Archive for January 2023
Stabenow Support Lifts ALICE Initiative
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) successfully championed a $257,000 federal budget appropriation to support UWSCMI’s workplace initiative sustaining ALICE employees. United for ALICE@Work in Michigan is a business education and certification effort to help small- and medium-sized businesses better understand the needs of low-wage workers below the ALICE threshold. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained…
Read MoreA message from our Chief Equity Officer
Thank you to those who have joined us for the 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge. Over the next 21 days, you’ll join many colleagues, neighbors, friends, and family as we examine the history and impacts of racism in our community. You’re taking the first step by signing up for this challenge, and now the real work…
Read MoreUWSCMI Testimony Helps Move Tax Credit Bill
Members of the Michigan Senate’s Housing and Human Services Committee got a real-world look this week at how increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit can help financially struggling households. “I first received the Earned Income Tax Credit in 2011. I was a 23-year-old single mom working full time as a lead teacher in a Head…
Read MorePartner Spotlight: One Center, One Community, Many Services
LANSING – Since 1968, Cristo Rey Community Center has played an important role in providing vital services to the Capital Area community, particularly the Latino community. The Center takes a holistic, hands-on approach to care for the whole person, including their mental, emotional, and spiritual needs. They achieve this through an array of services that support…
Read MoreSeeding Leaders Mini-Grant Applications Now Open
The United Way of South Central Michigan is excited to announce a new Seeding Leaders mini-grant opportunity for Battle Creek & Kalamazoo. UWSCMI is providing nine $2,000 mini-grants intended to support the wellness, leadership, and/or professional development of nonprofit leaders, with a focus on leaders who identify as (or in the intersections of) being: The…
Read More‘Grateful and Humble’: COO Ken Toll Moving On
After more than two decades of United Way service, Chief Operations Officer Ken Toll is moving on. “Bringing together our three United Ways into the United Way of South Central Michigan has gone better than I could have hoped,” said Toll. “ We have a really strong team in place.” So strong, in fact, that…
Read MoreCreating Healthy Communities in Northwest Lansing
LANSING – With its dedicated team of staff members and volunteers, Northwest Initiative supports the communities bordering the Grand River in Lansing with an array of services that range from food distribution to prison diversion programs. NWI is a currently funded partner of United Way of South Central Michigan. The organization’s work around nutrition is…
Read MoreEmbracing Our Values: The Heart of It All
This is the last in a three-part series exploring UWSCMI’s recently adopted vision, mission and values. You can find them all in one place at unitedforscmi.org/vision-mission-values. Part 1: Where We’re Going | Part 2: What We Do Tibor “Ted” Rubin had every reason to be bitter. As a Jewish Hungarian-American, he faced anti-Semitism and constant…
Read MoreGet help with your tax returns
They say there are two things certain in life, and one of them pops up every year: income taxes. If you’re looking for help in doing your tax returns, USCMI has answers! The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, or VITA, is a national effort sponsored by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. This free service helps…
Read MoreEmbracing Our Mission: What We Do
This is the second in a three-part series exploring UWSCMI’s recently adopted vision, mission and values. You can find them all in one place at unitedforscmi.org/vision-mission-values. Part 1: Where We’re Going | Part 3: The Heart of it All What does it take to fit a square peg in a round hole? When the answer…
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