Behind The Scenes – United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region

Tragic events don’t always happen somewhere else. Sometimes they happen right here in our community—be it natural disasters, violence, or a piece of a global pandemic. What we’ve learned is the value of approaching the next crisis in a more powerful, collective way. United Way BCKR and its community partners have a solid track record…

People experience homelessness for many reasons. The issue is complicated, the solutions more so. But one thing is clear: It takes a community-wide effort to solve the challenge. “There’s no single solution,” said Sara Jacobs, Director of the Kalamazoo County Continuum of Care. “It’s incredibly complex. That’s why it takes all of us working together…

When communities want to understand how local households are doing financially, they often check the poverty rate. But that doesn’t give the full picture of how many individuals and families struggle to make ends meet. “ALICE encompasses what was once described as ‘the working poor,’ but it stands for much more than that,” said Laurel…

Editor’s note: We asked our United Way BCKR team to share why they’re excited to work for United Way. Here are some thoughts from Shreya Naseri, Customer Relationship Management Administrator. As Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Administrator, my role is to ensure efficient fundraising through our online portal. I handle multiple campaigns including individual giving. Every…

It’s said that if you don’t hold fast to your values, whether in good times or bad, then your “values” are really just hobbies. At United Way, our values are fundamental. They drive every aspect of our work—who we are, what we do, how we interact with each other, and how we engage with our…

Over the past five years, United Way BCKR has been growing its efforts to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). The task ahead is to accelerate this evolution. “We firmly believe EDI is critical to our impact work and to our regional community,” said Chris Sargent, President & CEO. “That’s why every investment, every partnership,…

A win for someone struggling to succeed—to get an education, access health care and achieve financial stability—does a lot more than benefit that person. It’s a win for the community, too. “Poverty imposes costs on the nation in terms of both programmatic outlays and productivity losses that can affect the economy as a whole,” states…

“At United Way, we know that we can’t accomplish our impact work alone,” said Natalie Saucedo, United Way BCKR’s Senior Director of Strategy & Innovation.

If anyone knew about dealing with tough times, it was Frances Wisebart Jacobs. By 1887, the 44-year-old Jacobs and her husband, Abraham, had lost a young son, suffered major fires at their two clothing stores, and saw one store go out of business. Yet Jacobs looked beyond her own difficulties to her fellow Denver residents…

Editor’s note: This is the first in a series called Behind the Scenes, designed to give readers an inside look at what we do, and why. Giving to a good cause is easier than ever these days–click on a GoFundMe link, buy something through Amazon Smile, round up your next fast-food purchase. Those things aren’t…