United Way’s Spirit of the Community celebration honors local businesses.

United Way brought our community together for the Spirit of the Community Celebration on May 17th. This exciting and popular event honors the many ways that individuals and organizations are lending their time, talents, voices and hearts to create a better and stronger community.

United Way celebrated the incredible impact of our local corporations and businesses, both large and small, through the “Companies That Care” awards.

“Companies That Care” are not only characterized by the financial commitment they and their employees make, but their impact through community advocacy and volunteerism,” shares Ann Fillmore, Executive Director of United Way of Midland County. “They serve as the foundation for real change and continue the strong legacy of compassion for those in need.”

Many that were recognized have long supported the mission of United Way, while others are fairly new to the family. Some are large corporations, while others are small family-run businesses. The common thread that runs throughout each of this year’s honorees is the promise to be an integral part of our future.

Beyond their commitment to successful employee and corporate campaigns, these organizations and their employees serve as campaign volunteers, loaned executives, Leadership Circle members, Young Leaders United and community volunteers. They sponsor local events, and find innovative ways to help reach out and engage our community.

Twenty-four local organizations were honored, including: Aptar, Ayre/Rhinehart Realtors, Bolger + Battle, Chemical Bank, County of Midland, Deloitte, Dow Chemical Employees’ Credit Union, Dow Corning Corporation, Fisher Contracting Company, Garber Chevrolet, Gavin & Associates, LLC, Great Lakes Loons, Ieuter Insurance Group, McKay Press, Inc., Members First Credit Union, Midland Daily News, Midland Public Schools, MidMichigan Medical Center – Midland, Northwood University, The Dow Chemical Company, Three Rivers Corporation, Trinseo, Wolverine Bank and Yeo & Yeo, PC CPA.

Each year, one organization from the Companies That Care is honored as the Caring Company of the Year. United Way announced that the 2016 Caring Company of the Year is Wolverine Bank.

The spirit of giving back is at the core of Wolverine Bank’s culture and starts with their leader, Dave Dunn.

“Dave is a tremendous advocate of the work of United Way. He brought the entire staff together to kick off their campaign and to learn more about the new community level goals,” shared emcee Rich Wells.

The impact was strong, resulting in an incredible 13% increase in giving. Wolverine staff participated in the Young Leaders “March is Reading Month” event, inspiring a love of reading for Carpenter School second graders.

Their employees are engaged in our community, volunteering with United Way’s communications committee, Young Leaders and hosting a Sharing Tree to help families in need.

“Wolverine Bank’s commitment to our community and our neighbors in need serves as a both an inspiration and aspiration for us all,” shared Rich.

A video showcasing this year’s Companies That Care is available at www.unitedwaymidland.org. Special thanks to Imageworks for their generous donation to produce this innovative video.