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 give it a shot with a group of friends! Pop Up Giving is a fast-paced, impactful and fun night out that shines a spotlight on great work happening in our communities. Your $20 entry fee is your donation, all of which goes to the winning organization. With your entry you’ll receive a drink, snacks, a ballot and time to mingle. When the program begins, three nonprofits have three minutes each to win you over, so prepare to be inspired. The winner takes the pot, but the runners-up won’t go home empty handed. This month’s event, featuring Ministry With Community, Youth Opportunities Unlimited and Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Association, pops up at University Roadhouse from 5-7 p.m. on March 27. Register here: https://app.mobilecause.com/f/1a93/n

Read, Then Act

United Way has partnered with the Kalamazoo Public Library to offer volunteer opportunities that complement this year’s Reading Together selection, “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City.” After you read the book, learn how poverty affects local families and housing at one of several planned discussions [LINK]. Then, take action. Volunteer opportunities are set for March 22-23 at Ministry with Community and March 27 and 31 with Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity. Learn more and register here. Additional chances to volunteer are available throughout March with Housing Resources, Inc. Email gbarnum@housingresourcesinc.org.

See it for Yourself

One of the best ways to learn about issues facing local residents and the efforts to solve them is to see it firsthand. Our popular United Way Impact Tours, held quarterly in each community, will take you inside of three organizations working to change lives. This month’s tours are filling up quickly. On March 13, the Battle Creek tour runs from 1-3:30 p.m. and will stop at Goodwill Industries of Central Michigan’s Heartland, Community Action and Legal Services of South Central Michigan. The Kalamazoo tour is 2:30-5 p.m. on March 15. Stops include Urban Alliance, Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Services and Disability Network of Southwest Michigan. Battle Creek registration: bit.ly/BCimpacttour. Kalamazoo registration: bit.ly/KZOOimpacttour.