United Way of the

Eastern Upper Peninsula

Hello!  Well we survived golf and I am happy to report that I did not officially get frostbite, but WOW was it cold and wet.  I had to break my winter gear out and was glad I did.  Thank you to all our true blue golfers for having fun and doing very little complaining.  I think you are a great testament to United Way and "Live United".  Please check below for some fun team photos.

The thermometer is down and we have just wrapped up the 2013 Community Drive.  In past years we were able to raise approximately $285,000-$295,000 but this year with fundraising burn out, unknown ACA costs and changes in donor giving we lost almost 500 donors and closed out at a historical low of $243,386. 

So what does that mean?  Well of course we will be cutting costs and looking for ways to save money internally, we (myself and 2 staff) will also look to take on more paying jobs in the community to supplement our wages so we use less donor dollars.  This also means that the agencies that we fund-17 this year-will also receive less funding.  If you don't use our services, or use the services of the agencies that we support, you might not see how this affects you or our community.  Be assured that we will be working hard to increase funding and local support for the continuation of local programs and our agencies.  We can't do this alone. 

Save the date for some upcoming events!

• Our donor thank you - June 11th- look for your invitation postcard in the mail
• Pending-SuperValu Steak Sale July 
• Walmart Stuff the Bus Saturday, August 9th 11am-3pm Volunteers Needed
• Project Backpack STUFFING August 14th 2pm-5pm at Salvation Army Volunteers Needed
• Project Backpack-August 15th 11am-1pm VanCitters Field Volunteers Needed
• Pending-Sept/Oct Lake Superior State University Hockey Spaghetti Dinner
• U.P. NonProfit Conference Oct 9th and 10th at NMU

Together we can be the difference.

Tracey Laitinen

Executive Director 

United Way of the Eastern Upper Peninsula

tracey@unitedwayeup.org 

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/UnitedWayEUP

Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/traceyordiway/helping-our-community-thrive/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/UnitedWayEUP

YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvTXHKYAQsfgUXsVb5uFmWA

May 11-17 of this year was AmeriCorps week. As part of this celebration, I was asked to write a blog post for Michigan Association of United Way's web site. I'd like to share it with you this month to give you an insight as to what it is I do, and why I feel it's so important. Please enjoy!

Like many of you, I've been taking some time to reflect on what my service means to me and the community that I serve. I'm an AmeriCorps Financial Empowerment Coach serving in the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I'm one of five other coaches in the state. That's a big deal. It means I get to beta-test this new program, I get to reach out to community members and get a feel for how well a program like this will be accepted into communities across our state. We were chosen to start promoting financial empowerment and the importance of a program like ours. It both honors and humbles me personally.

I've spent the past seven and a half months promoting my service in a three county radius. I've asked community organizations to refer their clients to me, I've attended events to talk directly with the people who might benefit from my service and I've sat down one-on-one with families to talk about starting a rainy day fund and making what little money they may have start working for them. It's been quite an experience. Those that I've worked with, and am currently working with, tend to start out by telling me they can't benefit from what I have to offer with my financial service. Once we start talking about the resources I am able to find for them and the ideas I have for their specific circumstance they seem to open up a bit more. People seem to go from that stand-offish feeling to one of gratitude and hope once they realize I'm not there to scold them about their spending habits.

 I think working with any individual or family, regardless of age or the program that you're serving in, it's important to remember we're all human, we're all unique and we all have feelings! I treat those that I serve with dignity and respect, in return I gain trust. With a service relationship based on these fundamental things, I am able to watch clients grow and learn as we work together to ease their financial difficulties. Success starts with a good foundation. By helping individuals and families succeed in becoming financially stable, I create a ripple effect into my community. All AmeriCorps service members have the ability to create this ripple in their own service area. It's an astonishing feeling to think of how far that ripple could go...one small thing that I do here in the E.U.P. has the potential to travel throughout the state of the Michigan, and beyond. 

As our pledge goes, as AmeriCorps service members, we 'bring Americans together to strengthen our communities', and we 'get things done'. When my service year comes to an end, and I'm off on a new adventure I know that I'll carry these things with me and continue to serve my community as best I can.

Here students Andrew Michalski, Dan Smith, Chris Jago, Brandon Beck, Justice Guilbault, Malcolm Brown, Nick Dangler, Trishann Eastman of Sault Area High School and Beth Schmidt.  Dan, Chris and Brandon were ACC t-shirt winners!

Students Explore their Future at ACC!

 

Malcolm High School -8 students were able to attend a college campus tour of Alpena Community College on Monday, April 28th. The tour started with Kewadin bussing picking up the students at Malcolm and continuing on to St. Ignace where we joined additional EUP students on the AirBear bus sponsored by EUP CAN DO IT.

 

"Parental support for furthering your education is not a high priority based on the feedback I have received from the student surveys in the United Way life-skills class. These students need to know that in order to make it in today's world, they need to learn additional skills or go to college after they graduate high school. This trip to ACC was imperative for showing them what opportunities they have and how a 2 year degree or certificate program can greatly change their lives." reported Tracey Laitinen, Director of United Way of the EUP.

Here students from all over the EUP pose with the Alpena Community College's landmark lumberjack.  EUP CAN DO IT was the conduit for organizing this regional bus tour.

 

The students were able to talk 1 on 1 with instructors thanks to Admissions Director, Mike Kollien. They visited Auto Service & Auto Body, Concrete Technology, Utility Technology, Marine Technology, Nursing and CAD/CAM Technology.

Here students review the job board in the Concrete Technology classroom.  There are jobs in every state and at all income ranges waiting for students who complete this 2-year degree at ACC.

 

In concrete technology alone there are 3 jobs waiting for every student that graduates the program. This year in the Gulf of Mexico, 300 marine technology graduates will be sought out to operate ROVs.

 

Here students review CAD/CAM and actually see how a design on the computer can cut out an actual chess piece on the machinery.

 

EUP CAN DO IT will be setting up another 3-college campus tour this fall and United Way of the EUP will partner to bring this opportunity to more at-risk youth. For more information visit EUP CAN DO IT at: http://www.micollegeaccess.org/directory/lcan/eup-can-do-it or United Way of the EUP at www.UnitedWayEUP.org.

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Did you know that we have a College Access Network right in our own backyard? 

 

To learn more about EUP CAN DO IT and our local statistics please visit:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/EUP-CAN-Do-It/171864139526089 on Facebook or http://www.micollegeaccess.org/directory/lcan/eup-can-do-it on the web.  Holly, the director, can answer any questions you may have.  EUP CAN DO IT wants to make sure that EVERY graduating Senior in the EUP knows that they need some type of additional education to be successful in today's workforce. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Lunchtime Learning

Last date is June 18th-RSVP oday!

V O L  N T E E R

MI Bridges Information 

For agencies and organizations looking to become a MI Bridges Navigation Partner, or those that need more of their staff trained, a request for training can be submitted by filling out the MI Bridges Training Request Form

For more information on the process of becoming a Navigation Partner, visit the  Becoming a MI Bridges Partner section of the  Michigan Benefits Access site.

• Repair/Replacement of windows, exteriors, doors, and roof.
• Air-sealing measures such as caulking or weatherstripping.
• Insulation of pipes, skirting, roof area/attic

Engadine 

When: Saturdays, 9:00am until Noon.

Newberry

When: Thurdsdays, 3:00 - 6:00pm

Pickford 

Les Cheneaux 

When: Wednesday 4:00 until 6:30 PM
Where: Crossroads of Sault Ste. Marie: Portage and Ashmun Streets. (Under the Twin Peaks, behind the Eagle's Nest).  

Have you used  www.UPVolunteer.org yet? This is a great resource for both volunteers and organizations.

Are you interested in volunteering? Browse opportunities throughout the Eastern Upper Peninsula. Create an account and you can express interest in opportunities with one click!

Do you have an organization that regularly uses volunteers? UPVolunteer.org lets you create and post volunteer opportunities, and will notify you whenever anyone is interested in helping out.

If you have a business and would like to start an employee volunteer program UPVolunteer.org can help you too! Register your business, answer a short questionnaire and your employees can access volunteer opportunities specifically recommended for your business.