A Year of Unity: Looking Back on Two United Ways Joining Forces for The Greater Good 

For more than a century, United Way for Southeastern Michigan has been a beacon of hope, support and transformation.

From humble beginnings as the Detroit Community Fund to helping families affected by World War II to recovery efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, United Way has always risen to the challenge of meeting the evolving needs of the communities we serve.

In 2023, we set our sights on a new vision for a more united, United Way that would allow us to drive even more impact for individuals and families in our region. The boards of United Way for Southeastern Michigan and the former United Way of Washtenaw County agreed to a merger that would combine our region-wide network of thousands of donors, advocates and volunteers, as well as hundreds of partner service organizations.

In Washtenaw County, 39.6% of households are ALICE: Asset Limited, Income Constrained and Employed. ALICE represents households who earn an income, but still can’t afford to pay for all their basic needs.

United Way for Southeastern Michigan is committed to helping ALICE families in Washtenaw, Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties move from crisis to stability and from stability to prosperity.

Since the official launch of the merger on October 1, 2023, we have strengthened our ability to assist families in need while working toward long-term solutions to some of our region’s greatest challenges.

We’ve also welcomed six new board members from Washtenaw County and retained volunteers to their Community Impact Committee by adding them to a new Washtenaw Community Impact and Equity (CIEC) Subcommittee.

“I see it as both a duty and an honor to give back to the community that has given so much to me,” Rich Chang, CEO and co-founder of NewFoundry and United Way board member. “United Way is a core part of the fabric of our Washtenaw community. They’re doing the work to ensure every child, adult, or family has an equal opportunity to thrive. I’m proud to support their efforts and to support future innovative approaches to achieve those outcomes”

Building on a 100+ year legacy

As a result of the merger, we’re proud to have offices in the two largest cities in our region – Detroit and Ann Arbor.

“Our Washtenaw office is a pillar of the community and a hub for our partners and service providers,” said Bridget Herrmann, senior director of collective impact at United Way for Southeastern Michigan. “It was important for us to maintain this connection to community, the services we have always provided, like VITA, and expand the services our community depends on.”

Rhonda Weathers, executive director of SOS Community Services is a longtime United Way partner. She was pleased to see our Washtenaw community room reopen after the merger and has been utilizing the space for board meetings.

“United Way of Southeast Michigan has graciously welcomed the SOS Board of Directors into their well-equipped and comfortable space on Platt Road in Ann Arbor in order to hold monthly board meetings,” said Rhonda. “This generous sharing of resources has allowed SOS to meet our challenging space needs, while continuing good governance of the organization.”

Last year, more than 800 of our Washtenaw neighbors visited the office to take advantage of our free VITA tax services. This was the first time surpassing 800 returns – an accomplishment longtime VITA volunteer Bob Mull is extremely proud of.

“We’ve got four preparers that are really good at finding the cracks to make sure our clients are getting everything they can get,” said Bob.

Alongside our VITA services, our Washtenaw community events are reaching new heights with the merger.

Our 16th annual Power of the Purse boasted a record-breaking turnout and we exceeded our fundraising goal, raising $81,500 to support the financial stability of women and children in Washtenaw County.

“Now that there’s the merger, the event is even bigger,” said Mitzi Talon, Power of the Purse committee member. “And we’re excited because we feel like this is an untapped market now and we can make even more connections. Southeast Michigan is much larger than Washtenaw, so it has so much more resources.”

We recently announced this year’s Power of the Purse grantees including Barrier Busters, Housing Bureau for Seniors, SafeHouse Center, Joyful Treats Community Development and The Steps Forward. Each organization will receive $10,000 for programs.

During the event, Alfreda Rooks, our 2024 Washtenaw County Woman of the Year, inspired and motivated others to get involved.

“I believe in working together with a common purpose to improve people’s life circumstances as best we can,” said Alfreda.

Our 2023 Emerging Philanthropists Cornhole tournament was also bigger and better than ever.

“There are a lot more people on Emerging Philanthropists now,” said Jill Villemure, a longtime Emerging Philanthropist member. At one point it was just three of us. It’s cool to see how we’ve grown. My coworker even said, ‘Wow this is definitely different from last year to this year.’ Every year we seem to get better and better and better.”

Register for this year’s cornhole tournament here: Emerging Philanthropists Cornhole Tournament.

Offering new opportunity

United Way continues to support a network of partners who are our boots on the ground – extending the reach of our community initiatives and ensuring vulnerable populations receive the services they need.

Over the past year, we’ve distributed more than $1 million in flexible grant funding to 41 partners in cities and towns across Washtenaw. And we’ve held dozens of site visits to learn more about the community’s most pressing needs and work toward creative solutions.

“United Way is a wonderful partner in helping to meet the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors who seek assistance from our Family Resource Center,” said Rhonda. “Their support of our program assists households with food, utilities assistance, diapers, transportation, referrals and access to phones and computers. SOS loves our partnership with United Way of Southeast Michigan.”

This year, we expanded our Racial Equity Fund grants into Washtenaw County and invested $225,000 into seven Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC)-led organizations to address racial inequities. These organizations were awarded grants ranging from $10,000 – $50,000 to focus on issues at the intersection of mental health, developmental disabilities, community development and revitalization, education, land ownership, financial literacy, food insecurity, maternal health, housing, and more. The list of grantees includes A Servant’s Heart, Care-Based Safety, Mexiquenses Unidos de Michigan, Michigan Prison Doula Initiative, Our Village, Survivors Speak and Youth Arts Alliance.

The latest round of Responsive Basic Needs grants, which offered an additional $250,000 in funding to seven organizations, arrived just in time as nonprofits struggled to meet increased need brought about by increased prices and the end of COVID-era supports.

“We really appreciate that United Way offered a grant that ticks the boxes of what we do and supports what we see as the most important needs in our community,” said Sarah Shugart, Executive Director, Faith in Action. “Often grants are a show pony that forces you to create programs, and you can’t keep creating programs for grants. This grant gave the community what it needed and offered more flexibility to help in deeper ways. It’s fantastic.”

This summer, Our Trusted Advisors and Friends Breakfast brought together 40 longtime United Way supporters from across Washtenaw County to discuss our progress since the merger and strategize for the future.

“I’ve been involved with Emerging Philanthropists for over 10 years,” said Megan Mazurek, a realtor with Reinhart Realtors, “I see so much more opportunity and possibility now that we’ve merged and I was excited to participate in the Trusted Advisors event. It’s great to feel like I have a voice in the future of the organization.”

Washtenaw donors continue to be the lifeblood of our efforts to create more opportunities for local families to thrive. We celebrated our dedicated donors with several events throughout the year including our Leadership Giving event at the University of Michigan’s Big House and a Tocqueville mixer at Argus Farm Stop.

Labor donations account for about 40% of our annual contributions – enabling us to help families keep food on the table, keep the lights on, find quality, affordable child care and so much more.

Our Washtenaw Labor partners showed support throughout the first year of the merger with events including Labor of Love and the Labor & Management Golf Tournament.

“We’ve got kids who have incarcerated parents, kids who are in foster care and kids who are homeless all within this trip,” said Sammie, a resource room teacher at Rawsonville Elementary in Ypsilanti who participated in the Labor of Love event. “You might not tell through their smiling faces, but they go through so much. United Way makes a huge difference. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

Students at Erickson Elementary in Ypsilanti celebrated their first My Free Library Book Fair where they each got to take home five free books. Before the event was made possible by United Way, the school held standard book fairs that required students to pay for books, which left some students feeling left out.

“A lot of our kids are living below the poverty line, so they don’t have extra money to buy books,” said Amanda Garner, media specialist at Erickson Elementary. “This free book fair is a big deal to a lot of my students.”

Nearly 3,000 students in the Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Whitmore Lake and Lincoln school districts started the school year off with the supplies they needed thanks to Stuff the Bus – a Washtenaw tradition for more than 17 years.

“The schools are always very thankful to receive the donations,” said Kari. “The supplies are 100% making an impact with students that need to start off the school year with more than what they currently have.”

Forging a united path forward

As we look toward the second post-merger year, we’re continuing to center the needs of ALICE families. From the ALICE Report, we know that the true cost of living in Washtenaw County is significantly higher than what is traditionally considered in poverty measures – meaning more families need our help and the support of our partners.

For a family of four, the true cost of living in Washtenaw County is around $94,000, which far exceeds the federal poverty level of $31,200. This disparity highlights the inadequacy of federal poverty thresholds in reflecting the real economic conditions faced by many households.

One of the critical challenges identified in the report is the lack of affordable housing in Washtenaw County. The high cost of housing has pushed many ALICE families to the brink, with some spending more than half their income on rent.

“Housing affordability is a significant barrier for ALICE families,” said Bridget. “Without affordable housing options, these families are stuck in a cycle of financial instability.”

The ALICE Report also highlights the importance of community support services, such as our 2-1-1 helpline, which connects individuals to resources like food assistance, housing support, and mental health services.

In Washtenaw, 10% of families face the difficult challenge of not knowing where their next meal will come from. Among those families, children and seniors are often the hardest hit.

Programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and school meal initiatives have made a difference but they are often not enough. Many ALICE families don’t qualify for federal assistance leaving them vulnerable to fall through the cracks – earning too much to receive benefits but not enough to comfortably afford food.

While short-term solutions like local food pantries help a family when faced with a crisis, we must work to develop systems-level solutions that contribute to future financial stability.

“As a lifelong Washtenaw resident, I know how fortunate we are to call this special corner of the state home,” said Christopher Lemon, vice president for Community Investment at the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation.

“I recently joined United Way’s Washtenaw subcommittee because I know that creating the future we want is only possible when every part of our community comes together – every voice, every hand and every heart – and uses our collective strength to break barriers and create opportunity not just for some but for all.”

Bridget shared a similar sentiment and touted the power of United Way.

“We need everyone’s voice at the table – from corporate partners and legislators to families and community leaders,” said Bridget. “United Way excels at bringing people together and spearheading change. With that mindset and a focus on creative solutions, we can make a real difference in the lives of families in Washtenaw and across our region.”

Donate today to keep United Way strong in Washtenaw County.