Week 4 of the United Way of Midland County community campaign has wrapped up, and support remains strong. United Way is reporting pledges totaling $2,658,715 representing 58% of the overall campaign goal of $4.6 million.

DuPont’s employee campaign is seeing great engagement from their team, a true reflection of their commitment to giving back. In addition to their employee campaign and special events, DuPont supports our community through their generous corporate gift.  Combined, they’ve raised over $156,000 for the vital community programs United Way supports.

As part of their campaign, DuPont offered a basket raffle, hosted a chili cookoff and golf outing event and took their employees on Impact Bus Tours to learn more about United Way and their partners.

Corteva exceeded their goal, raising over $60,000 from employee pledges and special events. Throughout their campaign, they offered fun ways for their team to get involved including a swag sale and 50/50 raffle. Not only do their employees show their generosity, but Corteva supports the campaign with a generous corporate gift of $80,000.

City of Midland kicks off their campaigns next week with a variety of ways for employees to engage. Throughout the campaign, employees will have the opportunity to participate in Jean Day for United Way, a change for change competition as well as participate in a variety of incentives and 50/50 raffles. New this year, they are showcasing the work of United Way and their partners through an impact video series shared throughout the campaign.

Workplace campaigns are continuing to kick off across the county including Ieuter Insurance, Dow Credit Union, Saginaw Bay Underwriters, Yeo and Yeo, AMPM, Midland County ESA and Community Mental Health of Central Michigan.

Costco kicked off their employee campaign this week with a goal of raising $15,000. In addition to their employee pledges, they offer a corporate match of 70% to help their pledges make an even bigger impact.

Serendipity Road is supporting the United Way campaign through the month of October with LIVE UNITED paper t-shirt sales. The more t-shirts purchased, the higher the discount at their stores! Check out their Facebook page to learn more.

United Way’s nonprofit partners always host a variety of fun activities to support the campaign. A fan favorite is coming back again this year with the Legacy Center’s Halloween costume contest. If their team reaches 100% participation, they get to choose their Executive Director Kathryn Tate’s Halloween costume. Other partner agencies are joining the Halloween costume contest idea, all showing off their costumes at the October 31 Noon Rotary meeting.

Young Leaders United Executive Council members are hosting a series of Peer-to-Peer fundraising events throughout campaign, with their first event this week at Three Bridges Distillery. Executive Council members invited their friends and coworkers to join them for happy hour and to learn more about what it means to be a member of the group.

Young Leaders United encourages the spirit of philanthropy and volunteerism among emerging community leaders in their 20s and 30s. They are committed to their families, their careers, and their community. To become a Young Leaders United member, you must be a young professional who donates $250 or more annually to United Way as an individual or with a spouse. Members also commit to volunteer each year.

To learn more about Young Leaders United or to register for the event, reach out to United Way staffer, Katie Bell Pearce at katie@unitedwaymidland.org.

United Way’s issue area focus this week is on reading at grade level.

Reading at Grade Level is one of the fifteen issue areas that United Way of Midland County focuses on. 52% of third-grade students in Midland are not reading at grade level. Last year, nearly 250 kids were connected with a caring mentor or tutor and nearly 2,000 kids birth through age 5 received free age-appropriate books monthly. To learn more about a young person who caught up with her classmates with the help of a reading mentor, read Emma’s Story.

The 2024 United Way campaign will continue through the end of the year, and everyone is invited to be a part of it. To learn more about community needs, how dollars are invested for change, to read an impact story, or find help, you can visit unitedwaymidland.org/2024campaign.