United Way is committed to the future of our community through funding agencies and programs that focus on helping our children and youth succeed. From infancy through learning about the economics of life, United Way is there for our children.
- United Way is partnering with the Michigan Prisoner Re-entry Initiative to launch a pilot program that connects mentors with children of prisoners to give them stability during a difficult time.
- United Way provided start-up funding for the now Partner Agency program, Nurse Family Partnership, a program to address infant mortality and child abuse. When the program began six years ago, Berrien County was ranked one of the worst in Michigan for infant mortality. Berrien County now falls below the state average of 8.1 percent with a 7.3 percent infant mortality rate.
- We are leading the way to bolster the 40 Developmental Assets Program in our community.
- Over the last several years, Community Investment Grants provided crucial funding for Junior Achievement of Michiana to bring life-long financial literacy skills for children in Sodus, Buchanan, Galien, Bridgman, Three Oaks, New Buffalo, Coloma, and Watervliet.
- When the Boys & Girls Club of Benton Harbor had an opportunity to secure funds for a life-skills program, they looked to the United Way for guidance. We worked with Boys & Girls Club staff members to help develop a program and present it to an outside funding source for review.
- An original investment of $138,000 for BCISD Early Childhood Development returned over $1.7 million in grants. In 2006, we awarded a multi-year grant to continue early childhood development. These two grants resulted in a total return of more than $2 million.
