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United Way
United Way of Southwest Michigan
Issue: 4
April 2016
photo courtesy of Ron DeKett
IN THIS ISSUE...
Thank you to our
Annual Celebration Sponsors!



We welcome Ann Cardon, Superintendent of St. Joseph Public Schools, as the 2016 Campaign Chair.  For United Way campaign updates, visit:
www.uwsm.org/campaign-update
IT'S NOT TOO LATE:
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2016 GIRLS ON THE RUN 5K
Registration is Open!!

The GIRLS ON THE RUN 5k is one of the largest 5ks in all of Berrien County.  Registration to run and volunteer is open now!  

Sign up HERE and join us on Thursday, May 19th at 6:00 pm.   
GIRLS ON THE RUN: Your Change Can Make a Difference

Did you catch WNDU's and WSBT's coverage of GIRLS ON THE RUN?  Check it out here to learn more about the GOTR Shoe Fund!




A Reason To Celebrate
Employees at both Harbor House Adult Day Services and United Way of Southwest Michigan take a photo with 103-year-old Lattie C. Parker, a special guest at the Annual Celebration and client at Harbor House.

March 24th was a celebration day for United Way of Southwest Michigan. A t Lake Michigan College Mendel Center, a new record achieved in the Annual Campaign was revealed by outstanding local high school students. We are blessed to live in such an amazing community that truly represents how to LIVE UNITED. With the great combined efforts of so many local individuals and businesses, we are pleased to announce that in 2015 we not only met our goal, but we surpassed it. With the help of eight amazing local students we announced our final attainment of $3,859,785. 

In 2015 we were able to increase our total attainment by nearly 3% over dollars raised in 2014. This shows that as a community, we truly realize the importance of changing the lives of our friends and neighbors in need. If you would like to see the impact that your dollars are helping to make in the community, please visit www.uwsm.org or text UWSM to 51555.

We are looking forward to working with all of our amazing companies and donors during the 2016 Campaign year. We have many exciting and impactful things planned for 2016, and hope to be able to once again prove that we are part of an incredible community that knows what it means to LIVE UNITED.

On behalf of all of us at United Way of Southwest Michigan, thank you for your continued support of those in need in Berrien and Cass Counties. 
 
Read more about the Annual Celebration in the articles from The Herald Palladium and Moody on the Market.

Visit our Facebook Page to see all the pictures from the Celebration. 
UWSM Welcomes Our Slate of Directors

United Way of Southwest Michigan hopes to make this another amazing year and we are excited to welcome our Slate of Directors: Ann Cardon (St. Joseph Public Schools), Ontaygo Johnson (Kinexus), Sam Partin (AEP, D.C. Cook Nuclear Plant), Dr. Jennifer Spielvogel (Lake Michigan College), Mike Wells (Walsworth Publishing), and Michael Caldwell (Leader Publications).  GREAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN 2016!

Congratulations to the 2015 Award Winners!


The 2015 Annual Celebration Award Winners are truly a special group of companies and individuals. Every year it is extremely hard to choose a few winners out of so many dedicated and enthusiastic donors. To learn more about the 2015 Award Winners and what it takes to qualify your company as an award winner for the upcoming 2016 Campaign year, please visit our website at www.uwsm.org or contact our office at 269-982-1700.

For the list of award winners, click HERE.
SUCCESS STORY: "Antonio's Story" - Boys and Girls Club of Benton Harbor
Antonio's Story - Boys and Girls Club of Benton Harbor
Antonio's Story - Boys and Girls Club of Benton Harbor
Antonio's life took a hard turn when his mother left his life when he was 6.  He began failing school and fell in with the wrong crowd.  But a classmate told him about Project Learn at the Boys and Girls Club of Benton Harbor.  He credits United Way-funded tutors with helping him bring his grades up and earning a regular place on the Benton Harbor High School honor roll.  

To see more success stories, visit www.uwsm.org/videos
BUSINESS OF THE MONTH: Gast Manufacturing
To the employees at Gast Manufacturing, the term 'giving back' is a company-wide call to action. From the manufacturing floor to the front office, they tout 'service before self' as one of the company's core values. Gast employees have gone above and beyond to improve lives in Berrien and Cass counties through giving, advocating and volunteering with the United Way of Southwest Michigan; mobilizing the caring power of their company, to change lives. 

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