Financial security
A stronger future starts with opportunity.
Your donations help build financial security by supporting opportunities to learn, prepare for work and become more independent. Through local partnerships, United Way of Northwest Illinois helps young people develop skills they can carry into adult life.
Help young people take their next step
Preparing for a first job involves more than filling out an application. It can mean learning how to speak up, understand workplace expectations and recognize personal strengths. For students with disabilities, accessible guidance can help make those next steps easier to navigate.
UWNI supports RAMP’s Teens in Transition and Fast Track programs. In its 2024–2025 Impact Report, UWNI reported that these programs served 66 high school students with disabilities in Stephenson County schools.
Providing services directly in schools helped address barriers involving transportation, cost and awareness. Community support helps bring employment preparation and independent-living instruction closer to the students who can benefit.
Confidence grows through practical experience
Understanding available options can help a young person picture a more independent future. Through Teens in Transition, students explored job readiness, independent living, self-advocacy and education rights.
UWNI’s 2024–2025 report recorded progress in three areas:
- 94% of students increased their knowledge of independent-living options.
- 86% increased their job-readiness skills.
- 93% increased their motivation for employment.
These results describe progress reported for Teens in Transition. They reflect the preparation behind a next step: understanding choices, developing skills and feeling more ready to pursue an opportunity.
Local partnerships. Lasting possibilities.
This work is part of a continuing commitment to Northwest Illinois. UWNI’s 2023–2024 Impact Report documented 502 training sessions across Carroll, Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties, with curriculum implemented in four high schools.
Those sessions focused on job exploration and workplace readiness for students with disabilities. Together, the reports show how local partnerships create opportunities for young people to practice skills and prepare for life beyond school.
When you donate, you help UWNI support this kind of community work: connecting local partners and resources around opportunities for greater independence.
The reports cover different years. Training sessions represent activities delivered, rather than individual students served.
Moving forward can start with finding support
Planning for tomorrow can be difficult when immediate needs require attention. If you need information about food, housing, utilities or other local services, explore community resources through 211.
Help make the next step possible.
Your support helps connect people with opportunities to learn, build confidence and prepare for a more independent future. Together, we can strengthen the local partnerships behind that work.