Jackson County
IMPACT! 2-1-1 Answers The Call During Pandemic
Jackson County’s essential workers—from health care providers and first responders to retail and service sectors, educators and nonprofit volunteers—have been celebrated during the COVID-19 pandemic, and rightly so. There’s another essential group that deserves kudos, too: the professionals staffing the 2-1-1 call center. According to Melissa Ladd Patnode, 2-1-1 Program Supervisor at Lifeways Community Mental…
Read MoreIMPACT! Child Care Network Puts Families FIRST
Any way you slice it, childcare is costly and hard to find. It’s also one of the biggest barriers to consistent employment for ALICE families. With support from United Way, Child Care Network provides scholarships through its FIRST Family program to families in need. Here’s one example of how this support makes a difference: Sergio…
Read MoreUnited We Will: Setting Our Sights on Recovery
by Ken Toll The week after Independence Day, we did a soft reopening of our office. Our staff still mostly works from home, but a few come to the office when needed. Meetings are by appointment, so there’s no steady stream of visitors. I confess, it all feels weird. Not that weird is a new…
Read MoreIMPACT! United Way Announces 2020 Local Investments to Drive Financial Stability
Continuing its work to build financially stable families, United Way of Jackson County announced it will invest $480,000 in 24 local programs and initiatives. “United Way strives for a community rich in opportunities for every person to achieve financial stability. We’re excited to make these investments in Jackson County to advance this important work,” said…
Read MoreIMPACT! Local Agencies Get Support for Food, Shelter, Utility Aid
United Way of Jackson County facilitated a grant process that provided $137,170 in federal funds to local organizations providing food, shelter and utility assistance to people in high-need areas. The emergency funding was announced in May and provided through the Emergency Food And Shelter National Board Program (EFSP), administered by the Department of Homeland Security’s…
Read MoreMore Good Tales: Tackling Needs During the Pandemic
Lives in Jackson County continue to be affected by COVID-19 and its fallout. At the same time, our community is stepping up to lessen the blow in countless ways. We’re pleased to bring you some more good tales from the pandemic. Setting the Standard of Generosity Of the many words that describe Jackson County, one…
Read MoreJackson Calling! And 2-1-1 Is Answering
2-1-1, the telephone line that connects people in need with resources to help, is proving its value once again in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Melissa Ladd Patnode, Central Michigan 2-1-1 Program Supervisor, said the call center at Lifeways in Jackson has received 1,268 pandemic-related calls from the nine-county coverage area as of April…
Read MoreGood Tales From a Crisis: Changing Lives Together
There’s no denying that the COVID-19 pandemic is tragic. People have died; more likely will. Others are sick, or will be soon. Thousands right here in Jackson County are losing jobs and income. Many don’t know where they’ll get food or essentials for their families. Yet from this crisis we see the power of compassion…
Read MoreIMPACT! Hope in the Midst of a Pandemic
Some of the most at-risk people in Jackson County are living two weeks in the past. That’s not the premise of a science fiction story. It’s reality for those who struggle with addictions to opioids and other substances as the coronavirus pandemic grows. “These people are our friends and family members, and they are stuck,”…
Read MoreBecause That’s What We Do: A Snapshot of Jackson County’s Compassion
By Ken Toll One look at that photograph wiped away my fatigue and anxiety. Nine people stand in the neat, brightly lit lobby of a local hotel. One of them is in a wheelchair. Two or three, perhaps not fans of being photographed, look on warily. But the rest offer gleeful smiles. They were about…
Read More