These two issues for EDUCATION are community conditions that United Way of Southwest Michigan has chosen to address, based on expert and public knowledge. Click to view more about our 2022-2025 Agenda for Change and the other six issues.
ISSUE: EARLY EDUCATION & LITERACY
INDIVIDUALS IMPACTED: 13,640
THE NEED:
59.7% of 3rd graders are not meeting reading proficiency
CHANGE LIVES OUTPUTS & OUTCOMES:
212 children participated in home visiting programs
1,851 children participated in out-of-school/in-school programming and/or supports
61 children participated in quality childcare and/or preschool programs
11,082 children had access to books
480 parents and/or caregivers received parenting education
73.4% of children served increased their reading level
93.1% of children served showed progress toward or achieved developmental milestones
94.3% of parents and/or caregivers served increased their knowledge of their children’s development
ORGANIZATIONS:
This type of investment includes programs that will lead to change in individuals.
BERRIEN COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT – NURSE FAMILY PARTNERSHIP
BERRIEN COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT – TRIPLE P (POSITIVE PARENTING PROGRAM)
BERRIEN RESA – PARENTS AS TEACHERS
BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF BENTON HARBOR – A TUTORING CORPS FOR GREAT FUTURES
CAMP FIRE RIVER BEND, INC. – CAMP FIRE AFTER SCHOOL
GREAT START COLLABORATIVE OF BERRIEN COUNTY - SUMMER LITERACY PROGRAM
HERITAGE SOUTHWEST INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT – PARENTS AS TEACHERS
LOGAN COMMUNITY RESOURCES, INC. – FAMILY SUPPORT FOR AUTISM THERAPY
REGION IV AREA AGENCY ON AGING – FOSTER GRANDPARENTS PROGRAM
THE SALVATION ARMY, NILES CORPS – FEEDING HIS SHEEP
UNITED WAY OF SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN – DOLLY PARTON’S IMAGINATION LIBRARY
UNITED WAY OF SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN - SCHOOL SUPPLY SPECTACULAR
YMCA OF GREATER MICHIANA – SUMMER MY WAY
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
Great Start Collaborative of Berrien County
United Way of Southwest Michigan
ADVOCACY OPPORTUNITIES:
Advocacy Success! – Great Start Readiness Program Expanded Funding
Voter Engagement
Become a UWSM Advocate
ISSUE: POST-SECONDARY SUCCESS
INDIVIDUALS IMPACTED: 1,217
THE NEED:
The high school graduation rate is 80.6%
25.4% of the population has an associates degree or higher
CHANGE LIVES OUTPUTS & OUTCOMES:
139 students participated in career & technical education
204 students participated in mentoring/tutoring programs
530 students served overcame obstacles
75.3% of students served were working toward post-secondary education or credentials
93.7% of students served developed soft skills
18.9% of students served gained post-secondary education or credentials
100% of students served graduated high school on time
ORGANIZATIONS:
This type of investment includes programs that will lead to change in individuals.
BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS SOUTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN REGION – THE LOWER WEST MICHIGAN YOUTH MENTORING PROGRAM
KINEXUS GROUP – YOUTHBUILD
LAKE MICHIGAN COLLEGE – START TO FINISH
SOUTHWESTERN MICHIGAN COLLEGE – MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING FOR SUCCESS
UNITED WAY OF SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN - SCHOOL SUPPLY SPECTACULAR
YOUTH SOLUTIONS – JOBS FOR MICHIGAN’S GRADUATES & YOUTH SOLUTIONS DIGITAL
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
Big Brothers Big Sisters Southern Lake Michigan Region
Kinexus Group
ADVOCACY OPPORTUNITIES:
Career & Technical Education
Michigan Reconnect
College Access Advocacy Day (April)
Voter Engagement
Become a UWSM Advocate
Success Story Snapshot
Volunteers of School Supply Spectacular
THE STOKES FAMILY is as much of a fixture at Cass County’s annual School Supply Spectacular as the backpacks that are given away. Each August, you can count on Dowagiac resident Keaka Stokes, 40, and her four children—Jason, 21; Jacob, 19; Joshua, 17; and Kayden, 15—to put in days of hard work in the hot sun making sure as many as a thousand kids in need, from kindergarten through 12th grade, get a backpack filled with grade-appropriate school supplies to start the academic year.
The Stokes Family has been doing this for so long that they don’t remember how long—and neither does anyone at United Way of Southwest Michigan, which has been coordinating the event for more than a decade.
All that staff, volunteers, and beneficiaries remember is watching the Stokes kids grow up over the years—taller in stature, of course, and also in character, thanks to a mom committed to instilling values of service in them.
What most people don’t know about the Stokes is that they’ve been on the receiving end of help too—and their journey of healing is what inspires them to tend to others.
To read the full success story, click HERE
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DOLLY PARTON IMAGINATION LIBRARY
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library brings books to children's homes. From birth until they turn five years old, children enrolled in the program will receive a new, age-appropriate book mailed to their home each month. By the time they enter kindergarten, children will have their own library of books and be more prepared to enter school and become readers.
For more information, or to sponsor a child, CLICK HERE.