Tax season is just around the corner. Volunteer to prepare taxes and help low-income families gain additional income by claiming important tax credits. Training is provided. Volunteer today!

Labels: Financial Stability, monthly enewsletter, Volunteering

Most people give to United Way because they're asked, especially when the ask comes from a friend or relative. Ask your friends and family to Live United by creating an online fundraiser.

Labels: fundraising, monthly enewsletter

Support our high school turnaround efforts. Advocate for policy changes that can turn around our poor performing schools and make us competitive for federal funding. Write a letter today.

Labels: advocate, Educational_Preparedness, monthly enewsletter

Leadership Next has partnered with Gleaners Community Food Bank to provide an impactful morning of volunteering for individuals on Nov. 14. Volunteers will be packing food boxes to be distributed to local food pantries.

Saturday, November 14
8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Gleaners: Joan & Wayne Webber Distribution Center
24162 Mound Rd. (located behind the Salvation Army Warren Service Center)
Warren, MI 48091

RSVP here. Please reply promptly so that we can ensure meaningful work awaits all of our volunteers! Participants should wear jeans and closed toe shoes.

Labels: leadership_next, monthly enewsletter, Volunteering

This column profiles a campaign that gets results while utilizing innovative strategies. We hope that by hearing from your peers, you gain some fresh ideas to use in your own campaign. If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Best Practices profile, contact your United Way liaison.

This month, our conversation is with Patricia Sonntag, coordinator of H.R. and Performance Improvement at Edw. C. Levy Co. In 2009, 1,100 employees pledged over $240,000. Five locations had 100 percent participation.

Why United Way? Levy’s mission statement challenges its employees to: “Repay the communities that support us by operating safe and environmentally sound business while sharing our success with worthy charitable causes.” There are many charitable causes that the Levy organization supports throughout the year, but United Way is special. The organization has a reputation of making the best use of the monies donated, our employees can choose where they want their contributions to go, and it is a national organization, which means all Levy locations, in 10 states, can participate. For these reasons, and many others, Levy has been supporting United Way for more than 40 years.

Do you set a goal for your United Way campaign? In years past, we have set goals to increase donations by a certain percent. However, this year our chief operating officer sent a letter to employees emphasizing the poor economy and that our friends, neighbors and families are in need. We believe it's up to us to help one another and that's why our current goal is 100 percent participation.

What campaign events do you conduct? Each year, Levy kicks off their UW campaign with a continental breakfast meeting. This year and in past years, our United Way representative graciously offers his time to come and speak to the group about United Way's work in the community. These visits truly inspire our managers and site representatives, giving them a real understanding as to where the dollars are being used. They are better equpped to return to their sites and approach each of their employees to ask for their support.

What vehicles do you use to communicate about the campaign to your workforce? Posters are displayed at all of our locations a week before the campaign to inform employees. As an added incentive, some of our locations hold raffles. For each $25 pledged, an employee receives one raffle ticket. At the end of the campaign, names are drawn for prizes.

What campaign challenges does your organization face and how do you overcome them? One of the challenges we face each year has been seasonal lay-offs. This year, we moved our campaign up earlier in the year as a way to reach employees who have not been able to participate in the past because of the lay-offs.

Labels: fundraising, monthly enewsletter

If you like to dance, laugh, make a spectacle of yourself in public or, preferably, all three - we need you! United Way will be hosting a Thanksgiving morning flash mob again this year in downtown Detroit. It's a great way to start your holiday and we'll have you home in time for lunch.

If you are interested, email Ursula Adams at ursula.adams@LiveUnitedSEM.org or drop her a message on Facebook to get the details. In the meantime, check out the footage from last year's Thanksgiving Day flash mob on YouTube.

On October 18, more than 19,000 runners participated in the 32nd annual Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon. Among those runners, nearly 30 demonstrated the Live United spirit by running on behalf of United Way. In addition, another 35 volunteers supplied plenty of spirit at cheer stations along the route.

For the first year United Way was a charity partner in the marathon, allowing individuals and teams to run and fundraise on our behalf. As our runners trained hard for the half marathon, full marathon or 5K events, they also worked to raise over $1,600 to support our work in education, income and basic needs.

Photos from the day can be found here. We are already planning next year’s marathon festivities. It’s never too early to start training. If you’d like to Live United at the 2010 Detroit marathon on October 17, click here and sign up!

Labels: fundraising, monthly enewsletter, Volunteering

Hundreds of high school freshmen in Detroit and Warren are entering a more supportive learning environment this academic year with the help of United Way. These environments include nine "small schools" and three learning communities, launched as part of the first round of investments made by The Greater Detroit Education Venture Fund.

The Greater Detroit Education Venture Fund was created by United Way to turn around our region's 30 schools with dropout rates of 40 percent or more. With the help of United Way, participating schools will attain an 80 percent graduation rate within five years. The Fund provides support to schools who are approved partners and includes funding from AT&T, Ford Motor Company Fund, the Skillman Foundation, and United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

United Way's turnaround efforts are based on a proven model that has had success in other communities. The model centers on three components critical to creating high performing schools in high poverty areas:

• Changing conditions within the schools so that administrators have control over their staff, students, and budget.
• Providing a network of schools locally and nationally who are committed to the work and share best practices for success.
• Increasing capacity of schools by bringing in an intermediary with turnaround experience to support the school and ensure it succeeds.

The launch of the small schools and learning communities is a step that changes conditions within the school environment to provide increased attention per student. In a typical school, many students may feel lost in the crowd and without a watchful eye, may falter. In the turnaround model, the smaller schools allow at least one teacher to mentor and advocate for each student for the duration of his or her high school career, increasing the student's chances for success. In addition, the schools employ hands-on, project- and inquiry-based instruction which helps students develop deeper critical thinking skills and apply their knowledge to the real world.

The new small schools in Detroit are:

• Academy of Critical Thinkers at Cody High School
• Detroit Institute of Technology at Cody High School
• Academy of Medicine and Community Health at Cody High School
• Academy of Public Leadership at Cody High School
• Osborn Evergreen Academy of Design & Technology Academy
• Osborn University of Science, Mathematics, & Technology Academy
• Osborn College Preparatory Academy

In Warren, Van Dyke Public Schools are offering smaller learning environments through three learning communities. Lincoln High School is now made up of three small learning communities which consist of:

• Design and Technology
• Sports Medicine
• Performing Arts

Each of these schools or communities has a dedicated principal who leads and guides the educational process within the individual school and is accountable for making sure students achieve. With passionate principals and faculty at the helm, there is a renewed commitment among the schools to this new personalized and rigorous learning environment that has proven so effective in other cities.

If you're interested in learning more about K-12 education reform and the success it's had in other cities, please join United Way and others on Nov. 2 for a screening of The Providence Effect, a movie that tells the amazing story of an inner-city school in Chicago. You can attend a preview and discussion from 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m., or attend the movie screening at 7 p.m.

Labels: Educational_Preparedness

Click here for part one of the Digital meet 'n' greet

Since I'll be the one taking you on this digital meet 'n' greet tour of United Way, maybe I should tell you a little about me first. My name is Ursula Adams and I'm the United Way for Southeastern Michigan webmaster. You can call me the Digital Diva.

On a personal note, I'm a 30-something, Gen X'er, wife, daughter, step-mom, homebody, computer geek, closet goddess, and wanna-be rock star (I can't sing to save my life, I just want the fancy clothes). My husband, Bryan, is a laid-off steel worker. My step-daughter is a student in one of our Turnaround schools. The work of United Way affects me very personally. I need this region to grow and prosper, I need our schools to graduate strong, prepared students, because my family'slivelihood depends on it every bit as much as yours does.

Click here to continue reading.

Labels: DigitalMeetNGreet, Employee Voices, Ursula_Adams

In my role as webmaster at United Way, I review every piece of electronic communication that comes to us via the website. If you fill out one of our contact forms, or make a donation, or comment on a blog post, or sign up for a newsletter or send a letter to your Senator using our online tools, I see it.

I monitor all the conversations that are taking place on the web about our organization as well. If there's a blog post, or comment on a news story, or a Tweet about United Way, chances are, I see that too.

It's one of my favorite, and least favorite, parts of my job.

It's my favorite because, admittedly, I'm nosey. I just like knowing what's going on. But, more than that, I love connecting with those that care enough about the work this organization and its volunteers are doing to drop us an email or make a donation or write about their experience with us online. I believe in the good work of United Way and I like to meet like-minded folks.

But then there are the neigh sayers and they make this part of my job so very unpleasant.

Click here to read more.

Labels: DigitalMeetNGreet, Employee Voices, Ursula_Adams

There's a great study that was released this week by the University of California, Berkley and covered by the New York Times, Hispanic Immigrants' Children Fall Behind Peer Early, Study Finds.

What researchers discovered is that while Hispanic children are born healthy and on par with other American children, by age 2 they fall behind - and stay behind academically. What makes this so? Poverty is, of course, a factor. Another is that Hispanic mothers tend to have less formal schooling.

Click here to continue reading.

Labels: Annemarie_Harris, Educational_Preparedness, Employee Voices

All the bleak news coming out of the state Capitol only heightens the role of Michigan-based private and community foundations, which — while facing their own financial challenges — are rethinking their strategies for rebuilding lives and communities.

A big part of their efforts is directed at public schools.

The United Way of Southeastern Michigan has totally re-invented itself to focus on core priorities, including schools. It and the Skillman Foundation are key partners in an effort to turn large “drop-out factories” into smaller high schools where students are cared about and teachers are supported and held accountable.

Click here to read the whole story.

Labels: Educational_Preparedness

Do you run your work place's United Way campaign? If so, you are invited to join seasoned Employee Campaign Coordinators and Senior Development Officers from United Way for a series of lunchtime webinars focusing on the annual work place campaign and beyond.

Running a United Way campaign in a tough economy
Wednesday, October 28, 2009 | 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. EST

This webinar will focus on the challenges and opportunities of running a United Way work place campaign in today's tough economy. This webinar will last approximately 1/2 hour with an additional 30 minutes allotted at the end for group discussion and Q & A.

Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/722311161


Taking your United Way campaign to the next level
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 | 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. EST

Learn about the best practices that will move your United Way work place campaign from average to AWESOME! This webinar will last approximately 1/2 hour with an additional 30 minutes allotted at the end for group discussion and Q & A.

Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/669274952


Year-round employee engagement
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 | 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. EST

Learn how to connect your employees with United Way year-round through volunteerism, advocacy and other special opportunities. This webinar will last approximately 1/2 hour with an additional 30 minutes allotted at the end for group discussion and Q & A.

Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/819104873

Labels: Annual Campaign

I was watching that show Intervention last night, which shows real drug addicts whose families have reached the end of their rope. They call on an intervention specialist to help them with the tough task of convincing the addict to check into a treatment facility. I usually don’t watch those real heavy shows, but this time I got sucked in.

Charlie - a rather young guy probably in his 20’s - was homeless and heavily addicted to heroin. Like many homeless addicts, he would spend every day begging enough money to feed his addiction. What was interesting was that the viewer got to see the back-story of this common act. His family was pretty normal and cared deeply about him. They lived in a nice suburban home where one would expect that everything under that roof was all clean and together. As much as they loved Charlie and hoped he would seek help, they had handed him over to the consequences of his own addiction, which meant allowing him to be homeless and reap what he was sowing for himself.

Click here to continue reading.

Labels: 2-1-1, 211onthego, basic needs, John_Azoni