May 1 Marks Start of Diaper Drive 2018

Generous community members, corporate partners and volunteers came together last year to help our region’s babies as we launched our inaugural United Way Diaper Drive. We invite you all to join us again as we kick off our 2018 drive, set for May 1-14. The need for diapers is great. We know that as many…

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We're Kicking Off Our Health Quarter!

The health of our smallest residents can tell us a lot about the overall well-being of our communities. And the rate at which babies – particularly babies of color – are dying during their first year of life, tells us that there’s much work to be done. This quarter, we’re shining a spotlight on United…

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Generous Donors Lift Flood Fund

Donors across the region have stepped up in a big way to support relief efforts for victims of February’s massive flooding in Kalamazoo. The Kalamazoo Flood Relief Fund, established by United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region and the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, has received $229,500 in contributions. “Once again our community shows the…

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Improving Homes, Improving Lives

[su_label type=”info”]Agency Spotlight[/su_label] A morning news report about free furnaces prompted Paul and Sharon to check out Community Homeworks. They’re glad they did. They found that, based on their fixed income, they qualified to receive a new furnace. Paul and Sharon also discovered what hundreds of the nonprofit’s clients experience each year – more money…

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Women's History a Source of Inspiration, Resilience

Guest blog by Kama Mitchell, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Rootead, a United Way partner agency. March is Women’s History Month. Honestly, before this year, I never paid attention to it. I have spent most of my adult life in survival mode as a woman of color raising two sons on much less than a…

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Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Lifts Families, Local Economy

Joan Miller was hesitant when the Internal Revenue Service first approached her workplace looking for tax preparation volunteers. “Taxes were something I never had a desire to do, because I really did not have any confidence in my ability,” said Miller, Marketing and Communications Manager at BlueOx Credit Union. “But, there was a need.” The…

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Jeff's Story

Jeff's Story

Navigating Benefits, Planning for the Future Jeff’s story begins, literally, all in his head. Years ago, he underwent surgery to remove a tumor in his brain. A decade later, he sustained a second traumatic brain injury from a fall. Both events left Jeff finding it hard to hold a job in his field of finance.…

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Fund to Support Kalamazoo Flood Relief

A new fund will support flood relief efforts across Kalamazoo County. United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region (UWBCKR) and the Kalamazoo Community Foundation (KZCF) started the Kalamazoo Flood Relief Fund together with lead contributions of $10,000 each, for a total of $20,000. The public can add tax-deductible donations to the fund through…

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3 Ways to Live United in March

Want to make a difference in your community? Here are three ways you can join us this month to explore some of the issues facing local residents and learn how you can help: Make an Instant Impact If you haven’t attended one of our Pop Up Giving events yet, this is a great month to…

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