In 2020, when families and schools were reeling from the disruption of COVID-related closures, United Way was acutely aware of the toll that social isolation was exacting on children and youth. With funding from numerous foundation partners, we launched Welcome Back Summer to fund high-quality summer programs that provided in-person learning and joy for students, peace of mind for working parents, and good jobs for youth counselors. Since 2020, with the support of numerous funders and our donors, United Way has invested almost $4.7 million in support of community-based summer programs across our five-county footprint. Though we will not be running a Welcome Back Summer Request For Proposal process in 2025, we continue to fund summer programs at a smaller scale and provide resources and information to support this vital sector.