Change the Story

Since the annual holiday season begins with Thanksgiving Day, I want to bring that theme to this letter. Please accept my deepest gratitude and appreciation for your unwavering support of United Way. Without your generosity we would not be able to mobilize the great resources of our community to improve people’s lives in real, meaningful…

As the saying goes, “Nothing ever changes until somebody motivates a critical mass of the right people to commit to change.” It’s a good saying – and it happens to be true. The need for change is immense. You don’t have to look far to find troubling statistics on school readiness and achievement, children and…

There are a lot of responsibilities that only interrupt us once a year: renewing license tags, spring cleaning, and if you’re not an accountant, taxes.  Our responsibility to our community, however, must be an ongoing commitment.  There is no time or season more important than another, and the work is never truly done.  We’re on…

The automobile sales industry is one of the most competitive on Earth. With production costs rising and personal income stagnant or declining, every sale matters. As a result, dealers work hard to distinguish their businesses from their peers. Yet 11 Michigan auto dealers in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo put their rivalries in the back seat…

After ten months of unemployment, Mark Zigterman was contacted by a temp agency about an opening at United Way. While he didn’t know it at the time, it would be the beginning of a new journey. Filled with a renewed sense of hope, Mark began his new job at United Way in January 2006 as…

A community is woven from the threads of stories. Most people don’t see it.  They see a world spinning upon data, dogma and dispute.  But the truth is, each of us pens our life’s saga, and collectively we author a broader narrative.  That gives us the power to transform our community when we write that…