Community Resiliency

United Way's 211 helps you reach the right resource, right away, from right where you are.  

Just dial 2-1-1 for information on hundreds of local resources. Information is also available via self-search or by texting your zip code to 898-211.

211 Resources

• Food and Meals
• Housing and Eviction Support
• Employment
• Treatment Centers and Support
• Crisis Childcare
• And Much More...

When you call 211, you will get to talk through your current needs with a highly trained Information and Referral Specialist. This Specialist will search the expansive 211 database to connect you with any local resources that meet your needs.

In the local 211 database, there are currently over 200 organizations and agencies, offering over 500 programs and servicesin our community. With all of these resources available at their fingertips, 211 Information and Referral Specials are ready to connect you and your families, friends, and neighbors to the programs, services, and resources you need. They can also work with you to brainstorm a path forward. 

211 Benefits

• Free
• Confidential
• Available 24/7
• Multilingual
• One phone call away!

At United Way, we believe there's a place for everyone to be involved in our community. We promote volunteerism as the foundation of our community, helping create connections between neighbors and organizations. We're here to help find the right volunteer opportunity for you!

Our Get Connected volunteer portal always has a variety of opportunities posted with organizations across our community. We also offer a special Varsity Letter in Community Service program for high schoolers who want to get involved in their communities.

Through our place-based initiatives and Civic Engagement grants, United Way invests thousands of dollars each year into building a more robust and resilient community.

Civic Engagement Funded Partners

Culturally specific organizations (CSOs) play a critical role in building power for their communities to participate in civic life.  These organizations are ideally situated to understand the cultural norms, beliefs, and traditions of the people they serve; effectively engage community members; interpret and remove barriers that impede access to services; and bridge norms between communities and institutions.  United Way's Civic Engagement grants were designed to build the capacity of Olmsted and Winona County’s CSO's to advocate for self-determined solutions to the challenges their communities face by supporting civic engagement.

Lived Experience Leaders

Engage Winona serves Winona County and surrounding rural areas with programs and services in community engagement, capacity building, and storytelling. The Lived Experience Leaders program brings together a cohort of 12 individuals from the community who share an identity which has been historically disenfranchised for an eight-month immersive leadership experience. The program provides a facilitated space for these community members to share experiences, learn from each other, receive training in leadership tools, and lead changemaking projects for the community's benefit. Past participants have taken on community leadership roles on boards, councils, and have run for local office.  

Partner: Engage Winona 

Grassroots Advocacy Task Force

It is the mission of Home and Community Options, Inc. to provide support and residential services to people with developmental disabilities in order to enable individuals to live as full members of their communities. Through the Grassroots Advocacy Task Force, they support people with disabilities to enhance their participation in the legislative process. Educational workshops will provide comprehensive training on advocacy, civic responsibility, voter education and polling assistance, and an understanding of the legislative process. The program will also offer introductions to state and local legislators, as well as a tour of the Minnesota State Capitol. Together, these efforts aim to overcome physical, social, and systemic barriers that limit the full civic engagement of individuals with developmental disabilities. 

Partner: Home and Community Options   

Southeast Regional Member Committee

COPAL is a Hispanic and Latino serving organization which empowers its members to participate in civic life and to be educated about their rights. COPAL recently opened their Southeast regional office in Rochester, through which they operate the Southeast Regional Member Committee. This committee is made up of community members who are recruited through COPAL’s other programming: workers' rights education, door knocking, health and wellness education, among other programs. The committee has a self-designed leadership structure, and members receive education about civic processes and rights as well as discuss the pertinent civic issues within their local communities. During these monthly hour-long meetings, a rotation of 60 members attend, creating a large network of community members who are involved in this leadership building work.  

Partner: COPAL