Posts Tagged ‘coronavirus’
Getting Back To The ‘New Normal’
by Ken Toll I’m looking forward to normal life—even if I’ve almost forgotten what “normal” looks like. Nearly 14 months ago, our whole world was upended by the tiniest of intruders, a spiky virus that spread like wildfire. As I write this, nearly 150 million people have been infected with COVID-19 globally, and 3.1 million…
Read More#JacksonWeGotThis Week: Celebrating Success, Taking the Next Step
by Ken Toll What a difference a year makes! Last November, I posted a blog titled, “Why Every Day is #GivingTuesday.” In this lead-up to the annual day of charitable giving, I made this observation: “Modern life is so busy, so complex, with so many daily challenges, that there’s value in having a day where…
Read MoreIMPACT! 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 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 MoreUW Wraps Up Pandemic Grantmaking
Our regional community responded generously to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, all funds given to meet urgent local needs have been disbursed. United Way created the Disaster Relief Fund last year to strengthen the community’s ability to respond quickly to critical needs. Generous corporate donors provided seed money for the fund. When COVID-19 struck, United Way…
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 More2-1-1 Answers The Call During Pandemic
Mention “frontline workers,” and you probably think about doctors and nurses, first responders, grocery store workers, and delivery staff. Yet there’s another crucial role to keep in mind: the call center staff at Gryphon Place 2-1-1. Maricela Alcala, CEO of Gryphon Place, said the team has been fielding calls from home since Michigan’s stay-at-home order…
Read MoreGrant Program Launched to Support Microbusinesses
A $500,000 grant program launched today will bring crucial relief to Kalamazoo’s smallest businesses hit hard by the economic fallout of the pandemic. The Kalamazoo Micro-Enterprise Grants (KMEG) provides grants of $5,000 to eligible microbusinesses within the city limits. The grants are a partnership between the City of Kalamazoo and United Way of the Battle…
Read MoreFund Lifts Small Businesses With $1.12 Million in Loans
From restaurants to retailers, Kalamazoo small businesses are tapping a financial lifeline to help them deal with the economic impact of COVID-19. Thus far, the Kalamazoo Small Business Loan Fund (KSBLF) has approved 63 low-interest loans totaling $1,120,600. The fund was created earlier this month through a partnership of the City of Kalamazoo and United…
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…
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