10 Things About Jacob Richards & United Way of San Diego County

“Pain is temporary, but glory lasts forever”

United Way of San Diego County (UWSD) believes that all children, young adults, and families deserve the chance to succeed, regardless of zip code or income. With partners countywide – school districts and businesses, the public sector and nonprofits, philanthropy and social service – UWSD collaborates on the best ways to support early childhood success, youth success and family stability by identifying what is working and building on proven practices supported by solid data and their partners’ expertise. In addition to being the Corporate Banking Manager for California Bank & Trust, Jacob Richards serves as the Board Chair for United Way of San Diego County.

#1 I am from Henderson, Kentucky and grew up aggressive in-line skating. I still go out to the skate parks every once in a while.

#2 My college sociology professor, Dr. Grabanesh taught me the value of critical thinking and educating yourself.

#3 Barcelona, Spain is my favorite travel destination. I would also like to travel to Singapore.

#4 NOFX is my favorite band.

#5 I am a huge fan of Stars Wars. On books, I recommend reading “American Mania.”

#6 When my daughter is older, I want to travel through Europe with her so that she can learn about other cultures.

#7 It is important to give back because it helps build a better community that everyone can benefit from.

#8 I first got involved with United Way about 12-years ago when I joined their finance committee. I chose them because their mission focuses on children and education.

#9 At United Way, we believe you cannot start early enough. That is why we say, ‘cradle to career’, and we mean it. The early years are essential to develop the emotional and learning skills that help children succeed in school and life. Promoting and developing these skills, while strengthening and supporting family stability, are critical to improving long-term outcomes for students and their families. These foundational skills are not only important for a successful transition to school, but for later academic achievement and social adjustment as well. Unfortunately, many young children are not developing strong levels of these skills – 49% of third graders cannot read at grade level – and that is where United Way comes in.

#10 Nearly half of all San Diego children live in households struggling to make ends meet. By supporting low-income households when times get tough, United Way and its partners leverage resources that can help build stronger children and families. Such support helps keep families from falling into poverty by getting them access to resources and opportunities, like free tax services, or offering support with mortgage or rent, utilities and food when times are tough.

United Way of San Diego County
www.uwsd.org