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Wanigas Credit Union employees wear LIVE UNITED
t-shirts to show their members they support United Way. |
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MMR - Mobile Medical Response | |
For the first time ever, United Way was invited to make campaign presentations at MMR. Presentations were made to the MMR employees during several Town Hall meetings. We would like to thank MMR for joining our team and supporting United Way of Saginaw County.
QSS - Qualified Staffing Services
 Once again, QSS invited United Way and our partnering agencies to come on site and present to all of the QSS employees. We are proud to announce that with their outstanding employee support, QSS was able to surpass their goal of raising more than $40,000. Way to go!
St. Mary's of Michigan
Thanks to the incredible leadership at St. Mary's of Michigan
during the annual United Way giving campaign, the amount of donors supporting United Way more than doubled! Thank you to all those who became first time donors and all those who continue to give and advocate for United Way.
Buena Vista School District
At United Way of Saginaw County we love to celebrate any campaign increase; however, we are especially thankful when a company, organization or school district goes above and beyond! Thank you to the employees at Buena Vista School District for their 43% monetary increase.
UWSC Campaign Progress
Every dollar counts! This phrase is especially true as we begin to wind down our annual giving campaign. We cannot say thank you enough to everyone who has given to our annual campaign. Every donation, no matter how large or small it may seem, truly makes a huge difference. That is the great thing about supporting United Way. By making one donation - you have the power to combine your gift with other donations, and that helps support 32 programs at 19 partnering agencies. Each dollar helps to create a positive, much-needed impact in our community.
So far, thanks to you and the help of our amazing campaign volunteers, we have raised $1.7 million for our community. We still have quite a ways to go in order for us to be able to keep funding our programs at the same level we are now. Please remember it is never too late to give! Thank you again to everyone who has already made their donation - please help us by encouraging your family, friends and coworkers to do so as well. As our Campaign Chair, John Kunitzer, put it best, "our community is only as strong as our commitment to it!" |
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Wishes Still Available | |
There are close to 300 wishes that are available to adopt. You can make the holidays brighter for someone in our community by adopting their wish. A complete list of wishes was published in the Township Times on November 22 and is available to view on the United Way website. The list on our website is updated daily. You can also call Henrietta at 776-0545 and she can help match you up with a wish that still needs to be adopted.
Thank you to everyone who has already helped to make the holdiays brighter for others in Saginaw County! |
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Imagination Library Success Story
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The Imagination Library program provides all children, ages birth to five, in Saginaw County with a free book each month. Here is a story we received from a very happy program recipient:
"My daughter, Daytona, receives books from the Imagination Library program. She loves checking the mail to see if one is in there. Yesterday, when we pulled into the driveway, she noticed the top of the mailbox was open and she just knew there was a book in there. I read it to her about 20 times last night. A couple of months ago she received a "Llama Llama" book which is a series about a llama and his mama. My daughter was so excited for the book and I was so excited because I didn't have to go and buy the book."
There is still space in the program to sign up any child in Saginaw County, ages birth to five. Please visit our website for more information.
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VITA Program Awarded Grants
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Our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program recently received grant funding for the upcoming tax season. "We are very grateful to receive these grant donations," said Marsha Cooley, program coordinator. "These grants will give our program the opportunity to expand and enhance the services that we provide to the community," added Cooley.
The following is a list of grants that the program has received to date for the upcoming tax season:
- Bank of America Foundation - $15,000
- PNC Bank - $2,500
- CRA Banker's Forum - $2,000 (to fund a financial education special event)
- IRS VITA Grant - $47,300
- Michigan Association of United Ways (MAUW) - AmeriCorps Grant (to fund a one-year membership position - assisting with benefit access and financial education)
Visit our website for more information regarding the VITA program or to sign up to become a VITA volunteer.
(Pictured above: employees from Bank of America, Bay Road Branch presenting the Grant check to Marsha Cooley, vice president and Cherrie Benchley, president/CEO) |
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United Way Raffle Tickets Now Available
* $5 each ----------------------------------->
* Can be purchased at the UWSC office
(100 S. Jefferson, 3rd Floor)
* Drawing for all 7 prizes will take place on Friday, December 23 at 5 p.m. at
Spence Brothers Warehouse
*Need not be present to win
A special thank you to Spence Brothers for hosting this raffle and to all the prize contributors |  | |  |
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Giving Thanks | |
November reminds us that there are so many things that each of us can be thankful for. Whether you are thankful for your freedom, the bounty that you share with family and friends, or just being surrounded by the people that you love, there is always something to be thankful for.
Here at United Way of Saginaw County we are most thankful for the generous people who LIVE UNITED in Saginaw County. Many have given and sacrificed to help others in need; many have spoken up to advocate - to help tell our community's story; and many, young and old, have given their time to help make our community a better place. For all that you do, we are thankful for your support, hard work and dedication to OUR community.
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| Step Up for United Way - 1.14.12 | |
Our 4th Annual Step Up for United Way event will be a little different than in the years past.
On Saturday, January 14, we invite you, your friends and your family to come check out the Saginaw YMCA for FREE. Whether you are a member or nonmember, come see what the YMCA has to offer.
If you make a donation to United Way for $10 that day, you will receive a LIVE UNITED t-shirt and a chance to win a year's membership from the YMCA. The free membership drawing will take place at 4 p.m. Participants need not be present to win.
For more information, please contact Kelly at (989) 755-0505, ext. 211. |
| UWSC Campaign Celebration - 1.19.12 | |
Each year United Way celebrates its campaign successes from the past year at a Campaign Celebration event. This year we will host a breakfast event on Thursday, January 19, 2012. The celebration will take place at Horizons Conference Center. Please save the date. Formal invitations will be mailed early January. |
| Show Me the Money Day - 1.28.12 | |
UWSC is in the planning stages of hosting a new event which will be held on Saturday, January 28, 2012. The event will feature workshops and information on many different topics about building financial security. There will also be refreshments, door prizes and other activities. For more information please contact Marsha at 755-0505, ext. 203. |
| Information & Referral Line Taking Calls for Assistance | |
For more than two months now, the Information & Referral line has been available to Saginaw County residents. Many individuals and families have used the line to find and receive help during difficult times. Early figures show that the highest need in Saginaw County continues to be utility and rent assistance.
Thanks to this referral line and the wonderful programs in our community, those seeking assistance are connected with the help they need in a timely manner.
Trained specialists are now available to connect people in Saginaw County with services in OUR community, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling
1-888-636-4211. |
| New Corporate Volunteer Manager | |
Rebecca McLaurin is now serving as the Corporate Volunte er Manager for the Dow Chemical Company in Saginaw County. She serves as a liaison between Dow employees and local nonprofits, encouraging employee engagement within our community. In 2012, Rebecca will focus on collaborating with United Way partnering agencies, educating community nonprofits on grant opportunities and making Dow employees more aware of volunteer opportunities available to them in our Saginaw County community.
Nonprofit organizations can reach Rebecca at (989) 755-0505, ext. 205. |
| Hot Links | |
United Way in the News - miss a press release or news story on United Way? Check our online news room to find the latest story.
Campaign Pictures - our online photo gallery has all the pictures we have taken during the 2011 annual giving campaign. If you have pictures you would like to include, we would love to see and share them. Please email the jpg images to Kelly and we will include them in our future publications. |
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For more raffle details, please visit our website. |
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