United Way: A Year-round Commitment

There are a lot of responsibilities that only interrupt us once a year: renewing license tags, spring cleaning, and if you’re not an accountant, taxes.  Our responsibility to our community, however, must be an ongoing commitment.  There is no time or season more important than another, and the work is never truly done.  We’re on…

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DRIVE UNITED: How Local Auto Dealers Partnered to Advance the Common Good

The automobile sales industry is one of the most competitive on Earth. With production costs rising and personal income stagnant or declining, every sale matters. As a result, dealers work hard to distinguish their businesses from their peers. Yet 11 Michigan auto dealers in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo put their rivalries in the back seat…

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Greater Collaboration Provides a Great Start

Visit www.changethestory.org to learn more about the work we are doing in Education. At United Way, we believe that positive, nurturing early childhood experiences are vital to creating a thriving community, so that our children are able to begin their journey strong and continue to succeed. We know that when we invest in children from…

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Helping to Change the Story: Mark Zigterman

After ten months of unemployment, Mark Zigterman was contacted by a temp agency about an opening at United Way. While he didn’t know it at the time, it would be the beginning of a new journey. Filled with a renewed sense of hope, Mark began his new job at United Way in January 2006 as…

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Thank You

A community is woven from the threads of stories. Most people don’t see it.  They see a world spinning upon data, dogma and dispute.  But the truth is, each of us pens our life’s saga, and collectively we author a broader narrative.  That gives us the power to transform our community when we write that…

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Youth Day of Caring 2013

On Friday April, 26, nearly 500 students from across Battle Creek reported to Full Blast Water Park where they headed into the community for a day of volunteering.  The effort is an annual United Way HandsOn event during national volunteer week called Youth Day of Caring.  This year’s event was the largest yet, with more…

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Staff Leaders Conference

I want to share my perspective on the recent United Way Worldwide Staff Leadership Conference in Indianapolis. And I’ll start by pointing to the stars. There’s an incredible episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine titled “The Visitor”—don’t watch it without tissues nearby; you’ve been warned! The main character, Ben Sisko, counsels his aspiring-writer son,…

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Out of the Shadows: ASK and Children’s Mental Health Awareness

I had the good fortune to spend some time at Advocacy Services for Kids (ASK) this afternoon.  ASK helps parents navigate the often challenging children’s mental health system and also teaches parents how to best support and advocate for their child in a variety of situations.  We’re honored that ASK will be our May feature…

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