To SUMMIT up

Day of Caring & Campaign Kickoff Breakfast

United Way Blackhawk Region kicked off its annual community campaign at an event a week ago - on Wednesday, September 13 at the Eclipse Center in Beloit. The breakfast was attended by hundreds of United Way supporters, corporate partners, and Day of Caring volunteers.

At the breakfast event, United Way unveiled its next “GIVE & WIN” Sweepstakes including the top prize, a 2023 Chevrolet Trailblazer, sponsored by an anonymous corporate partner. Playing on a theme, blazing a trail to build a stronger community served as United Way’s resounding call to action.

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Day of Caring

United Way’s Day of Caring is held every year in conjunction with the Campaign Kickoff. It is a day of action that mobilizes volunteer teams to complete service projects at local schools, parks, and nonprofit agencies.

Mike Stormes, Volunteer Coordinator for Day of Caring and a loaned executive from Mulehide Products (pictured) touted another successful year of community engagement, including:

575 volunteers assigned to work on
53 community service projects at
34 nonprofit and community organizations
more than 2,000 hours of in-kind labor

Check out United Way Blackhawk Region's Facebook page to see before and after photos of Day of Caring projects and so many hard-working teams.

Thank you to Mike Stormes, Team Leads, and Project Hosts, for your collaboration.

#Trailblazers

Project Hosts

United Way extends our appreciation to the nonprofits or community organizations that hosted Day of Caring projects. It's a big job to take on, even with the obvious benefits. Your careful preparation makes Day of Caring a high point of the year.

Beloit Historical Society

Beloit Meals On Wheels, Inc.

City of Beloit - Grinnell Hall Senior Center

City of Janesville

Community Action, Inc.

Cunningham Success Center

Downtown Janesville, Inc.

ECHO

Edgerton Community Outreach Inc

Edgerton teen center

Family Promise of Greater Beloit

Family Services of S. WI & N. IL, Inc.

Friends of RiverFront

GIFTS Men Shelter

HealthNet of Rock County

Humane Society of Southern Wisconsin

Janesville Community Center

Janesville Community Day Care Center Inc.

Janesville Early Literacy Program/ SDJ

Project 16:49

Rock County Historical Society

Rock County Parks Department

Rotary Botanical Gardens

RSVP of Rock Co.

Salvation Army - Rock County

St. John Vianney Parish

St. John's Lutheran Church

Stateline Boys & Girls Clubs

Stateline Family YMCA Sports Complex

United Way Blackhawk Region

Visit Beloit

Wed. Morning Optimists Club of Janesville

Corporate Volunteer Teams

Day of Caring is made possible by the generosity of our sponsors, as well as the companies that afford their employees the time and opportunity to volunteer. Thank you, partners!

ABC Supply Co. inc

American Construction Metals

Angus-Young Associates

Baker Tilly

Beloit Health System

Blackhawk Bank

Blackhawk Community Credit Union

City of Janesville

Data Dimensions

Ecolab

Evonik

Fairbanks Morse Defense

Festival Foods

First National Bank & Trust Co.

Forward Janesville, Inc.

Frito-Lay

Ignatek LLC

IPM Foods

Johnson Financial Group

Kerry

Mule-Hide Products

Regal Rexnord

Rock County

SENB Bank

Stateline Family YMCA

SSI Technologies

Tricor Insurance

Valmet

Lean on Me

Greg Winkler, LCSW, works at Rock County Human Services as a Deputy Director. He has worked in the social work field in Rock County for most of the last 30 years and graciously shared his musical talent at Wednesday's Day of Caring and Campaign Kickoff Breakfast.

Greg led the audience in a campsite rendition sing-along to "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers, a classic that conveys what it truly means to LIVE UNITED.

Community Campaign

United Way recently hosted three training sessions with dedicated Employee Campaign Coordinators (ECC) at locations in Beloit and Janesville. If you missed it, don't worry. We can bring you up to speed to ensure a successful workplace campaign. Connect with Director of Corporate Campaigns Erin Davis, to get started.

Born Learning Trails

Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and municipal partners, United Way has installed six Born Learning Trails across the Blackhawk Region. Born Learning Trails help parents, caregivers and communities create quality early learning opportunities for young children.

A born learning trail contains 10 colorful and interactive signs with activities for adults to engage in with young children to turn an outdoor trip into a fun learning experience. Trail signs encourage parents and caregivers to follow the child’s lead, building the child’s curiosity and confidence, and reinforcing the learning already under way.

SEE Born Learning Trails

Day of Caring Teams Enhance Trail at Bond Park

The Born Learning Trail, sponsored by Alliant Energy, at Janesville's Bond Park was installed during the COVID-19 crisis. Volunteer availability was sparse, and the amount of painting that could be accomplished was limited to social distancing. Led by United Way Board Member Kelly Bedessem, Day of Caring teams from Angus-Young, Blackhawk Community Credit Union, and the City of Janesville, added brand-new and creative artwork to enhance the existing trail. Great work, all!

ABC Supply Refreshes Trail at Riverside Park

Earlier this month, one of United Way's generous Born Learning Trail sponsors, ABC Supply Co. inc., sent a team of volunteers to repaint the artwork on the trail at Beloit's Riverside Park to keep it looking bright and brilliant for our community's littlest learners. Thank you, ABC Supply team members, as well as our partners at the City of Beloit, for your continued support!

Suicide Awareness Month

September is national Suicide Awareness month. We can all #BeThe1To play a role in suicide prevention. Here are some resources to help get the conversation started:

Click here to read the five action steps for communicating with someone who may be suicidal.
Check out UW-Extension's Suicide Prevention Month Messaging Toolkit.
Remember that help is available by calling or texting 988 to connect with trained counselors who can provide support, resources, and intervention.

Remember, you don't have to face it alone.

UWBR In the News

CASA of Rock County (pictured) receives $160,000 grant from United Way Blackhawk Region. “We are immensely grateful to United Way Blackhawk Region and all of their community donors for this generous grant. The funds provided are vital to our mission and will enable us to serve the children in our community who are in need of support and advocacy,” said Sandy Johnson, executive director of CASA of Rock County. “The support and dedication of United Way helps us make a positive impact on the lives of these vulnerable children.”

SEE United Way in the News

See ALL Funded Partners

Marketing Sponsors

Thank you to our annual Marketing Sponsors for underwriting the cost of promotional efforts. We appreciate your help to deliver United Way's message so donor dollars can be invested in programs and services that make our communities stronger.

Annual Report

Highlights include a message from our Board chair, community investments, Leadership Circle donors, and campaign award winners.

Accountability

United Way Blackhawk Region (UWBR) fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. For another consecutive year, our sound fiscal management practices, commitment to accountability and transparency have earned UWBR top ratings from the nation's largest charity evaluators. UWBR adheres to standards set forth by United Way Worldwide and remains a member in good standing.