Change the Story
Thank You
President John F. Kennedy once said, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” That neatly sums up my thinking about our annual campaign. On March 18, United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region announced that the generous…
Read MoreSweepstakes Win Benefits Entire Family
Posted on Behalf of Rick Chambers, Rick Chambers & Associates When we last checked in with Matt Stinson, he was tooling around the ice at Wings Stadium in a new car, celebrating his win in the 2013 United Way Sweepstakes. Six weeks later, he handed the keys over to his parents. And therein lies a…
Read MoreJust Try It! Insights from a Mentor
By Rick Chambers, Rick Chambers & Associates Brittany Ughetti’s journey to becoming a Big Sister began with a casual reading of a newsletter. “I read in a monthly newsletter that Borgess offers a ‘Lunch Buddy’ program where associates can use their lunch time to meet with a Little once per week,” said Brittany, a Battle Creek resident…
Read MoreUnited 4 Change Connects Business Mentors, Area Youth
Posted on behalf of Mackenzie Hunter, United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region Many of us can identify at least one person who encouraged and guided us as we were growing up. Maybe it was a teacher, or a coach, or a supervisor—someone who taught us new things, believed in us and helped…
Read MoreKicking Off the Holiday Season: GivingTuesday
Did you brave the masses on Black Friday? Were you glued to your computer screen for Cyber Monday? The holiday season brings a lot of fun and a sense of community, but it also brings out a lot of rushing, consumerism, and stress. Wouldn’t it be great if we had one day during this time…
Read MoreA United Way to Give Thanks
With Thanksgiving Day approaching, all of us at United Way are reminded of the generosity and compassion that are hallmarks of this regional community. This personal investment is what distinguishes our region on a national level. Our community doesn’t just throw money at problems; it extends a hand to those in need and says, “Let…
Read MoreCampaigns Get Creative Across the Region
Posted on Behalf of Cathi Mohan and Marcia Starkey Resource Development, United Way of the Battle Creek & Kalamazoo Region Each of us has been involved in United Way campaigns for a number of years—we won’t say how many, but trust us, it’s more than a few! And we’ve learned there are many ways to…
Read MoreLook Who’s Talking: Dialogue Reaches Key Milestone in Battle Creek ‘Beacon Community’
Posted on Behalf of Laura Otte, Community Engagement Coordinator, United Way of the Battle Creek & Kalamazoo Region Earlier this year, Battle Creek was named the first-ever “Beacon Community” in the nation. In March, we brought together more than 100 community influencers for the Harwood Public Innovators Lab to launch the effort and provide an opportunity for…
Read MoreFun For Everyone: A Peek Inside Eaton’s Campaign
Posted on Behalf of Guest Author, Joan Blanchard, Eaton I have been leading the United Way campaign committee at Eaton Galesburg for the past four years. The committee consists of energetic, creative employees who strive to make our campaign fun for everyone, and I’ve been very fortunate to have this group of people on the committee.…
Read MoreTaking a Tour of Education in Battle Creek
Tuesday, October 8 we invited community members to join us for a bus tour through Battle Creek to learn more about how our region is changing the story through education. We made four stops and we were fortunate enough to have two experts join us on the bus to talk more about certain initiatives. Our…
Read More