Taking You on a Journey United

A new video travels alongside local people whose stories have been changed through United Way. Titled “Journeys United,” this powerful 3-minute production features residents Melrose, Tawana and Alejandro sharing their personal stories. Through tough times, each found the strength and opportunity to build a better life through programs made possible by United Way BCKR donors.…

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Saving Babies, Changing Lives

There are days when Kaye Sanders realizes she’s been holding her breath from the moment she woke up. As the Recovery House Coordinator for Community Healing Centers’ Women’s Specialty Program, Sanders and her team walk beside women working to rebuild lives and families while battling addiction. Many of them – particularly those who reside at…

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Partnership Tackles Racial Disparities

When it comes to racial equity, our regional community can do better. By Sara Coppo, Guest Blogger “Whether it’s education, whether it’s income, whether it’s health, families of color line up behind at all times.” As CEO of YWCA Kalamazoo, an organization that has been active in the community for 130 years, Dr. Grace Lubwama…

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Building Healthy Families One Connection at a Time

Lee Gray and Amy Smith know how to build relationships. It’s a skill that has proven essential to the facilitation and growth of their family education program, Family Connections. By creating an environment of trust and open dialogue, program co-directors Gray and Smith say they are quickly able to engage even the most reluctant of…

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Community Effort Yields Thousands of Diapers for Babies

The count is in! During the first two weeks of May, the second annual United Way Diaper Drive brought in thousands of diapers in a massive effort that is already helping families in our region. Area businesses, volunteers, nonprofits and individuals joined together to collect, repackage and distribute 55,415 diapers that went out to more…

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Here's Where All Those Diapers Are Going

Dozens of families from the Battle Creek community come to Parkway Manor each month to accept diapers during the Battle Creek Diaper Network’s distribution events. Families can take up to 35 diapers, though Program Coordinator Denise Rucker said she would eventually like to bump that number up to 50. Infants need an average of 12…

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Maxine's Story

Maxine was using methamphetamines when she discovered she was pregnant last year. She had been struggling in the aftermath of a DUI charge, trying hard to “make it all work” and feeling that she wasn’t moving forward in life. “I felt overwhelmed and hopeless,” she said. “I started using meth because I felt like I…

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Get Your Diapers in a Bunch! Diaper Drive Starts May 1

For the second consecutive year, a massive volunteer effort will tackle a chronic need among low-income families by gathering 75,000 donated infant and toddler diapers from across Calhoun and Kalamazoo counties. United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region (UWBCKR) is spearheading the drive, which will bring together regional businesses and volunteers to gather,…

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May 1 Marks Start of Diaper Drive 2018

Generous community members, corporate partners and volunteers came together last year to help our region’s babies as we launched our inaugural United Way Diaper Drive. We invite you all to join us again as we kick off our 2018 drive, set for May 1-14. The need for diapers is great. We know that as many…

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We're Kicking Off Our Health Quarter!

The health of our smallest residents can tell us a lot about the overall well-being of our communities. And the rate at which babies – particularly babies of color – are dying during their first year of life, tells us that there’s much work to be done. This quarter, we’re shining a spotlight on United…

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