United Way Back in Record Territory

They were certainly in a celebratory mood tonight at the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center and for good reason. Not only was the night peppered with children's art and compelling video storylines of people touched by the reach of the United Way of Southwest Michigan — a contingent of high school students took to the stage to reveal another record performance year for the agency to wild cheering and applause. 

The traditional annual fundraiser established a new high water mark tonight with revelation of the grand total of $3,859,785, a record for the non-profit organization representing Berrien & Cass Counties in Michigan's Great Southwest.

Tonight was outright owned by the incredible work of volunteers and the direct impact made possible through donors to the United Way. In fact, the very word "impact" was mentioned more than 30 times over the course of the evening. 

As United Way President Anna Murphy puts it, “It was a special evening that represented a very special year.” She tells us, “We are proud to have surpassed our goal, but what’s more important to us is the impact that this money will have on our communities." Murphy points out, "It was evident this evening that great impact was made in 2015, and we are grateful to all of donors, volunteers and community members who helped make this happen.”

The dynamic team leader for the crew at United Way of Southwest Michigan wasn’t exaggerating, either. More than 69,000 people across Berrien and Cass counties were served in 2015 through United Way. Essentially, that is nearly a third of the population of the two counties combined.

Volunteers racked up nearly 38,000 hours of service, a virtual value of more than $856,000 and the numbers only go on.

Honor Credit Union CEO Scott McFarland says, “2015 proved to be a year when many companies were inspired by the work of our funded partners and collective impact partnerships in the areas of Education, Income, Health and Basic Needs,” McFarland and Honor Credit Union’s Kaylee Williams were the 2015 United Way Campaign Chairs.

United Way backed up the numbers with touching success stories told through a series of four videos presented throughout the course of the evening, one each focusing on Education, Income, Health and Basic Needs.

One video featured 103-year-old Lattie Parker, a client at Harbor House Adult Day Services, a program of Child & Family Services of Southwestern Michigan, Inc. Parker was a special guest at the event, receiving a rousing ovation when she was recognized.

The campaign year 2015 also saw a significant increase in United Way’s school campaigns.  Eighteen districts each ran individual campaigns, contributing to a 14-percent increase from 2014, the first increase in more than 5 years.

CEO Murphy told the crowd tonight, “The companies and individuals who partner with United Way deserve so much credit.” She says, “It shows the commitment and care that they have for their community.”

Here is a list of the award winners presented tonight:
 

For more information on United Way or for information about running a campaign, visit www.uwsm.org.  You can also text “UWSM” to 51-555 to receive the 2015 Community Impact Totals, or visit www.uwsm.org/by-the-numbers.