Cottingham Insurance Agency

The Little Black Dress is run by Women United and friends to help raise awareness about poverty in the Bismarck-Mandan area. The funds raised are used to fund the education initiative of the United Way and are focused on keeping families in their homes, making sure kids can get to school and learn, as well as finding mentors for these students. 

United Way helps those in need by:  

• Allowing struggling readers in Kindergarten through Third Grade to get intensive, research-based tutoring.
• Ensuring children get a designated mentor that meets with them for an hour each week.
• Providing a case manager to work with hundreds of children to de-escalate conflict and develop the personal skills necessary to reduce inter-personal conflict in the future.
• Helping caring case workers spend thousands of hours addressing the barriers to a good education and a stable family caused by poverty, mental illness, unemployment, homelessness, and more.