Impact Week: Building Financial Stability

[su_label type=”info”]IMPACT WEEK[/su_label] More than 1 in 3 households in our region are either in poverty or struggling to make ends meet. United Way works to help these vulnerable families and individuals become financially stable. Editor’s note: We’re celebrating Impact Week—highlighting how support for United Way is changing lives. Read our Impact Week overview here.…

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It's Impact Week! You're Making a Difference!

[su_label type=”info”]IMPACT WEEK[/su_label] “How do I know my donation is really changing lives?” It’s a great question. United Way BCKR is determined to answer it. “Last year, we set powerful, long-term goals for the toughest challenges we face as a region,” said Matt Lynn, Director of Community Impact. “It’s vital that we measure our progress.…

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Kathleen's Story

Kathleen's Story

Kathleen’s Story: Learning Independence Kathleen Terry bears a tattoo on her left forearm that reminds her of who she is and how far she’s come in recent years. The words, she said, have come to symbolize how she strives to live her life – with “Strong Love.” Kathleen was 18 years old and just four…

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Saying '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…

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Raising Awareness, Inviting Engagement & Creating Impact Together

United Way has been highly visible this week—and not only in our community! A whole host of local United Ways across Michigan, including United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region, joined forces again this year to share local successes and invite people throughout Michigan to get involved and to support their local communities.…

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Coming Together Around A Common Cause: IMPACT

  Don’t be surprised if you see United Way everywhere you turn in September—on billboards, online, in newspapers, on the air. During the week of Sept. 14, United Ways across Michigan, including the United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region, will join forces to tell their stories on a statewide canvas. Billed as…

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Takin' It To The S.T.R.E.E.T.: Execs Connect With Community

Melrose's Story

  Within minutes of arriving at the S.T.R.E.E.T. Center, 19 business executives had 22 new best friends. The connections happened through a joint Day of Caring service project involving senior leaders from Stryker Corporation and Pfizer Inc. The executives bonded with teen boys participating in the S.T.R.E.E.T. Program, part of Community Healing Centers. S.T.R.E.E.T is…

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Take An Inside Look At United 4 Change

  In an earlier blog, we highlighted the work of United 4 Change, a business-led partnership focusing on early grade reading achievement and middle/high school career mentoring. The goal of U4C is to spur students to academic and career success. Now you can see this program at work for yourself in a new video available…

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Anonymous Donors Pledge $50,000, Call on Community to Equal It

The generosity of our region is simply amazing.  Anonymous donors have put up $50,000, challenging the community to match it with donations to United Way of the Battle Creek & Kalamazoo Region (UWBCKR). These donors recognize the impact UWBCKR has on our region, an impact that comes from all of us working together for the common good. This challenge…

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Hunger Awareness: Ending the "Rumblies"

In the classic cartoon, “Winnie The Pooh and The Honey Tree,” Pooh Bear sings of his love for honey to satisfy his hunger, what he calls a “rumbly in my tumbly.” But for more than 58,000 people in the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo region, hunger isn’t a happy song; it’s a daily question mark. That’s…

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