What Is Impact2032?
Impact2032 is a 10-year, community-wide effort to build a healthier, stronger, and more financially stable Kennebec County. Led by United Way of Kennebec Valley (UWKV) as the backbone organization, the initiative is driven by nonprofits, businesses, municipalities, schools, and individuals across the county, all working from a shared vision focused on three areas: health, education, and financial stability.
History of Impact2032:
The idea began when community leaders approached UWKV, a natural and neutral convener, with a concern: good work was happening throughout the county, but progress wasn’t coming as fast as it could. What was missing was a comprehensive view of the community as a whole–one that could break down silos, connect people doing similar work, avoid duplicated efforts, and help everyone leverage shared resources instead of competing for them.
That vision took shape starting in early 2021, when UWKV partnered with an outside consultant on community research, conversations, and questionnaires, producing three white papers and a population overview of Kennebec County. At the same time, UWKV convened a council and expert panels of more than 80 leaders from over 60 organizations to translate that research into a vision framework, complete with goals, measurements, and strategies.
Impact2032 launched publicly in July 2022 with a community block party on the Augusta waterfront.
Impact2032 Vision:
The framework centers on three vision statements, paired with measurable goals to help track progress:
- Vision for Health: Children and adults in Kennebec County will have opportunities to engage in healthy behaviors and leverage prevention and wellness services.
- Health goal: Decrease the years of potential life lost before age 75 per 100,000 population from 7,287.7 to 6,900.
- Vision for Education: Children and families in Kennebec County will have access to quality early learning experiences prior to kindergarten.
- Education goal: Increase the percentage of third graders who score at or above state expectations for reading from 82.6% to 87%.
- Vision for Financial Stability: Adults and families in Kennebec County will have employment, income, and resources to achieve financial stability.
- Financial Stability goal: Decrease the percentage of households paying more than 30% of household income for housing (rent or mortgage, plus utilities) from 26.6% to 23%.
Who’s Involved?
To carry this work forward, Impact2032 relies on a Council of community leaders, three Cabinets focused on Health, Education, and Financial Stability, and a growing network of organizational and individual Endorsers, Advancers, and Evaluators. Getting involved happens in three steps: endorsing the project by signing a Statement of Endorsement, advancing it by sharing strategies your organization is using toward the shared vision and committing to at least one new strategy, and evaluating progress by reporting results back to the community. So far, 117 organizations and 74 individuals have endorsed Impact2032, and 91 organizations have taken steps to advance it.
Moving Forward:
Momentum continues to build across all three Cabinets–from advancing kindergarten readiness efforts and exploring a Community Schools model, improving access to health resources through 211 and strengthening prevention and wellness partnerships, and addressing housing barriers and developing community education and advocacy strategies. The Council, meanwhile, is strengthening cross-sector participation, supporting the Cabinets, and advancing aligned advocacy and policy efforts.
How to Get Involved:
There are several easy ways to get involved: sign the Statement of Endorsement as an individual or on behalf of your organization; reach out to Katelyn Pushard, Director of Community Impact, at kpushard@uwkv.org to join the conversation or get involved with Council or Cabinet work; or support the cause through a donation to the United Way of Kennebec Valley’s annual campaign, which benefits Impact2032 and 58 other partner programs across the community.
