This fall, the Acton-Boxborough United Way is celebrating the 25th Anniversary of serving our community. Since 1981, the ABUW, which first began as the Acton-Boxborough Community Chest, has been working to address the health and human service needs of our neighbors. Thanks to the generosity of our donors - people such as you - we have allocated close to $3.5 Million to organizations providing critical programs and services in a variety of areas. If you would like more information about how you can help us continue that work, or to learn more about our celebration plans, please send us an email at abuw@abuw.org.

On September 1, 2006, the new 2-1-1 system was activated for residents of Massachusetts who are searching for social service programs in their community. This critical information and referral service will provide local resources and fills a void for many throughout the state who may not know where to turn when faced with a health or human service issue. The ABUW is a proud supporter of Mass211, which is the result of many years of hard work by the Mass211 Task Force, sponsored by a partnership of several United Ways across the state, and MAIRS, the Massachusetts Information and Referral Service. To access, just dial 2-1-1 to be connected to a trained respondent who will provide information and referrals to the appropriate social services in your area.

For the last two years, the ABUW's Community Outreach Committee has been working to address the needs of families and individuals who have immigrated to our area. After meeting with, interviewing, and learning more about the varied populations living in Acton and Boxborough, the Committee determined that many of our new Brazilian neighbors and friends have a more difficult time accessing needed information about vital services. To address that issue, the Outreach Committee has convened a stakeholders meeting, to be held in October, where the agenda will be to put together a collaborative action plan on how best to provide that link. For more information on this initiative, please send an email to abuw@abuw.org.