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Montgomery County Public Schools pledges $25,000 to River Region United Way to support families
Summary
Montgomery County Public Schools announced a $25,000 pledge to the River Region United Way and said it will mobilize its 26,000-plus community to help reach a fundraising goal. The partnership will focus on connecting families to services for urgent needs, expanding transportation access and volunteer engagement.
Montgomery County Public Schools announced a $25,000 pledge to the River Region United Way and urged its 26,000-plus staff, students and families to help reach the district’s fundraising goal, officials said during a district event.
The pledge is intended to support United Way programs that connect families with basic needs and community services. “We are committed to deepen this partnership through continued collaboration, volunteer engagement, and school based initiative that supports our students and our families,” Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Zikeus Byrd said.
River Region United Way President and CEO Jana Bailey said the campaign will target households identified by the ALICE metric — “asset limited, income constrained, employed” — and emphasized that donations stay in local partner programs. “We are now focusing on ALICE, and I do wanna mention that, ALICE is asset limited income constraint employed,” Bailey said.
Bailey described how United Way assists families with emergency needs and referrals to local agencies. She recounted a case in which a single mother — referred to in the presentation as “Alice” — had been working at the same employer for five years, missed three work days while a child was sick and faced a rent shortfall. United Way found the family paying about $340 a month for rideshare trips because available bus routes did not reach the mother’s workplace; the agency said it has opened conversations with the city about expanding transit access for workers.
The district and United Way also highlighted United Way’s 27 community agency partners that provide emergency food, shelter, housing, transportation, and school-related supports such as uniforms and supplies. Bailey urged anyone who knows a family in need to call 211, which she described as the local referral line that assesses callers’ needs and connects them to partner services.
Jade Jones, chief of strategic partnerships for Montgomery County Public Schools, framed the pledge as part of a broader effort to “uplift, support, and unite our community,” and the district said it will support the campaign through volunteer engagement and school-based initiatives to connect families with services.
Campaign co-chairs Mark Bunning and Cassandra Crosby were introduced at the event and made brief remarks endorsing the partnership and encouraging community donations. Organizers closed the announcement by reiterating the district’s financial pledge and the two organizations’ intention to continue coordinating on transportation and other supports that affect students’ ability to attend and succeed in school.
No formal board action or vote on the pledge was recorded in the transcript of the announcement.
