UPO in the Media

Each year, we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and celebrate the recipients of our college scholarships. In 2023, our event’s theme was Economic Justice.

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We introduce high school students to new career paths. The UPO Workforce Institute and our CARES Act team guide them to skilled careers with job security.

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Our experts lead the way in social transformation, helping people lift themselves out of poverty.

Press contact: Zohar Rom (zrom@upo.org, 202-238-4664)

“Trust Chef Jerald Thomas to Train Cooks to Enter the D.C. Workforce” is a story about his teaching, tenacity, and care for his students.

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Amid a pandemic and climate of social unrest, advocates such as UPO are getting creative to encourage undercounted populations to fill out the Census.

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Now, Nacole Thrower can relax. Her son gets education, love, and support at a UPO emergency child-care center. That makes the COVID-19 crisis easier to bear.

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Foster grandparents volunteer at schools

When CBS began a series of stories on “A More Perfect Union,” the network was eager to shine a light on the love and learning at the heart of our Foster Grandparent Program.

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“Incredible people” drive in bone-chilling cold to help the homeless

When DC activated a Cold Emergency Alert, Fox5 reporter Josh Rosenthal wanted a compassionate lead story. He interviewed UPO outreach worker Vincent Blackson, whose kindness is in his blood: Blackson’s father held the same job.

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'I Pull Joy From Them:' To Cope ...

Wanda Dudley gives hope to people who think life has dealt them an unbearable hand because she once felt that way, too. She found healing by helping others at UPO’s Advocacy programs.

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A robotics team that is inspiring students to pursue a career in STEM

With a mission to help inspire students to pursue an education and careers in STEM, professor Ramona Hutchins and the United Planning Organization created the Robonauts robotics team. She is here along with three team members to share their passion for robotics and design.

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Making college dreams come true

Each year, UPO gives a $10,000 scholarship to each of 5 outstanding DC high school students. Keiri Sanchez, one of the scholars, aspires to become a pilot.

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A big balloon of joy: D.C. grandparents give students mentors, and themselves a purpose

Cynthia Brown-Thomas’s job requires her to rise before the sun. It pays a meager stipend of $2.65 an hour. An exhausting display of patience is a must. She credits the job with saving her life.

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Kids find role models in UPO Foster Grandparents

In this Making a Difference report, NBC interviewer Chelsea Clinton visited a group of retirees—“foster grandparents”—who are aiding children in some of the nation’s toughest school districts.

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On a bus for the homeless, humor and a human touch

“Orlando Gore is a one-man generator of small acts of kindness, driven by his own memories of tough times in his native North Carolina and his early years in Washington, DC…He is one of more than a dozen outreach workers employed by the United Planning Organization, a community action agency founded in 1962 to bring programs to the District’s low-income residents.”

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Students return from robotics competition .

“A group of amazing kids in the district is fresh off a trip from a world championship competition.”

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UPO Foster Grandparents at work with preschoolers

Data shows us that children who are touched by Foster Grandparents have a higher educational achievement level…and it’s not just kids who benefit: older Americans who volunteer report lower levels of depression, increased brain activity, and lower mortality rates.

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UPO Foster Grandma Virginia McLaurin: At 106, she’s still dancing and serving her community

Part of what keeps Grandma Virginia young is working with her community’s youth. For 21 years, she’s helped children with severe disabilities learn skills.

All of this comes through the United Planning Organization’s Foster Grandparent Program, which matches up senior citizens with students for tutoring and mentorship in Washington, DC.

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UPO “works overtime to protect homeless people from the cold”

Reporter Mark Segraves wanted to spark awareness about the needs of homeless people. To start this heart-to-heart talk with the public, he interviewed UPO staffer Vincent “Bones” Blackson. For 16 years, Bones has driven a UPO van through Washington DC to help the homeless in our midst.

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