BC/Kzoo
UWBCKR Earns 4-Star Rating – Again!
Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest evaluator of charitable agencies, awarded United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region its coveted 4-Star rating. It’s the seventh consecutive year that UWBCKR received this highest designation. Charity Navigator rates nonprofits in two areas of performance: financial health, and accountability and transparency. This helps donors know how…
Read MoreOur Vision: ALICE Doesn't Live Here Anymore
“Why, sometimes I’ve believed in six impossible things before breakfast.” – Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland [Editor’s note: The following blog is by Chris Sargent, Interim CEO for United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region] Over a year ago, our United Way put forth a vision for the region: A vibrant community…
Read MoreNo Wonderland: ALICE Still Struggling
Forty percent of households in Michigan, including more than 58,000 households in the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo region, can’t afford basic household necessities. That sobering fact comes from the recently updated ALICE report, released today by the Michigan Association of United Ways. “United Way is shining a light on the magnitude of ALICE – a…
Read MoreLearning Circles encourage growth, collaboration
More than 100 nonprofit leaders in the areas of health and education came together this month for two forums aimed at making connections, exploring resources, and learning from one another. The newly developed forums, called Learning Circles, will take place several times each year for funded partners of United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region.…
Read MoreImpact Tours Offer Look At How United Way Partnerships Change Lives
(Editor’s note: This first-person account is provided by Emily Adams, social media intern with UWBCKR.) There’s no better way to learn how United Way partnerships impact lives than to see it for yourself. On March 23, United Way team members and community guests boarded a bus in Battle Creek for an Impact Tour. The tour…
Read MoreSaying 'Yes' to the Future
Put a few folks from the nonprofit sector in a room, and they’ll soon start talking about their work, their progress and their fundraising. That’s important, but I prefer when the conversation turns to people. Take this local mom, for example. Her family’s finances are precarious — what we call ALICE, or Asset Limited, Income…
Read MoreDriving Impact Through Public Policy
United Way Worldwide recently released its Public Policy Agenda for the 115th Congress. It’s part of the organization’s comprehensive effort to stand up for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. UWW is committed to assisting national policy-makers in crafting the best possible governmental policies in these areas, while also…
Read MoreCollaborative Lifts Up Literacy During Reading Month And Beyond
Nearly 2,000 new children’s books towered wonderfully and precariously high on the tables of the boardroom at United Way’s Battle Creek location recently. The books, the result of a holiday drive organized by Barnes & Noble, were sorted and boxed by members of the Battle Creek Community Literacy Collaborative, but they won’t stay that way…
Read MoreBolstering Learning With Breakfast
We hope you had a good breakfast this morning. Many children in America didn’t. But for every middle and elementary school student at Battle Creek Public Schools, breakfast is a guarantee—one that’s paying off in healthier students, better grades and fewer disciplinary issues. Breakfast in the Classroom is a unique community partnership created when Kellogg…
Read MoreNew Video Brings Equity Into Focus
“Equity isn’t just about being equal or giving everyone the same opportunity. It’s about really understanding difference.” — Matt Lynn, Director of Community Impact Building equity while reducing racial and economic disparities is fundamental to United Way’s vision. Telling that story is the role of a new video released today. United Way of the Battle…
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