On Monday, September 12, United Way of Midland County will kick off its 2022 campaign with a goal of raising $4,700,000.

“We are off to a strong start, already reporting early pledges of $422,678” shared Holly Miller, President and CEO of United Way of Midland County. “This represents an impressive 9% of our $4.7 million goal.”

To officially kick off their 2022 Campaign, United Way is hosting Gear for the Year – an event to fill the gap for over 700 Midland County Public School teachers to help them feel equipped, empowered and prepared for the school year. Thanks to generous sponsors, each teacher will receive a kit with Expo markers, tissues, disinfecting wipes, highlighters, pens, Sharpies, post-it notes, notecards and more!

Volunteers from local businesses helped sort over 30,000 items on Wednesday, September 7^th to help prepare for the big kit building day on September 12^th. All the kits will be delivered to ACEA, Bullock Creek Public Schools, Coleman Public Schools, Meridian Public Schools, Midland County ESA, Midland Public Schools and Windover on Tuesday, September 13^th.

“We committed to kicking off our campaign this year with our Gear for the Year event as a way to show appreciation and support for our local educators,” shared Holly Miller, President and CEO of United Way of Midland County. “We know the important role that teachers play in the lives of their students, especially as they’ve navigated the past two years of change and uncertainty. To help – we invited our local businesses and corporations to join us in supplying our teachers with the items they often purchase to support their classrooms.”

United Way is grateful for its event sponsors: DuPont, Members First Credit Union, Corteva, Aptar, IFF, Meijer, Dow Credit Union, Gavin and Associates, Case Systems, SYM Financial, Feeny, TriStar Trust, Great Lakes Loons, Arbury Insurance and Two Men and a Truck.

United Way is also excited to announce that the 2022 campaign is being led by Michael and Claudia Goad.

“Michael and Claudia have such passion for our community,” shared Miller. “We are honored to work alongside of them as this year’s campaign co-chairs, and believe their positive energy, giving spirit and genuine care for our neighbors will help us achieve success in raising dollars for the vital nonprofit programs that United Way supports.”

Michael and Claudia joined the Midland Community several years ago, and have expressed their love for our community. In a recent interview with United Way, they shared how welcoming Midland is and how incredibly caring our community members are. Michael serves as President and CEO of Dow Credit Union (formerly Dow Chemical Employees’ Credit Union) and Claudia is a retired interpreter for hospitals and court systems and a Spanish emersion preschool teacher. She currently serves as an active community volunteer for many area non-profits.

“When we were given the opportunity to serve as the United Way of Midland County campaign co-chairs, we knew we could not possibly say no,” shared Claudia. “We believe in lending a hand up to our neighbors who need our support and we hope that we can inspire our community to come together to raise the dollars needed to support the vital programs offered by our partners.”

Some organizations have already kicked off their United Way workplace campaigns, while many others will be celebrating their campaigns beginning next week. To help inspire and educate, United Way staffers have been out in the community hosting Impact Bus Tours as well as giving presentations at team meetings and special events to talk about the work being done to change lives.

United Way does not do this work alone. The dollars raised during annual campaign will be invested in 57 community programs in the areas of Youth Success, Health and Household Stability. United Way is positioned to drive impact forward through collaboration, accountability and a focus on placing people at the center. Leveraging their strength around outcomes and non-profit capacity building, they have the system to ensure dollars being invested to have the biggest impact.

“We are so honored to have the opportunity to lead this year’s United Way Campaign,” shared Michael Goad, President and CEO of Dow Credit Union. “We’re surrounded by so many caring people who don’t hesitate to lend a hand when our neighbors need help. It’s inspiring to be a part of something much bigger than us as individuals, and our hope as campaign chairs is that we can help inspire others to join in.”

Miller added that Claudia and Michael Goad’s co-chair partnership is the very symbol of collaboration and compassion.

“Our theme this year leverages that spirit, posing a simple question: “Have you ever?” Miller said. “This powerful and inspirational message presents thought-provoking questions based on the stories of actual neighbors in need and demonstrates the amazing way our community has created a safety net of services to meet them.”

United Way brings everyone together to improve lives by amplifying individual passion to take on our toughest challenges together. The campaign will continue through the end of October.

The current Disability Equity Challenge registration is closed. Please check back for other opportunities to participate in the future.

United Ways throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region are partnering with Disability Network of Mid-Michigan, Michigan Association of United Ways and United Ways across the state to present the 21-Day Disability Equity Challenge. This statewide effort to explore disability from a position of equity and pride is designed to raise awareness, increase understanding and shift perspective about disability in our culture.

“Action begins with awareness and understanding,” shared Beth Sorenson Prince, Director of Advocacy at United Way of Midland County. “We are inviting our community to join us in this challenge to learn, understand and take action in helping raise awareness. We ask that participants fully engage in this challenge, adding to the conversation around creating a safe and equitable community for our neighbors with disabilities.”

The challenge will be held from August 1^st – August 26^th, with a virtual summit held on August 30^th. This challenge is open to the community and United Way encourages everyone to consider participating. To learn more and register for the challenge, community members can visit: 21-Day Disability Equity Challenge. *Note: the current Disability Equity Challenge registration is closed. Please check back for other opportunities to participate in the future.* 

How the Challenge Works

• Each weekday from August 1^st – August 26^th participants will receive an email with links to recommended articles, videos, podcasts and more
• Each email includes a thought-provoking question as a journal prompt – participants are encouraged to write down their thoughts, feelings, questions, etc. to use as discussion topics during the virtual summit on August 30th
• Daily Topics will include: ableism, the history of the disability justice movement, intersectionality, language, accessibility, systemic inequalities for people with disabilities, ally-ship and disability pride
• Individuals interested in joining can register here: 21-Day Disability Equity Challenge *Note: the current Disability Equity Challenge registration is closed. Please check back for other opportunities to participate in the future.* 

“Change and impact start at an individual level,” shared Holly Miller, President and CEO of United Way of Midland County. “By broadening the conversation and increasing awareness of the importance of disability equity, we can better understand the experiences of people with disabilities. Learning and understanding will help us work alongside and take action to improve our workplaces, communities and the lives of our neighbors.”

The challenge is fully virtual and is 100% free. United Way shared that the experience will deepen understanding, suggest ways to take action, and help launch what they hope will be a lifelong commitment to improving equity and inclusion in our community.

“Disability Network of Mid-Michigan is proud and honored to serve as a resource to the Great Lakes Bay Region,” shared Kelly PeLong, Executive Director at Disability Network of Mid-Michigan. “We are thrilled to be offering the Disability Equity Challenge, furthering our commitment to creating accessible and inclusive communities.”

The challenge will launch in conjunction with the latest installment of the ALICE in Focus Research Series from the Michigan Association of United Ways (MAUW) and research partner United For ALICE. This report will be released July 26 on the 32^nd Anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It will showcase data to highlight the realities of people living with disabilities in Michigan.

“The data in this new spotlight report will be useful in informing the decisions we make as a community when developing programs that impact those with disabilities,” shared Miller. “As an organization, we are committed to digging deep into this research, while continuing to listen to the folks within this population to understand how we can support them. It is not our role to prescribe solutions, but to walk alongside our neighbors to learn about the barriers to keep them thriving.”

ALICE in Focus is a national research series using the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS) through the lens of the ALICE measures – the Household Survival Budget and the ALICE Threshold.

The report will be available on United Way’s website at unitedwaymidland.org after its release date of July 26^th, 2022.

United Way of Midland County is excited to announce the honorees of the 2021 and 2022 Charles J. Strosacker Award – Jennifer Chappel, President and CEO of Midland County Habitat for Humanity and Charlie Schwedler, Executive Director at Senior Services.

The Charles J. Strosacker Award recognizes individuals from a United Way partner agency for their contributions in promoting the well-being of Midland County Residents. Nominees are recognized for their leadership, impact, compassion and innovation. It embodies characteristics celebrated by Charles Strosacker himself: a spirit of leadership within our community, showing compassion for those less fortunate and an innovative spirit.

“It’s truly an honor to recognize Jennifer and Charlie,” shared Holly Miller, President and CEO of United Way of Midland County. “They are true community leaders and have worked tirelessly through the pandemic and historic 500-year flood to ensure the people in our community were well cared for, sustained and kept safe. To say they are deserving of this award and recognition is an understatement. We remain grateful to our friends at the Charles J. Strosacker Foundation for their vision and support of this important award.”

Jennifer Chappel has led the team at Habitat for Humanity for over ten years, working toward their mission to ensure people have safe, decent and affordable housing. Prior to her work with Habitat, she was on the team at American Red Cross.

“The homes may be the visible part of Jennifer’s service, however, it is her authentic support and listening that provides hope for the future,” shared Jenee Velasquez, Executive Director for The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation. “She listens to clients’ stories and partners with experts to provide resources, rally volunteers, raise funds, provide a seat at the table for everyone and so much more to make the experience of becoming a homeowner possible.”

Charlie Schwedler has served as Executive Director at Senior Services for nearly five years, after serving as Superintendent for Bullock Creek Schools for over twenty-three years. His commitment to his organization, his coworkers and the people they serve is visible in everything he does.

The leadership team at Senior Services shared that “Charlie showed tremendous leadership during the pandemic and has held strong when it comes to protecting our employees, participants, volunteers and clients.” They continued to share “as a result of his leadership, over 3,000 older adults obtained lifesaving services through the early vaccination efforts offered through Senior Services.”

Chappel and Schwedler were presented with the Charles J. Strosacker award at a picnic-style lunch event hosted by United Way. Their fellow non-profit leaders joined together to recognize and honor them, with a touching presentation from Bobbie Arnold from the Strosacker Foundation and Holly Miller from United Way.

“Congratulations to Jennifer Chappel and Charlie Schwedler for their dedication and hard-work, especially given the difficulties of the last few years,” shared Bobbie Arnold, President and CEO of the Charles J. Strosacker Foundation. “They exemplify the very best of leadership in our community.”