ALICE 2020 Needs You

We’ve all faced an inconvenient expense. Your car battery dies. One of your kids is sick and can’t go to school. You’ve got a cavity that needs fixing. Now imagine you’re living paycheck to paycheck, just barely keeping up with your bills. Suddenly, that inconvenience becomes a crisis. That’s the reality for 61,000 households in…

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IMPACT! Caring for Our Children

Nothing is more precious than our children. They’re the future of our community and of our world. They also require compassionate, stable care—and that often presents problems for working (or ALICE) families. When a child is sick or out of school due to vacation, for instance, the cost of emergency child care may go beyond…

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IMPACT! How Compassion Makes a Difference

Sometimes it takes just a little empathy for another person to make a profound and powerful difference. Among the champions of compassion in Jackson County are Trusted Advisors, part of the Great Start Collaborative led by Jackson County Intermediate School District with support from United Way. Here’s one example of how a little effort and…

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IMPACT! A Stable Home Changes a Life

Financial stability means stability in every element of a person’s life. United Way of Jackson County’s partnership with the Jackson Housing Commission and its Support Services transformed a local life in an amazing way. Here’s the story: “Michael” set his mind to buying a fixer-upper home so he and his family wouldn’t have to keep…

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UW, FamilyWize Partnership Helps Region Save Big on Rx Costs

A powerful partnership involving United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region has saved local residents more than $1.8 million on prescription medications since 2007. FamilyWize, a community service organization, works with United Ways across the country to lower the cost of prescription medications for local individuals and families. The program provides discount cards…

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IMPACT! Moving from Trauma to Educational Success

Trauma has a direct impact on a student’s ability to learn and succeed in school. They’re distracted in class, unable to study or do well on a test, and can have lower IQ scores and reading ability. In fact, some victims avoid school altogether. That’s where United Way funded programming through Family Service & Children’s…

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