations that provide care and support for victims of domestic violence, like the Women’s and Children’s Alliance.

Mirella is a social worker in the Nampa School District, which has the highest number of homeless students in the state of Idaho at more than 1,500. She sees firsthand the needs of these students.

About a year ago, United Way of Treasure Valley began supplying ‘Hygiene Kits’ to the Nampa School District. The kits include basic hygiene items, like soap, shampoo, tooth paste, deodorant and feminine hygiene products. Many of Nampa’s homeless students do not have these items, preventing them from feeling clean and comfortable at school.

Rebecca has dedicated her career to helping children and families in Idaho. As key staff member of United Way, she wants to make the ‘healthy choice’ the ‘easy choice’ for local families. As a mother of two small children, she knows how important healthy choices are for her kids.

“Over the past 10 years my goal has been to create opportunities for people to eat better, move more, get educated and make good financial decisions,” said Rebecca, who serves as United Way’s Director of Community Impact.

Diana’s roots in the Boise area run deep. She loves our community, and, when a serious problem arises that affects children, individuals and families, she wants to address it. That’s why she became a Board of Directors member for United Way of Treasure Valley.

“United Way is the catalyst for systemic and meaningful change in our community. When there is a tough, seemingly intractable problem, United Way is first to dive in and tackle it,” Diana said.

While living in Seattle in 2008, Reid first became involved with United Way of King County, using his background in banking to help low-income families file their taxes for free.

“That was a big community need that the United Way had taken on,” Reid said.

Looking to get more involved, Reid quickly joined the Emerging Leaders group at the local United Way in Seattle, which features community-minded millennials who want to make a difference. When Reid’s job relocated him and his family to Boise, he wanted to join another young leaders group with United Way.

United Way and the Treasure Valley YMCA have built a longstanding partnership to help children learn, grow and succeed.

David, at the helm of the local YMCA, wants to continue that.

“I have donated to and volunteered for United Way for 34 years because I have seen the life-long impact this work does,” David said. “I give because my gift makes a difference to an individual, which strengthens my community and changes the world.”