United Way Launches Holiday Gift Drive to Support Bay Area Families and Seniors in Need

LIVE UNITED Holiday Campaign Kicks Off in Time for Thanksgiving and Giving Tuesday.

San Francisco, CA, USA (November 25, 2014) -- United Way of the Bay Area today announced the launch of its LIVE UNITED holiday campaign, including a gift drive for individuals, community organizations and businesses that want to support local families in need. The poverty-fighting organization has also released a toolkit to support gift drive participants, which includes a list of most-needed items, suggestions for getting others involved and instructions for dropping off the gift bags.

"At United Way, we talk a lot about what it means to LIVE UNITED-especially during the holidays. For us, it's about doing our part to support those in need throughout our community. Volunteering is an easy and fun way to help-and spread holiday cheer," said Sarah Burton, Director of Volunteer Engagement.

The holiday gift bag drive invites community members to LIVE UNITED by supporting low-income children, families and seniors across the San Francisco Bay Area. Participants are encouraged to get family members and friends involved in the collection of items by requesting houseguests to bring one item each to holiday gatherings. The most-needed items include warm clothing, toys, canned or boxed food, and personal care products. Grocery store gift cards are also immensely helpful to low-income parents and seniors. Donations should be delivered to United Way of the Bay Area's San Francisco office at 550 Kearny Street, 10th Floor, or Oakland office at 1970 Broadway, Suite 400.

Participants and the general public are also invited to share their stories of how they LIVE UNITED by giving back to the community at http://uwba.org/live-united. Like Zoila, for example, who went from client to staff member at one of United Way's SparkPoint Centers: "I want people to have the same opportunities as I had. That's how I LIVE UNITED."

A recent research brief issued by United Way of the Bay Area revealed that 29 percent of Bay Area households live below self-sufficiency, meaning these individuals cannot afford basic necessities like housing, food and health care. The holiday gift drive is just one of the many ways that United Way combats poverty through giving, advocacy and volunteerism.

Learn more about the holiday gift drive and additional holiday volunteer opportunities at http://uwba.org/volunteer. Read stories about Bay Area residents LIVING UNITED and share your own at http://uwba.org/live-united.

About United Way of the Bay Area

United Way of the Bay Area is a nonprofit organization, leading a movement to cut Bay Area poverty in half by 2020. We're harnessing the collective power of nonprofits, government, corporations, labor and thousands of individuals to create change through giving, advocating, and volunteering. Every year, our programs - SparkPoint, Earn It! Keep It! Save It!, 211, MatchBridge and Community Schools - help more than 250,000 Bay Area residents. We connect people to food and shelter, put people back to work, bring tax dollars back to our community, help youth succeed in school and in the workplace, and move people toward financial stability. Founded in 1922, United Way of the Bay Area serves Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo and Solano Counties. For more information, visit http://uwba.org.

Media Contact:

Erica Johnson

415-808-4308

ejohnson@uwba.org

Kaplan University and Leading Global HR Organization Assess What is Needed To Narrow the Skills Gap Between Job Seekers and Open Positions

Human resources leaders often rank communication skills over tech in business and IT fields, according to Career Tips survey.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (November 25, 2014) -- Professionals who can articulate well and adeptly analyze information to make strategic decisions have the edge in business and information technology workplaces, according to nationwide survey commissioned by Kaplan University School of Business & Information Technology with the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM).

The survey, which highlights career tips for IT and Business Job applicants was distributed to 3,000 SHRM members nationwide in September, amassing over 350 responses from the administrator to C-Suite level. The goal of the survey was to identify the personal and professional traits that can help secure job opportunities for graduates seeking employment and advancement in the business and IT sectors.

"Kaplan University is keenly focused on making sure our graduates have the skills employers are looking for. We're constantly evaluating and enhancing our business and IT programs to better prepare our students for the demands in the workplace," said Dr. Thomas C. Boyd, Kaplan University dean and vice president of the School of Business & Information Technology. "The survey results reaffirm the importance of obtaining 'soft skills' like communication, critical thinking and team work in addition to core curriculum competencies."

Key survey findings include the following:

• Aside from education training, communication (94%) and critical thinking skills (73%) ranked as leading skills for business and general job applicants in today's workplace.

• Breaking it down by sector, communication (90%) and critical thinking (75%) remained as the top two business job applicant skills; technology/social and digital media skills (72%) and critical thinking (67%) addressed the top IT job applicant skills.

• Adaptability to change (31% for IT jobs; 25% for business jobs) was the one strength that HR professional deemed most important for a person to gain a competitive edge in their field or position.

• Employee referrals and national online job boards (58% and 53%, respectively, for business applicants; and equally 46% for IT applicants) were reported to be the leading resources for human resources recruiters. Internal job postings were another top recruitment source for business positions (45%), and industry-specific/niche online job boards were key for IT jobs (39%).

For more information, visit the Kaplan University School of Business & Information Technology.

About Kaplan University

Kaplan University offers a different school of thought for higher education. It strives to help adult students unlock their talent by providing a practical, student-centered education that prepares them for careers in some of the fastest-growing industries. The University, which has its main campus in Davenport, Iowa, and its headquarters in Chicago, is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (http://www.hlcommission.org). Kaplan University serves approximately 46,000 online and campus-based students. The University has 13 campuses in Iowa, Indiana, Nebraska, Maryland, Maine, and Wisconsin, and Kaplan University Learning Centers in Maryland and Missouri.

Kaplan University is part of Kaplan Higher Education LLC and Kaplan, Inc., a leading international provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Kaplan’s higher education institutions serves approximately 61,000 students online and through 56 campus-based schools across the United States and offer a spectrum of academic opportunities, from certificates and diplomas to graduate and professional degrees, including a juris doctor degree. Kaplan serves students of all ages through a wide array of offerings including higher education, test preparation, professional training and programs for kids in grades K-12. Kaplan, Inc. is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company and its largest division. For more information, visit http://www.kaplanuniversity.edu.

Media Contact:

Amy Hawkinson

Director of Public Relations

Kaplan University

Office: 954-515-3603

Mobile: 954-459-1324

ahawkinson@kaplan.edu

http://www.kaplanuniversity.edu/business.aspx