We’ve reached one of those moments in time when the news cycle feels heavy and everyone I meet is asking the same question: “What can I do to help?” My answer is always the same—pick one action and watch how far it travels. In my work at United Way of Southwest Michigan, I’ve seen a single hour of volunteering, one letter to a legislator, or a few dollars deducted from a paycheck ripple through Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties in ways that still surprise me. So I’m writing to the leaders in Southwest Michigan to hopefully join us in continuing to make waves of change.
The idea isn’t new. In fact, the entire United Way movement was born on this premise back in 1887. A rabbi, a priest, two ministers, and one determined woman in Denver pooled resources so their community’s gifts would stay local and help the people who needed it most. That first “Charity Organization Society” raised money for 22 agencies and set a standard that remains intact nearly 140 years later: give once, and we’ll stretch your gift where it’s needed right here at home.
The Upton family leaders at Whirlpool Corporation were so moved by this idea that they established the Twin Cities Community Chest in 1943, and we are proud to carry on their legacy locally today. Whether it’s funding Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library so preschoolers open a new book every month, staffing the 2-1-1 helpline that guides neighbors in crisis, volunteering for our annual Rake a Difference Day in November, or running the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program to get hard-earned tax refunds back into family budgets, Southwest Michigan thrives because one person or one company decides to lean in to help.
Besides these programs, United Way also helps to fund over 70 programs in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties that focus their efforts on impact areas such as workforce development, healthy families, and providing youth opportunities. Over the last 10 years, millions of dollars that people like you donate have collectively been spent combating challenges and opening doors to success & resiliency for residents.
Right now we’re laser-focused on the ALICE population—Asset Limited, Income Constrained, yet Employed households that sit just above the poverty line and are one crisis away from falling below it. When ALICE families steady themselves, classrooms calm down, workplaces keep reliable staff, and neighborhoods breathe easier. That’s why our board and volunteer impact team have shortened grant cycles and trimmed red tape so we can be more agile in meeting the areas of immediate impact in our communities.
Now that we’ve entered the latter half of the year, we’ve launched our annual Workplace Campaign Season with a hopeful encouragement Southwest Michigan will step up to help. From factories in Dowagiac to schools in Coloma & Watervliet and bank branches in South Haven, companies will invite employees to pledge a few bucks from each paycheck. Payroll deduction is one of many simple ways we make it easy to give, so you can spread giving across the year to keep your budget from blowing up, and it shows employees their company cares about the same streets they drive every day. We’ve built a turnkey campaign toolkit at UWSM.org with sample emails, pledge forms, even prize-idea lists so HR folks aren’t stuck reinventing the wheel.
Here’s the math that still floors me. One employee pledges five dollars a week. Alone, that’s maybe a couple fancy coffees or an ice cream cone sacrificed. Multiply it across a staff of two hundred and, suddenly, you’ve covered months of mental-health counseling for local teens or delivered hundreds of picture books to toddlers’ mailboxes. The Power of One isn’t a slogan—it’s basic multiplication, and it scales beautifully whether the “one” is a single neighbor or an entire workplace.
Of course, money isn’t the only lane onto this freeway. Advocacy can stretch every donated dollar tenfold. A quick email to Lansing supporting affordable childcare or a social-media share about housing policy can shift the landscape for working families faster than any check. And if you prefer to get your hands dirty, Volunteer United’s calendar is packed: Rock the Boat’s cardboard boat race taking place July 17, the Whirlpool Appliance Sale in late August, supply-stuffing parties before school starts in Cass County, and more fulfilling volunteer projects throughout the area. Show up once and you’ll see how addictive volunteering can be.
Every action also carries something less tangible but just as powerful: hope. When neighbors notice someone cares enough to show up—whether it’s a stranger raking leaves, a warm meal or bed at the shelter, or a helpful voice on the 2-1-1 line—they feel less alone. That sense of belonging sparks its own chain reaction: kids try harder at school, employees stick around longer, and communities bounce back faster from whatever curveball comes next.
All of this circles back to the simplest truth I know: one choice in the right direction changes everything around it. The founders who met in Denver in 1887 couldn’t have imagined payroll deduction apps or digital volunteer portals, but they nailed the core formula. It still works, maybe now more than ever, because the challenges feel bigger and more complicated, and people crave a clear path to doing good.
So here’s your invitation. If you’re a business owner, consider launching a workplace campaign this season. If you’re an employee, tick the box when the pledge form comes around, ask your HR team for one if it doesn’t, or simply go to UWSM.org/donate. If your wallet’s tight, raise your voice for a policy that helps ALICE families, or give an afternoon to pass out supplies or sort holiday food boxes. Any single step plugs you into a network already humming with thousands of others.
Ready to see how far one action can travel? Visit UWSM.org and click “The Power of One,” or shoot me a quick email: [email protected]. At the website, you’ll find everything you need to start a workplace campaign, grab a volunteer slot, or learn which local issue could use your signature. Because when one person moves and another follows and another after that, Southwest Michigan doesn’t just get by—we Live United, and United Is The Way.
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