Posts by Tammy Mills
Year in Review:
Impact Events
400 jobseekers. 5,000 books. 10,000 diapers. 100,000 meals. We packed a lot of impact into one year!
Read MoreKellogg’s Club Crackers fights hunger, promotes volunteerism
This season, Kellogg’s Club Crackers is partnering with United Way BCKR with a $25,000 donation and social media video promoting volunteerism. The donation will go toward the distribution of 1.6 million servings of food to local families in an effort to fight food insecurity. In Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, 1 in 7 adults and 1…
Read MoreImpact Week: Initiatives, Advocacy Move the Work Forward
Grantmaking, in one form or another, has been a part of United Way’s history for decades. For a lot of people, it’s what we’re known for, and supporting our partners with funding is still a big part of how we drive impact. However, grantmaking alone won’t propel us to our community level goals of increased…
Read MoreImpact Week: Volunteers are the Heart
Volunteers create lasting change and provide invaluable support for the nonprofit community. National statistics from the Independent Sector show that in 2019, a volunteer’s time was valued at an average of $25.43 per hour. United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region alone worked with 6,259 volunteers just last year. “Volunteers are transforming our…
Read MoreImpact Week: The Power of Story
We can learn a lot by looking at data. Yesterday, we shared how the data we collect can reveal the impact United Way has made in the community. Data alone, however, cannot tell the whole story. The rest is best left to the people whose lives have been touched by United Way in big and…
Read MoreImpact Week: Data’s Role in Driving Impact
Editor’s note: This is the first story in a week-long series exploring the meaning of impact in our organization. At United Way, we talk a lot about impact. The word appears in our mission statement, on the cover of our annual report, in our culture statement, and so many more places in the organization. But…
Read MoreJesse’s Story
Jesse has places to go. And now, he has a way to get there.
Read MoreWhy All This Talk About Trauma?
Editor’s note: Trauma shows up as a pervasive barrier to a person’s success in every one of United Way’s Impact areas – Health, Education, Financial Stability and Basic Needs. It’s an issue we have only begun to address over the past few years with events such as film screenings of “Resilience,” community conversations and most…
Read MoreItzel’s Story
La Academia Azteca is funded in part by United Way and aligns with our community goal of improving graduation rates by supporting the social and emotional well-being of students. The program utilizes Latinx volunteers from Western Michigan University and provides a safe space for students to explore their social, emotional and academic development in a culturally competent environment. The youth choose how they want to spend their time, which can include mentoring, tutoring, traditional dance, soccer and conversation focus groups.
Read MoreThat’s a Wrap for the Live United Tour
More than 20,000 Acts of Kindness Completed During Live United Summer Tour The 2019 Live United Summer Tour has come to an end, and we are thrilled to announce our road trip results. Together with more than 250 community volunteers, many corporate partners and individual donors, we have achieved our goal of 20,000 Acts of…
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