Way To Go

Celebrating the people who are helping make Southeast Michigan a better place to live. Post or reblog with #WayToGoDetroit to give a shoutout to the people and things that inspire you. By the way, we’re supported by United Way— folks who know something about doing good.

[waytogo]

Volunteer Spotlight: Deloitte

United Way partner Deloitte has made a huge impact across the U.S., and right here in Metro Detroit!

On their annual Impact Day—a company-wide day of giving back—Deloitte professionals and leaders come together in 80 cities across the country to work on more than 1,000 projects for nearly 190,000 collective hours of service.

June 9 marked their 18th Impact Day. 

In Metro Detroit, seven Deloitte employees held a Case Competition at United Way’s office with students from several local high schools, giving 35 combined hours of time to teach students about marketing and making presentations.

Deloitte employees also put their dollars to work for our community. Their 2016 campaign raised $700,000 for United Way for Southeastern Michigan programs!

We’re thrilled to have Deloitte as a partner, and to celebrate them as our June 2017 Corporate Partner Volunteers of the Month!

[waytogo]

Way to go, Quicken Loans!

Quicken Loans is making a difference in students’ lives!

Through their mentorship program The Network and recent involvement in a career fair for youth, they’re positively influencing hundreds of students in Southeastern Michigan.

The latest cohort of The Network connected 70 students with mentors, who gave more than 1,800 hours of time to help students. According to Quicken, the program "focuses on real world skills such as the personal branding, background and credit, resume building, mock interviews, college readiness, and career exploring.”

Read more about The Network on Quicken’s blog.

Additionally, 24 Quicken employees gave a combined 72 hours of their time at the Career Connections Fair in May. The fair—hosted by United Way and the City of Detroit—connected more than 300 Detroit youth with summer jobs through the Grow Detroit’s Young Talent program. Quicken also hired several students at the fair.

Way to go, Quicken!

Want to give back to your community? Find volunteer opportunities now.

[waytogo]

Way to Go, Alicia!

Alicia Selig first volunteered with United Way for Southeastern Michigan through her job at EY, where she works as a forensic accountant. From there, her involvement has continued to grow! After sitting on the United Way Ambassador Council through EY for two years, Alicia is now a member of our Emerging Philanthropists group. 

Let’s learn a little more about her!

1. What has been your most memorable experience giving back in Greater Detroit? 

When I first moved back to Detroit and started to get involved with the United Way two years ago, my first event was a Meet Up and Eat Up community block party. I loved the energy of the people there, and the event itself was so much fun! There were a ton of people there from the United Way and businesses around Metro Detroit. It was really inspiring to see so many types of people helping, and seeing the smiles on children’s faces was amazing.

2. What do you love about living in Greater Detroit? 

I love the pride the people in this city have. People here seem to have a pride in their city that I haven’t seen anywhere else.

3. What’s your musical guilty pleasure? 

I still love a good sing-at-the-top-of-my-lungs session to the emo music I listened to in high school every now and then. Nothing is better than a long car ride with the music blaring so loud I can hardly hear myself (thankfully – yikes, I can’t sing!).

[waytogo]

March has been a busy month for FCA volunteers! More than 80 volunteers gave their time with United Way partners, making an impact of nearly 200 hours of service in our community.

FCA employees focused their efforts on assisting food access agencies by volunteering seven times at Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries and twice at Gleaners Community Food Bank. And they have more commitments coming up in April!

United Way partner FCA is committed to giving back to Metro Detroit, and we’re so grateful.

[waytogo]

Giving Time to Help New Parents

Becoming a parent can be overwhelming. That’s why at the Women THRIVE Conference, hosted by MichBusiness on Feb. 2, attendees took time to give back to new parents.

More than 350 conference attendees volunteered and helped put together 200 care packages for new parents. Packages included infant thermometers, safety nail clippers, newborn hats and mittens, receiving blankets and a handwritten notes of encouragement to new moms.

The care packages will be distributed through St. John’s hospital in Detroit as well as through United Way's Child Development partners. 

[waytogo]

Way to go, Jackie and Tom Keimig!

Jackie and Tom Keimig love being part of the excitement, fun and spirit of Southeastern Michigan. Working as a relationship manager for Plante Moran (Jackie) and radiologist at Henry Ford Hospital (Tom), the couple enjoys working in Detroit and getting involved in their community. That’s why they joined the United Way Emerging Philanthropists in 2015.

Let’s learn a little more about them.

What has been your most memorable experience giving back in Greater Detroit?

Tom: Volunteering with the Wayne State School of Medicine student group "Code Blue." Three of my classmates and I were assigned to teach monthly health and safety lessons to a kindergarten class at Cortland Elementary School in Highland Park. Of all the topics, fire safety was my favorite. There were a lot of fun, interactive lessons that day, but I'll never forget how excited the kids were to learn and practice "Stop, Drop and Roll." 

Jackie: One of our first volunteer projects together with EP was helping to clean up the grounds and break down an old play structure at Oakland Family Services. Tom, Robert Riley and I became experts in tree removal!

What do you love about living in Greater Detroit?

Jackie: I love seeing the growth of the city first hand every day. It is amazing the excitement and the opportunities that have been created. I am consistently impressed by the entrepreneurship that exists throughout the community as well as the focus that many have on giving back. It is a community where you can have a meaningful impact even early in your career.

​​If you could bring back one trend or product from your childhood, what would it be?

Tom: I would bring back rotary phones—no more texting!

Who do you admire and why?       

Jackie: I have been fortunate for the last decade to work closely with Ed Parks, the retired managing partner of Plante Moran. He has taught me so much professionally, but also about the history of the community and the importance of being a trusted advisor. I aim to follow the example that he has set as I move forward in my career.

Tom: My father, Bill Keimig, has been an Internal Medicine physician in Detroit for 40 years. His dedication to caring for his patients inspired me to become a physician and continues to motivate me to be the best doctor I can be.

[waytogo]

United Way Emerging Philanthropists give back!

A group of our EPs volunteered at Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries on Feb. 5, preparing food and serving meals to people in need.

Thank you, EPs!

[waytogo]

Mentoring | United Way Worldwide

With more than 2.6 million volunteers, 9.6 million donors worldwide, and more than $5 billion raised every year, United Way is the world’s largest privately-funded nonprofit.

Have you ever thought about becoming a mentor to a Southeastern Michigan youth?

[waytogo]

United Way for Southeastern Michigan partner Nordstrom blew us away in 2016 with their continued commitment to volunteering!

They gave back to their community through three volunteer activities with a total of 32 volunteers—and even hosted a holiday toy drive in December!

In April, 13 Nordstrom employees went above and beyond by volunteering with Oakland Family Services in their Children’s Learning Center. They assisted the teachers with crafts, snack time, reading with the children and helping them learn through a variety of fun activities.

In August and November, 19 employees helped to make sure that families throughout their community had enough to eat. Through volunteer opportunities at both Forgotten Harvest and Gleaners Food Bank, these volunteers sorted and packed food that was distributed to food pantries and soup kitchens throughout the region.

Finally, in December, leading up to the holidays, Nordstrom staff came together once again and ran a toy drive to benefit children and families who otherwise would have gone without. They were able to give away more than 50 toys!

We are so grateful for the support of our Nordstrom partners in Southeast Michigan, including Nordstrom Somerset, Twelve Oaks and Partridge Creek! Way to go, Nordstrom!

[waytogo]

5 Ways Volunteers Can Make a Difference During the Holidays | United Way Worldwide

Here are five ways people are making a difference in their community through United Way during the holidays.

Gift wrapping, toy drives and more—great ideas for how to get into the holiday spirit and give back to your community.

[waytogo]

In 2016, here’s what our volunteers accomplished:

2,692 volunteers participated in...

224 projects, giving a total of...

9,011.50 hours of their time, resulting in a...

$212,310.94 impact in our community!

Thank you to all of our partners, staff and community volunteers! From Meet Up and Eat Up block parties to food-packing at Gleaners to neighborhood clean-ups to mentoring students, YOU made 2016 an amazing year for United Way volunteerism!

[waytogo]

For FedEx, the United Way campaign season isn’t just about donating—it’s also about giving back with their time!

This year, FedEx employees have been very active with volunteering. They hosted 11 volunteers at Detroit Rescue Mission on Aug. 30, 11 volunteers at Detroit Rescue Mission on Sept. 16, and 11 volunteers at Gleaners Food Bank on Nov. 18.

FedEx staff are very committed to making Greater Detroit a wonderful place to live, and we’re so grateful for them!

[waytogo]

Way to Go, Verne Perigord!

By day, Verne Perigord is a director at PwC, helping large, multi-national clients solve complex problems and execute challenging projects centered around their accounting, finance and general operating functions.

But the 35-year-old Greater Detroit resident is also a mentor to Detroit teens, a Beyonce fan, and a United Way for Southeastern Michigan Emerging Philanthropist.

Verne was named to Crain’s Detroit Business’ 40 Under 40 list in October.

Let’s learn a little more about him.

What is your most memorable experience giving back in Greater Detroit?

I mentor inner city teenage young men in the city of Detroit, and I was delighted to be able to drive one of my mentees to college in Ohio this fall.

I had been mentoring him throughout his ACT exams, college and FASFA applications, and helping him prepare for life in general. There were difficult and challenging times throughout the year, but he made it through high school graduation and on to college. 

It was an extremely inspiring and satisfying moment for me to see him register for classes, go through all the freshman rituals, and help him move into his dorm. I felt like a proud parent. It reminded me why I enjoy mentoring the youth of Detroit, it’s my way to help shape the future of the city.

Do you have any secret talents?

I like to think I'm somewhat musically inclined. I play the alto saxophone, the piano and the church organ (I'm a horrible singer, though). I don't get to play as much as I used to, but I do try to do so every now and then.

What’s your musical guilty pleasure?

I have been known to really enjoy a Beyonce concert, but that's just between us EPs.

[waytogo]

What uniquely makes America is our capacity to see something that needs to be done and organize our neighbors to say, 'We can make it happen.'

United Way for Southeastern Michigan Board Member Deb Macon reflecting on decades of volunteerism, via Crains Detroit: 

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20161023/NEWS/161029948/deborah-macon-lifelong-volunteer-continues-a-family-tradition

[waytogo]

Celebrating EY volunteerism!

EY is committed to building a Better Working World, and they showcased that commitment on Sept. 30 with the annual EY Connect Day—a day dedicated to making a difference in their communities while having fun.

In Southeastern Michigan, the Detroit EY team kicked off their United Way for Southeastern Michigan annual giving campaign with EY Connect Day, combining community service (with an emphasis on the 3E’s – Education, Entrepreneurialism, Environment) with their ongoing support for United Way programs and initiatives.

A total of 306 EY Detroit volunteers took on 12 volunteer projects at Focus: Hope, Eastern Market, Vista Maria, Boys & Girls Club, Cody High School, Ruth Ellis Center, Super Uwin and Repair the World at Trix Academy. They beautified properties, mentored high school students, packed care kits, helped people with their resumes, and much more.

Around the world, more than 23,000 EY employees made an impact on EY Connect Day, and we’re thrilled to have been a part of it here in Greater Detroit.

Click here to learn more about EY Connect Day.

[waytogo]

Way to Go, Emily and Alex!

Emily Samuelson and her boyfriend Alex Dunford have been members of United Way’s Emerging Philanthropists since February, and the pair are dedicated to volunteering and making a difference in Greater Detroit!

Emily, who works as a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch, says she “had been looking for a group to join in the Detroit/Greater Detroit area where I could not only meet great people but also give back to the community.”

She and Alex, a UPS Store General Manager, found their answer in joining EP.

Let’s learn a little more about them:

What has been your most memorable experience giving back in Greater Detroit?

It's hard to choose just one! However, since it's most recent, I'd say helping build a home with Habitat for Humanity Oct. 1 was my most memorable. We were able to meet the family that's moving in and hear their story, which was so moving. It was great to see the work we were doing on their house, to see the progress we were making, and to know the impact we were making on their lives.

Alex and I have also loved tearing down the play structure at Oakland Family Services in Pontiac, volunteering with Gleaners in Detroit, and being involved with the Special Olympics all across the Greater Detroit area, myself as a figure skating coach/public speaker and Alex as a referee.

What do you love about living in Greater Detroit? 

I love everything there is to do here in Greater Detroit, and that everything is a mere 45-minute drive away (unless you get caught in traffic or a pot hole!). 

Honestly, though, Detroit is such a great place to live. We live close to work, and then when we want to do something fun and get away we can drive downtown Detroit to catch a Tigers, Lions, or Red Wings game, go to Royal Oak to visit the Detroit Zoo, go out to South Lyon for Erwin's Apple Orchard this fall, drive to Rochester to see the Christmas lights, head to Kensington Park to spend time in nature. There's Ann Arbor, Birmingham, Northville, Plymouth... a thousand places to visit with new restaurants and things to try popping up all the time. And when it's the dead of winter, the roads are atrocious, and the Lions haven't made the playoffs once again, you always have such a kind and supportive community of people around you to commiserate with!  

Who is your hero and why?       

My hero for the longest time was Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan. I admired her tenacity and perseverance; she was the nine-time U.S. National Champion, five-time World Champion, and two-time Olympic medalist, though she never won gold at the Games. For her to just continue pushing on in hopes of that Olympic gold was so inspiring to me as a young figure skater, as I went down my own Olympic journey. Now that I'm retired from skating, I could read off a list of heroes—from Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Mother Theresa—but I don't think I could choose just one!

Also, Alex says his hero is Batman. :-)

[waytogo]

We had so much fun this fall teaching kids about the importance of healthy eating and physical activity with the Detroit Lions and Playworks Michigan!