Help is just three numbers away! Join us in celebrating National 211 Day!
Partnerships between 911, 988 (The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), and 211 ensure that no matter where you call or what you may need, help is just a three-digit dial away. These organizations work side-by-side to ensure whole-person care when someone is in crisis. 

211 is a vital service leveraged by thousands of neighbors across the Lakeshore. Every day, our friends and neighbors contact 211 to access free and confidential crisis and emergency counseling, disaster assistance, food, health care and insurance assistance, stable housing and utilities assistance, employment services, veteran services, and childcare and family services.
Announcing our 2023 Appreciation Card Student Art Contest
Calling all artists! United Way of the Lakeshore is looking for a beautiful design for our 2023 donor and volunteer appreciation cards, and we want to feature art from a local student! The deadline for submissions is 5 pm on Wednesday, March 1. The winning artwork will be featured on our 2023 donor and volunteer appreciation cards and the artist will receive a special United Way Swag Bag!
 
The rules:
  • Students in grades PreK-12 at any public or private school in Muskegon, Newaygo, and Oceana are invited to participate.
  • Artwork should reflect the theme “Better Together” – as we are Better Together when we come together to support our community.
  • All submissions should be submitted as a high-quality image (JPG, PNG, or PDF) of the original art. Please do not mail any original artwork.
  • Submissions should be emailed to J.J. Lewis, Chief Development Officer, at james@unitedwaylakeshore.org no later than 5 pm on Wednesday, March 1.
  • Three (3) winners will be selected, one (1) per county.
  • Be creative! Have fun!
Panelist Announcement for Coffee & Conversation!
Housing is a hot issue in our community. Listen to, and ask questions of, experts on current housing conditions, existing programs, and future development of affordable/accessible housing in Muskegon, Newaygo, and Oceana counties. 

Introducing the expert housing panel for the February 22 Coffee & Conversation event: 

  • Kimberly Leavell, Executive Director, Community enCompass - Community enCompass is the merger of two organizations—Bethany Housing Ministries and Sacred Suds. Under a common vision to make a restorative, transformative impact in McLaughlin Neighborhood, these two organizations came together in March of 2008.
  • Miranda Paggeot, Housing & Homelessness Network Coordinator, Muskegon Continuum of Care (no photo available) - Miranda has worked the past eight years in grant management and execution of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Her career of overseeing the Homeless Management Information System has taken her to work in multiple states. Just this year she left Ocala, Florida to serve as the Housing & Homelessness Network Coordinator in Muskegon.
  • Lisa Reinecke, Housing Data, Grant Compliance & Training Manager, TrueNorth Community Services - Lisa has worked in housing and homeless services for over a decade. During that time she served as a case manager working with individuals directly. In the past three years, Lisa has used her skills in management to oversee many housing grants through TrueNorth Community Services and supervises several staff working in housing programs in Lake, Mason, Newaygo and Oceana Counties.
  • Kittie Tuinstra, Executive Director, Dogwood Community Development - Kittie has worked with Dogwood Community Development for nearly 17 years providing direct housing services to area individuals and families along with attainable housing development in the West Michigan Region.
We’re Hiring! United Way of the Lakeshore is seeking a Regional Childcare Planning Coordinator!
United Way of the Lakeshore is seeking a Regional Childcare Planning Coordinator to represent Lake, Mason, Muskegon, Oceana, and Newaygo counties to organize and respond to childcare challenges in our communities. Adequate childcare capacity in Michigan is essential for economic development and offers safe spaces for children while parents work, giving businesses access to a labor pool that would otherwise be unavailable. 

Working with our Childcare Development Coordinator and the Childcare Action Team, the Regional Childcare Planning Coordinator is responsible to help our region organize and respond to challenges related to the access, affordability, and quality of childcare. To accomplish this goal, the coordinator will build a robust regional coalition and understand the capacity and quality of the current childcare system, parents' childcare preferences, and the business community's needs. The coordinator will help determine the barriers to increasing access, affordability, and quality along with the policy, funding, and programs that can be used to overcome these barriers. To be successful in this role, the candidate must take initiative, have strong attention to detail, work independently, demonstrate leadership, and embody United Way’s core values.
Case Managers & Star Behavioral Health Providers - FREE Online Behavioral Health Trainings - Registration Now Open
The Center for Deployment Psychology offers a series of workshops for learning to work with military-connected clients through the Star Behavioral Health Providers (SBHP) Program. This unique program is designed to create a provider registry of civilian behavioral health professionals who are trained in military culture and evidenced-based treatments to assist individuals with behavioral health concerns, particularly those serving in the Army and Air National Guard as well as veterans. We encourage licensed behavioral health providers to attend Tier One training and join the registry and earn CEs at no cost. Providers can then attend Tiers Two, Three, and Sustainment classes, and earn CEs at no cost. Space permitting, we welcome other helping professionals to attend Tier One training.
Our 2022-23 Community Campaign is underway and our companies are boosting employee morale by having fun and raising money to support the community where they live, work, and play! As of today, we have reached 82% of our goal! A big thanks to our partners who are currently running their Workplace Campaign and to all those who have supported our 2022-23 Community Campaign! 
 
Interested in boosting employee morale while supporting your community? There is still time to host a Workplace Campaign or contribute as part of our 2022-23 Community Campaign, which has a goal of raising $2.2 million to support our neighbors in need across the Lakeshore! Contact J.J. Lewis at (231) 332-4007 or james@unitedwaylakeshore.org to learn more!
Telephone Reassurance Volunteer with 211! CALL 211 understands the importance of staying connected. For seniors, social isolation and loneliness have been linked to both physical and emotional decline. That’s why we’ve developed our Telephone Reassurance program. Our specially trained staff and volunteers can enrich your or a loved one’s life with a regularly scheduled phone call for a wellness check or just to hear about your day. The program is free and available to anyone homebound, age 60+. Volunteers are needed to help make these calls on a weekly basis!
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA) gives taxpayers a significant return of their annual income. In 2018, nearly 50% of VITA clients earned less than $15,000 a year. According to the IRS, last year’s average tax return was just over $2,000. What does that mean? For clients earning $15,000 or less, that’s nearly 14% of their income back in their bank accounts.
When you check off the “United Way Fund” on your Michigan State Income Tax Form, you’re ensuring that families in your community have access to a better education, become healthier and stay financially stable, AND that your community receives 100% of every dollar that is donated through the Tax Check Off. Use the “Voluntary Contributions Schedule” – Form 4642 – to make your donation before April 15!
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United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. We have one life. To live better, we must LIVE UNITED®.