BC/Kzoo
Black Households Face Greater Financial Risk
Newly released data related to ALICE (Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed) shows just how closely poverty and racism are connected at a local, statewide and national level – and how much work remains in addressing racial and economic disparities. In Michigan, 63 percent of Black households fall below the ALICE Threshold (the minimum income needed to afford…
Read MoreKellogg Grant Provides Hot Meals, Infant Nutrition
The Battle Creek Family YMCA may not be serving up its traditional fitness options this summer, but the organization has found other ways to contribute to community needs. In partnership with United Way BCKR and with funding support from Kellogg Company and its charitable funds, the YMCA channeled its staff and volunteer capacity into serving…
Read MoreUnited Way Worldwide Embraces New Bylaws Promoting Racial Equity
United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region applauds this week’s vote by United Way Worldwide’s membership to strengthen the network’s commitment to ending racism and ethnic discrimination. The UWW bylaw changes bring stronger commitments by local United Ways to learning, acting and measuring their impact to creating more equitable communities. When our United…
Read MoreUnited We Will: Our Region is Rising
Nothing focuses your mind on the impact of a deadly disease than thinking a loved one—and possibly you—could have it. One of my adult daughters began showing symptoms of COVID-19. Like any concerned parent, I took her to the doctor to be tested. Results took 48 hours, putting our family on pins and needles. And…
Read MoreUW Wraps Up Pandemic Grantmaking
Our regional community responded generously to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, all funds given to meet urgent local needs have been disbursed. United Way created the Disaster Relief Fund last year to strengthen the community’s ability to respond quickly to critical needs. Generous corporate donors provided seed money for the fund. When COVID-19 struck, United Way…
Read MoreNew United Way Investments Locally Top $5.57 Million
Financial coaching, stable housing, access to food, and social emotional development are among 95 area programs receiving a total investment of $5,571,769 from United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region (UWBCKR). The programs, managed by 65 partner agencies, continue to advance the community toward goals in education, financial stability, and infant and family…
Read MoreUnited Way Takes Reins of Homelessness Program
United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region is taking the leadership reins of Kalamazoo County’s Continuum of Care program, which aims to help homeless families and individuals. According to Alyssa Stewart, Vice President of Strategy & Engagement, the Continuum of Care, or CoC, brings together partners and programs serving the homeless to better…
Read MoreMicro-Enterprise Grants Buoy 100 Small Businesses
A grant program unveiled last month will bring $500,000 in relief to 100 Kalamazoo microbusinesses dealing with the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each of the businesses will receive $5,000 through the Kalamazoo Micro-Enterprise Grants (KMEG) program, a partnership between the City of Kalamazoo and United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region.…
Read MoreGrant Catalyzes Giving in Communities of Color
Equipping communities of color to tackle immediate and chronic needs, especially those heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic, is a key element of work being tackled by the United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region, with the support of a $240,000 grant by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The grant will be divided in two…
Read MoreUWBCKR Statement on George Floyd
UWBCKR envisions a vibrant community where all people realize their full potential. Violence, fear, and racism are in direct conflict with that vision and our values. We are therefore compelled to acknowledge and condemn the unjust killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers along with the recent killings of Ahmaud Arbrey, Breonna Taylor and…
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