Battle Creek/Kalamazoo

Forward-thinking Battle Creek leaders created the Social Service Bureau in 1921, raising $66,000 for the Battle Creek Relief Fund. This fundraising grew over the decades thanks to vital, generous corporate donors such as Kellogg Co. Later known as the Community Chest, the agency became the Battle Creek Area United Fund in 1957, and a decade later it merged with the Calhoun County Community Council to become United Community Services. By 1975 it embraced the name United Way.

Kalamazoo followed a similar path. Seven health and human services agencies came together to form Kalamazoo Associated Charities in 1914, investing resources in health and human services. In 1925, this group formed the Kalamazoo Community Chest. Raising $110,000 in that first year, it notched its first $1 million campaign in 1966 with generous support from The Upjohn Company, Stryker Corp. and many others. In 1971, the Community Chest became Greater Kalamazoo United Way.

As social needs changed, these two United Ways evolved from simple fundraisers to strategic partners. They worked alongside community leaders and nonprofits to target the most pressing needs and how to address them. Eventually they discovered ways to tackle challenges regionally while still focusing on the unique local needs. In 2012, this led both United Ways to a merger of equals, creating United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region.

Today, UWBCKR is part of an impact-driven regional organization: United Way of South Central Michigan, formed in 2022 through a merger with UWBCKR, Capital Area United Way, and United Way of Jackson County.