United Way of Midland County kicked off the 2022 Campaign on Monday, September 12 with a goal of bringing our community together to raise $4.7 million. They are excited to announce pledges totaling $1,278,883 representing 27% of the overall goal.

“After our first official week, we are thrilled with the way our community is stepping up to support United Way and our neighbors who need our help,” shared Michael and Claudia Goad, 2022 Campaign Co-Chairs. “It’s our goal to help educate and inspire people to join in – whether that’s through participating in the campaign, lending their time as a volunteer or advocating for change.”

After a successful pacesetter start, Dow employees kicked off their campaign this week with an inspiring launch. They have already reached 68% of their employee goal and continue to show steady progress.

Dow and United Way collaborated to co-host a webcast kick-off, which engaged over 300 participants across the region. Team members shared inspiring stories about how United Way and their partner agencies have supported them at a time in their life when they needed it most.

Dow campaign ambassadors are going above and beyond with fun ways for employees to participate, including special events like a cooking demonstration with Chef Theo, a chili cookoff and presentations from motivational speakers.

Dow has also invested in helping to inspire and educate their team members through Impact Bus Tours. So far, nearly 200 employees have participated in the tours – embracing the opportunity to hear from United Way and their partners about the work being done to help our neighbors.

MyMichigan Health also kicked off their employee campaign with a strong start. Thanks to overwhelming response, their annual campaign t-shirts and jean day sticker sales raised over $40,000. Keep an eye out for the unique blue and dark green Live United shirts in the community.

Fisher Contracting, a strong United Way supporter, completed their campaign earlier this year, exceeding last year’s results. Many other companies will be kicking off in the coming days and weeks, but others have already joined in.

Corteva hosted a kickoff event with United Way to help inspire and educate their team about community issues and how their support creates real and lasting change. They also served as a sponsor for the 2022 United Way kick-off event, Gear for the Year, and had several employees engaged as volunteers to help build supply kits for local teachers. Their team is finding fun ways to stay engaged throughout their campaign including a variety of gift basket raffles, a United Way swag drive, Coffee for Quarters, along with a generous corporate matching to help their employee’s dollars make a bigger impact.

“The engagement from local corporations, businesses and community members has been inspiring to witness,” shared Holly Miller, President and CEO of United Way of Midland County. “The energy is inspiring and contagious. Our team engaged with our campaign volunteers at training, have spoken at kick-offs and special events and hosted Impact Bus Tours to educate and inspire and educate – all before the campaign officially kicked off!”

DuPont kicked off their campaign this week with an ice cream social for their employees. They also engaged in Gear for the Year as a title sponsor and had team members volunteer. Throughout their campaign, employees will have the chance to win one of many unique gift baskets including a date night package, family game night, football party package and barrels of cheer.

Two local school districts, Midland Public Schools and Bullock Creek Schools kicked off their campaigns in late August hosting kick-off events with inspirational messages from the United Way team.

Serendipity Road is hosting a Building a Stronger Community Raffle to lend their support. Tickets can be purchased at their store in Downtown Midland for $1 each.

United Way’s nonprofit partners came together this week at West Midland Family Center to build community and get inspired for this year’s campaign. Folks gathered to share a meal, play yard games and rally around making a difference for our neighbors who need our support.

The United Way 2022 campaign theme poses a simple question: “Have you ever?” Their hope is that the powerful and inspiring messaging based on the stories of actual neighbors will connect those who need support with the resources to help, while educating those who aren’t in these situations about the issues our community faces.

All community members deserve to have a safe and stable place to call home. In their campaign materials, United Way poses the question “Have you ever wondered where you will sleep?” Their hope is that the answer is “no,” but for some, couch surfing, sleeping in a car or staying at a shelter is an everyday reality. United Way believes that no one should have to struggle alone and that by rallying together we can provide hope.

United Way focuses on three key pillars that are the building blocks for a good life: Youth Success, Health and Household Stability. They partner with 27 non-profits and invest in the top health and human service issues identified by the community.

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/2022campaign.

The United Way team also asked community members to be featured in their video series “We asked the Community…” to help build awareness. The kick-off video features folks from corporations, businesses and the community who share their thoughts about issues our neighbors face like homelessness, the importance of reading at grade level, food security, financial support for those battling cancer and childcare. To watch the videos, visit unitedwaymidland.org/campaignvideo.

The 2022 United Way campaign will continue until October 30 and everyone is invited to be a part of it.