Archive for April 2017
Road Show Delivers Personal ‘Thanks’ – And Cookies!
Armed with cookies, artwork and grateful hearts, United Way representatives fanned out across the region last week to deliver messages of appreciation to area businesses and organizations. A dozen teams, which included staff, corporate volunteers and community partners, deployed to honor 75 recipients during the four-day United Way Thank You Road Show, recognizing their contributions…
Read MoreLess Stress, More Stability. Leading Families Toward Success.
We want struggling families to become financially stable, and we want their children to succeed in school. Because of your support, United Way of Jackson County can provide funds for the FIRST Family Support Program. This program allows families who are at or near financial crisis to maintain stable employment or continuing education while ensuring…
Read MoreAppreciation Week Highlights Youth Development Professionals
Have you thanked a youth development professional lately? Youth Development Professionals Appreciation Week, which kicks off today, is the perfect opportunity. Join us as we celebrate with the Kalamazoo Youth Development Network (KYD Network) and the National AfterSchool Association in recognizing the professionals at the heart of our communities’ out-of-school programs. “We know youth development…
Read MoreHelping Kids Stay Healthy Helps Families Remain Stable
Last week we introduced you to V-CHAP, which stands for Virtual Children’s health Access Program. Click here for last week’s blog. V-CHAP is an evidence-based model that improves the quality of health outcomes for children with Medicaid while reducing the cost for care. More than one in three households in Jackson County are either in…
Read MoreFor Rootead Doulas, Justice Begins At Birth
Kama Mitchell was exhausted, but happy in the days after supporting a client through a lengthy birth process that she called “a huge adventure.” It’s not all that different from the way she describes the work being done by Rootead, the nonprofit organization she co-founded in 2014. Mitchell serves as executive director of Rootead, which…
Read MoreWhich Would You Choose: Medicine or Food?
It’s a horrible choice that many in our community must make. Some 36% of households in Jackson County are living at or near poverty, according to the most recent ALICE Report. That is 21,345 homes in our community that at some point this year may have to decide between spending what little money they have…
Read MoreUWBCKR Earns 4-Star Rating – Again!
Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest evaluator of charitable agencies, awarded United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region its coveted 4-Star rating. It’s the seventh consecutive year that UWBCKR received this highest designation. Charity Navigator rates nonprofits in two areas of performance: financial health, and accountability and transparency. This helps donors know how…
Read MoreOur Vision: ALICE Doesn't Live Here Anymore
“Why, sometimes I’ve believed in six impossible things before breakfast.” – Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland [Editor’s note: The following blog is by Chris Sargent, Interim CEO for United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region] Over a year ago, our United Way put forth a vision for the region: A vibrant community…
Read MoreNo Wonderland: ALICE Still Struggling
Forty percent of households in Michigan, including more than 58,000 households in the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo region, can’t afford basic household necessities. That sobering fact comes from the recently updated ALICE report, released today by the Michigan Association of United Ways. “United Way is shining a light on the magnitude of ALICE – a…
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