BC/Kzoo
United Against Hunger To Tackle Food Insecurity
“Kids are always hungry, and it hurts me a little inside every time I have to tell them ‘no.’ … I want to tell them ‘yes!’ I don’t want to say, ‘I’m sorry, we don’t have any more apples till payday, or any more chips, or any more Popsicles.’” The pain that Michigan mom and…
Read MoreVIDEO: ‘Living the United Way’
This month, United Way BCKR was proud to present a new video featuring Kinetic Affect that explores what United Way stands for and why we need the community to stand with us. “Living the United Way” is a spoken word piece written and performed by the local duo, composed of Kirk Latimer and Gabe Giron,…
Read MoreUnified Kickoff Shares Impact Statewide
“United Ways: assemble!” Like The Avengers of movie fame, United Ways across Michigan, including United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region, are joining forces to share stories of local impact and to invite the entire state to be heroes in their community. This is the fifth year that United Ways statewide have come…
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…
Read MoreMeet the 2019 STAR Award Winners
This year’s STAR Awards ceremony showed that the power of volunteerism is stronger than ever, and not limited to a single community. United Way BCKR and Gryphon Place partnered to host the first regional STAR Awards on Aug. 20 at Sherman Lake YMCA Outdoor Center, bringing together volunteers from both the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo…
Read MoreCall to Advocate: SNAP Rule Change Will Mean More Hungry Families
More than 3 million Americans, including hundreds locally, could lose food assistance under a proposed federal rule change. That means more hungry families in our region. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) wants to change a rule that lets some people who earn slightly over the income limit for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—SNAP, or…
Read MoreInvesting for Impact: $6.24 Million in UWBCKR Grants Drives Change
Childhood trauma, infant health, stable housing and food insecurity are among 110 area programs receiving a total of $6,247,821 in grants from United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region. Sixty programs will receive a total of $3,718,401 in strategic grants annually for three years, according to Alyssa Stewart, Vice President of Impact &…
Read MoreSee the Nominees for the 2019 STAR Awards
This year’s STAR Awards event is fast approaching, and we can’t wait to celebrate the amazing volunteers who make Battle Creek and Kalamazoo better communities every day. The public is invited to join us at 5 p.m. Aug. 20 at Sherman Lake YMCA to honor our winners, and the 40 volunteers who were nominated for…
Read MoreGrants available for Census 2020 push
United Way is taking the lead in Kalamazoo County, working as part of a statewide effort spearheaded by the Michigan Nonprofit Association to mobilize local nonprofits in encouraging census participation among hard-to-count populations.
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