Archive for November 2021
IMPACT! Personal Stories of Change
We’re always excited to share these stories of IMPACT! every week, but do you know who tells the stories better than we ever could? The people whose lives are changed. Recently, our partners at Child Care Network did just that. They asked recipients of child care scholarships through the Family Support Program how their lives…
Read MoreFit Bella Vei Promotes Power in Movement
Movement is a way of life for Carmen James. The owner of Fit Bella Vei and a 2021 recipient of a $5,000 Kalamazoo Micro-Enterprise Grant, James started her personal training business in 2012 to help others find their own happiness in health. “My motivation for starting my business was based on adversities that I’ve faced…
Read More‘Amazing!’: Board Member Climbs Kilimanjaro
“Phenomenal. Amazing. Humbling.” That’s how Dr. Ashutosh “Ash” Goel described his incredible trek up Mount Kilimanjaro. Goel and his daughter, Amiti, along with his nephew Tilak Gupta and niece Shagun Gupta, set off in mid August to climb the famous dormant volcano in Tanzania. In the process, they raised over $8,000 to support childhood education…
Read MoreIMPACT! Driving to a Better Future
One of the biggest barriers to employment that financially struggling people face is transportation. Most of the time, if you don’t have a car, you can’t get to work. AWARE, Inc., an important partner with United Way, helps address this need when it can. Here’s a great example: It doesn’t happen often, but now and…
Read MoreIMPACT! Partnership Means We’re Interconnected
The great team at Partial To Girls, a United Way partner, recently shared this unique perspective on what we mean when we say “partnership”: “In April 2021, Partial to Girls was able to help a 19-year-old pregnant woman who had a 3-year-old son from sleeping in her car for almost three weeks straight. She also hadn’t had…
Read MoreWhirlpool Appliance Sale Comes to Battle Creek
Hundreds of deeply discounted appliances supplied by Whirlpool Corporation will be on sale to the public in a special two-day event benefitting two area United Ways. On Dec. 11-12, major appliances such as ranges, refrigerators, dishwashers, washers and dryers from Whirlpool Corporation’s brand portfolio including Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid will be available at significant savings. Shoppers…
Read MoreIMPACT! Partnership Means We’re Interconnected
The great team at Partial To Girls, a United Way partner, recently shared this unique perspective on what we mean when we say “partnership”: “In April 2021, Partial to Girls was able to help a 19-year-old pregnant woman who had a 3-year-old son from sleeping in her car for almost three weeks straight. She also hadn’t…
Read MoreInstructional Designer Needed to Elevate ALICE
United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region is collaborating with United Way of Northern New Jersey to build a professional curriculum and recognition program to Elevate ALICE. Elevate ALICE is focused on uplifting low wage workers – workers who identify as ALICE – Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. This course will be geared…
Read MoreIMPACT! Life Beyond Trauma
Sexual assault is a heartbreaking, life-shattering trauma. Coming to grips with the impact and rebuilding one’s life is a tough journey. We support AWARE Shelter’s counseling services to help Jackson County residents cope with trauma: One of AWARE’s counselors had been working with an adult survivor of sexual assault over the course of eight months.…
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