BC/Kzoo
Volunteers Unite to Tackle Hunger – 100,000 Times!
With bells, cheers and upbeat music, more than 300 volunteers put together 100,000 meals in two hours to feed hungry families. The volunteers at United Way BCKR’s third annual United Against Hunger event brought more energy than ever, according to Stephanie Slingerland, Director of Philanthropy/Social Impact at Kellogg Company. Kellogg was the presenting sponsor. “Our…
Read MoreMission Report #3: ‘Engage Diverse People, Ideas and Resources’
On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy gave a speech to Congress urging support for putting an American crew on the moon before decade’s end. At that date, the United States had put a human in space exactly once: a 15-minute, up-and-down flight three weeks before. It was an outrageous, even laughable goal. And…
Read MoreMission Report #2: ‘Leading Shared Efforts’ Underscores Partnership
You probably tried this when you were a kid: Take a stick as thick as your little finger and see how easily you can snap it in half; then take a dozen sticks of the same thickness and try to do the same thing. You’ll find that you can’t. The lesson is simple: When we…
Read MoreMission Report #1: ‘Drive Impact’ Directs Our Work
Drive impact by leading shared efforts that engage diverse people, ideas and resources. Powerful words. But what do they mean? Today we’re kicking off a three-part series that takes a close look at our mission statement and how it influences our community work. ‘Drive Impact’ Pro Football Hall of Famer (and Michigan native) Tony Dungy…
Read MoreWhy All This Talk About Trauma?
Editor’s note: Trauma shows up as a pervasive barrier to a person’s success in every one of United Way’s Impact areas – Health, Education, Financial Stability and Basic Needs. It’s an issue we have only begun to address over the past few years with events such as film screenings of “Resilience,” community conversations and most…
Read MoreUWBCKR Joins Call to Increase Earned Income Tax Credit
United Way joined organizations from across Kalamazoo County urging state legislators to support Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s proposal to double Michigan’s Earned Income Tax Credit, an important support for low-income families. The coalition called on lawmakers to show bipartisan support for the proposal to double the EITC from 6% to 12%, which according to a…
Read MoreUnited Against Hunger To Tackle Food Insecurity
“Kids are always hungry, and it hurts me a little inside every time I have to tell them ‘no.’ … I want to tell them ‘yes!’ I don’t want to say, ‘I’m sorry, we don’t have any more apples till payday, or any more chips, or any more Popsicles.’” The pain that Michigan mom and…
Read MoreVIDEO: ‘Living the United Way’
This month, United Way BCKR was proud to present a new video featuring Kinetic Affect that explores what United Way stands for and why we need the community to stand with us. “Living the United Way” is a spoken word piece written and performed by the local duo, composed of Kirk Latimer and Gabe Giron,…
Read MoreUnified Kickoff Shares Impact Statewide
“United Ways: assemble!” Like The Avengers of movie fame, United Ways across Michigan, including United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region, are joining forces to share stories of local impact and to invite the entire state to be heroes in their community. This is the fifth year that United Ways statewide have come…
Read MoreItzel’s Story
La Academia Azteca is funded in part by United Way and aligns with our community goal of improving graduation rates by supporting the social and emotional well-being of students. The program utilizes Latinx volunteers from Western Michigan University and provides a safe space for students to explore their social, emotional and academic development in a culturally competent environment. The youth choose how they want to spend their time, which can include mentoring, tutoring, traditional dance, soccer and conversation focus groups.
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