ECUW kicks off Make Change for Change and the Annual Trivia Night


Eaton County United Way (ECUW) is hosting the 3rd Annual Trivia Night fundraiser on Thursday May 23. Trivia night will be taking place at the Eaton Resource Service Agency in Charlotte at 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The proceeds go to the community impact fund. The community impact fund helps provide different financial support for local agencies in Eaton County.

Trivia Night fundraiser is a fun and entertaining event will feature teams of eight players competing for “Best of Best” in trivia hosted by emcee and Trivia Moderator Jason Vanderstelt of Tunes Are Us. ECUW will also be holding a silent auction, a 50/50 Raffle, and bonus rounds will be part of the program. Top three winning teams will receive a grand prize. This year’s team theme is television shows. Each team dress and portray their favorite popular television program and decorate their team table.

“I’m excited to participate in the fundraiser; I’m excited to represent my organization from Olivet College. Trivia Night is a fun way to raise money and come together with other local organizations,” said Branden Dyer ECUW board member for ECUW, participating in this year’s trivia night.

Entry fee for each team of eight players is $240 (or $30 per player). The event will have a maximum of 16 teams. To register your team, contact the Eaton County United Way office at (517) 543-5402.

Make a Change By Giving Change Fundraiser:
The Make a Change by Giving Change fundraiser kicks off this weekend. The fundraiser exclusively involves Eaton County’s dining establishments. The participating restaurants ask patrons to donate a tip or extra change for donations to the Eaton County United Way’s (ECUW) community impact fund.

The establishment that raises the most money will be recognized by the ECUW and given an award acknowledging their participation and efforts. Promotional flyers will be posted a week prior to the campaign the event will also be featured through the local newspapers and will be posted and broadcast to different social media outlets, Facebook, Twitter and our ECUW website. This campaign will also spotlight participating restaurants and give them a media attention. For more information about the Make a Change by Giving Change fundraiser contact the ECUW office at 517-543-5402.

Sarah K. Smith is the Communications Associate for ECUW and a senior Journalism and Mass Communications major at Olivet College.

Kids Count Data Release for Michigan & Make a Change By Giving Change

Eaton Co. Change in Rate

Kids Count in Michigan is a broad effort to measure the well-being of children on a state and local level. Kids Count Data books are released to show where efforts must go in order to improve the lives of children around the state and county. This year’s data was released Wednesday May 8. 2013. Last year Eaton County had eight of 15 indicators that child well-being could be worsening. During 2012 Eaton County also ranked 23rd of 82 counties for overall child well-being with No. 1 being the best ranking, which has not happened since 1992. This research can help the county and state can fix the problem properly.

Last year Ronda Rucker, Director of the Eaton Great Start Collaborative said, “We are
in desperate need of additional resources in order to give our children the start they need to be successful in school.” Rucker also said, “Research shows that we get the biggest bang for our buck if we invest in our youngest students. Unfortunately, we often put our funding into intervention instead of prevention.”

Kids Count in the Michigan project is supported by the Michigan League for Public Policy
(MLPP) and Michigan’s Children. MLPP is a state wide citizen research advocacy that works to improve economic security. Michigan’s Children is a statewide voice for children and their families, Michigan’s Children works with lawmakers and business leaders to make sure the state is a place where children can strive. With the collaborative efforts child welfare can be improved not just in Eaton County but state-wide as well.

For more information about the Kids Count data release visit http://datacenter.kidscount.org/

Make a Change By Giving Change Fundraiser:

The Make a Change by Giving Change fundraiser for Eaton County United Way.
The fundraiser exclusively involves Eaton County’s dining establishments. The participating restaurants ask patrons to donate a tip or extra change for donations to the Eaton County United Way’s (ECUW) community impact fund.

The fundraiser will begin Saturday, May 18 and run through Saturday, June 1. The
establishment that raises the most money will be recognized by the ECUW and given an award acknowledging their participation and efforts. Promotional flyers will be posted a week prior to the campaign the event will also be featured through the local newspapers and will be posted and broadcast to different social media outlets, Facebook, Twitter and our ECUW website. This campaign will also spotlight participating restaurants and give them a media attention. For more information about the Make a Change by Giving Change fundraiser contact the ECUW office at 517-543-5402.

Sarah K. Smith is the Communications Associate for ECUW and a senior Journalism and Mass Communications major at Olivet College.

Eaton County Striving to Fight Homelessness

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Project Resource Connect (PRC) is a one day event for homeless or at risk of being homeless in EatonCounty to find information about the different housing services, healthcare, employment and other beneficial services available in the area. During this time PRC also works to expel stereotypes while working together to put an end to homelessness. The PRC event will have on the spot items for people to take with them and the first 40 attendees receive a gift. This year’s PRC is taking place Tuesday May 7 at 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The PRC will be held at First Lutheran Church, 550 Shepherd St.Charlotte.

Last year, Jesse and Rachel both in their mid-twenties, attended a PRC fair. The couple was new to the Eaton County area, moved from the Metro Detroit area to start a new family.  Not only did they receive a warm reception from the local agencies, but a wealth of information and tools to help them live independently. In 2000, the National Alliance to End Homelessness created a national strategy to ending homelessness: A Plan, Not a Dream: How to End Homelessness in Ten Years. During 2006 Eaton County had three communities where 51% or more of the population was considered low income. That year a group of individuals including landlords, government officials, service providers and past and present homeless individuals established a plan to fight homelessness in Eaton County: 10 Year Plan, 10 Years is too long…The Eaton County Plan to End Homelessness Today. The Eaton County Plan is a multi-step strategy to ending homelessness. The first step is how to inform the community that homelessness is an issue. This step is important to remove the stereotypes and show people even if they’re not homeless that this may impact them, and bring about a realization that this is a problem in EatonCounty.

The next step is forming community involvement to end homelessness. This will lead to developing the necessary resources. Next, will be gathering the tools needed to actually put an end to the problem. While organizations are dedicated to ending homelessness, this step is compiling the information and delivering it to the right sources. The last step is explaining the philosophy of showing the factors contributing to the problem of homelessness, identifying these causes can help prevent future homelessness in EatonCounty.

Sarah K. Smith is the Communications Associate for ECUW and a senior Journalism and Mass Communications major at Olivet College.

ECUW Recognizes Eaton-Barry County CASA for Kids, Inc.

Eaton County United Way is a proud sponsor of the Eaton-Barry County CASA for Kids, Inc. . EatonCounty’s CASA is located in Charlotte; BarryCounty’s is located in Hastings. CASA for Kids, Inc. began as a nonprofit organization in BarryCounty in 1991, and expanded to EatonCounty in 1997. CASA for Kids is Court Appointed Special Advocate. [...] Read more »

ECUW spotlights Board member Bob Robinson

The Board of Directors is the support behind the Eaton County United Way (ECUW). The board helps to decide where money will go and to the organizations that will best utilize those funds. The board sets polices to guide the organization and keep its overall goals in mind of the organization in mind. Also the board [...] Read more »

ECUW Welcomes New PR Intern

Sarah K. Smith will be taking over the United Way’s weekly column “Do Good Corner” starting in March as the Communication Associate Intern. A senior at Olivet College, studying Journalism and Mass Communication, Smith works for the Advancement Office at the college, as the Alumni/College Relations student worker. This past spring semester Smith was elected [...] Read more »

JAG Receives Community Reinvestment Grant

  Three Eaton County area nonprofits were awarded a Community Reinvestment Fund Grant by the Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council in an announcement early this month. According to The Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council (MMEAC), the Fund was created through a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Sustainable Community grant made to the Tri-County Regional Planning [...] Read more »

Discount Prescription Offered to County Residents

Healthcare costs continue to be one of the top concerns for many people in our community.  The rise in prescription and medication affect too many people with insufficient coverage, no prescription coverage or are in need of medications not covered by their insurance, Medicare, Medicaid or VA benefits. Over 50% of adults who do not [...] Read more »

Kids Count 2012: Michigan Slips In Child Well-Being

The latest Kids Count in Michigan Data Book underscores the need to act to help children in Michigan with eight of 15 indicators of child well-being showing worsening trends. Eaton County ranked 23rd of 82 counties for overall child well-being with No. 1 being the best ranking. This is the first time since 1992, when [...] Read more »

2013 Adds Impact on Health & Human Services

Like the saying goes, “Out with the old – In with the new.”  As we leave behind a trail of intensive activities like the General Election, the “Fiscal Cliff” and many other game-changers led by Michigan policymakers affecting the welfare of local Michiganders, the work of our health and human service organizations will continue without [...] Read more »