(Editor’s note: This first-person account is provided by Emily Adams, social media intern with UWBCKR.)

There’s no better way to learn how United Way partnerships impact lives than to see it for yourself.

On March 23, United Way team members and community guests boarded a bus in Battle Creek for an Impact Tour. The tour highlighted several ways United Way investments, programs and partners make an impact to improve the economic stability of individuals in our region.

Our first stop was Voces Community and Cultural Center, an organization that works as a support system to the Latino/Hispanic community. Voces assists both immigrant and refugee populations with English language education, interpretive and translation services, resumes and job placement assistance through community partnerships. Funding from United Way supports the operation of English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, helping individuals with limited English language proficiency to acquire the necessary language skills to become confident and capable of functioning once they gain employment in the community. Our team and our guests enjoyed learning more about Voces programs, and we especially enjoyed a quick lesson in Portuguese.

After exploring Voces, we boarded the bus and moved on to Women’s Network, Inc. Also known as Woman’s Co-op, this organization supports women in difficult situations with things like child care, transportation, GED Preparation, job readiness and placement assistance, community resource navigation, life coaching and shared resources.

Our team went on a tour of the Women’s Store, a part of the Co-op where women donate and share items such as clothing, cleaning supplies, household goods and hygiene products. We learned about the network’s Industrial Sewing Project, Soap Project, and the many programs designed to get women to where they want to be in their families, careers and life.

We also learned about the Solution’s Highway program, a collaborative initiative started by United Way in partnership with Women’s Network, Inc. The program assists women with empowerment within the Network, life coaching and case management support to set and achieve personal goals, and assistance with navigating the system of supports. It also provides support as women work to find a job, finish their education, find housing, access banking assistance, legal services, and start down the path toward economic stability and independence. Women’s Network, Inc. serves up to 350 families. The longer the women stay engaged with the network and programs, the more successful they can be.

Our last stop on the Impact Tour was at the Financial Opportunity Center, operated by Goodwill Industries of Central Michigan’s Heartland. United Way grant funding supports the Financial Opportunity Center, Goodwill Connects, job training and placement, and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. In addition to financial literacy and tax assistance, Goodwill also provides transportation services like Wheels to Work and Goodwill Car Connections. The programs contribute to moving an individual or family toward economic stability. We also provide assistance with community volunteers, connections and resources, and access to the ALICE report and population-level data.

For additional information on any of the organizations included on our Impact Tour, you can learn more by visiting these websites:

Voces Community and Cultural Center: http://www.vocesbc.org/

The Women’s Network: http://womanscoop.org/

Goodwill of Central Michigan’s Heartland: https://www.goodwillcmh.org/

For more information on United Ways quarterly Impact Tours and how you can take part, visit our site.