News and Updates
Youth United Way Inspires Students to Engage Deeply in Community
Members of Youth United Way are learning early just how much impact they can have on their community. The group, composed of Kalamazoo County high school students, celebrated the end of the school year earlier this month by announcing 23…
Fire Hub Shows Burning Passion for Community Impact
By Sara Coppo, Guest Blogger Even after its closing in 1983, Fire Station No. 4 has been a landmark in Battle Creek since 1904. After driving past the old building nearly every day and learning that it was set to…
How to Rain on a Food Desert
A chilly downpour didn’t stop Kellogg volunteers from fighting hunger in Battle Creek. On June 9, community members came together with United Way BCKR and Kellogg’s® Raisin Bran® volunteers today to enhance local community gardens at Leila Arboretum. Their aim…
Parchment Students Show Heart for Homeless
It began with a story and ended with a volunteer effort touching the lives of 600 homeless kids. Ninety students at Parchment Middle School held a Pop Up Volunteering event with United Way BCKR on June 1. The students from…
Community Effort Yields Thousands of Diapers for Babies
The count is in! During the first two weeks of May, the second annual United Way Diaper Drive brought in thousands of diapers in a massive effort that is already helping families in our region. Area businesses, volunteers, nonprofits and…
Youth Day of Caring Brings Volunteerism to Life for Hundreds of Students
Hundreds of students in blue “Live United” T-shirts fanned out across Calhoun County on Friday to get a taste of volunteerism and make an immediate impact in the process. United Way’s 10th annual Youth Day of Caring engaged nearly 400…
Here's Where All Those Diapers Are Going
Dozens of families from the Battle Creek community come to Parkway Manor each month to accept diapers during the Battle Creek Diaper Network’s distribution events. Families can take up to 35 diapers, though Program Coordinator Denise Rucker said she would…
UWBCKR's Elchert Earns Statewide Honor
Unwavering commitment to helping the homeless has earned a statewide award for a United Way BCKR staff member. The Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness (MCAH) has named Robert Elchert, Community Impact Associate for United Way BCKR, as its 2018 Public Policy…
Maxine's Story
Maxine was using methamphetamines when she discovered she was pregnant last year. She had been struggling in the aftermath of a DUI charge, trying hard to “make it all work” and feeling that she wasn’t moving forward in life. “I…