For the second straight year, the impact of the pandemic on the community-at-large has relegated United Way of Southwest Michigan’s annual celebration to a new format, precluded from gathering in person by state limits on crowd size.
Nevertheless, hearkening back to their rally cry from the beginning of the pandemic of “We were built for this,” the “Celebration” has proceeded in a new format to honor the resiliency of the entire community through the annual awards presentations.
Once again, United Way WWM has crafted a unique experience to acknowledge the generosity of donors and the impact made in the community in 2020.
Anna Murphy, President and CEO of United Way of Southwest Michigan, says, “At the start of the pandemic last year, we used the motto ‘We were built for this’ as a rallying cry—and our community proved it true. Southwest Michigan faced the worst and rose to the challenge—finding strength, giving each other hope, and creating change despite it all.” Murphy adds, “The work is far from over. But there’s no telling what we can do next if we continue to work together.”
Prior to the pandemic, UWSM’s annual Celebration was a live event that included hundreds of guests from the community who gathered to recognize with awards the many organizations and individuals who helped make the previous year a success.
Last year, United Way showed its appreciation to award winners in creative contactless fashion with beautifully designed, hand-delivered “Celebration” packages—and that alternative continues this year.
Award winners are encouraged to photograph or video themselves opening the package and upload them to social media, tagging UWSM and using the hashtag #uwsmcelebration so everyone in the community can see.
In lieu of receiving physical awards this year, winners decided to direct sponsorship funds to the Southwest Michigan Emergency Response Fund.
The 2020 Celebration can be viewed at this link: http://uwsm.org/celebration.
IMPACT AWARDS
Excellence in Innovation
- Benton Harbor Area Schools
- Benton Harbor Charter School
- Berrien Regional Education Service Agency
- Berrien Springs Public Schools
- Brandywine Community Schools
- Bridgman Public Schools
- Buchanan Community Schools
- Coloma Community Schools
- Countryside Academy
- Eau Claire Public Schools
- Lakeshore Public Schools
- Mildred C. Wells Academy
- New Buffalo Area Schools
- Niles Community Schools
- River School, Sodus Township #5
- River Valley School District
- Riverside School, Hagar Township #6
- St. Joseph Public Schools
- Watervliet Public Schools
- Cassopolis Public Schools
- Dowagiac Union Schools
- Edwardsburg Public Schools
- Lewis Cass Intermediate School District
- Marcellus Community Schools
- Bangor Public Schools
- Bloomingdale Public Schools
- Covert Public Schools
- Decatur Public Schools
- Gobles Public Schools
- Hartford Public Schools
- Lawrence Public Schools
- Lawton Community Schools
- Mattawan Consolidated Schools
- Paw Paw Public Schools
- South Haven Public Schools
- Van Buren Intermediate School District
- Lake Michigan College
- Southwestern Michigan College
Excellence in Impact
- Berrien County Health Department
- Van Buren/Cass District Health Department
Excellence in Collaboration
- Berrien Community Foundation
Impact Cabinet Choice
- Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency
- Meals on Wheels of Southwest Michigan
- Feeding America West Michigan
BEST OF AWARDS
Best Campaign Growth
- Area Agency on Aging, Region IV
- Dowagiac Union Schools
- PACE of Southwest Michigan
- Vail Rubber Works Inc.
- Michigan Gas Utilities
- Pepsi Beverages Company
- Ausco Products, Inc.
Best Community Leadership
- Berrien County Cancer Services, Inc.
- Cass District Library
- Materials Resources
- Niles Precision Company, Inc.
- Tyler Automotive
- Competitive Edge
- Martin’s Super Market – Stevensville
- Gast Manufacturing, Inc.
- 1st Source Bank
Best Year-Round Partnership
- Horizon Bank
- K & M Machine Fabricating Inc.
- Wolverine Pipe Line Co.
- Kinexus Group
- Mid-West Family Southwest Michigan
- Lake Michigan College
OTHER AWARDS
Large Corporate Champion of the Year
- Honor Credit Union
- American Electric Power Company, Inc.
Medium Corporate Champion of the Year
- Cassopolis Public Schools
- United Parcel Service
Small Corporate Champion of the Year
- Wolverine Mutual Insurance Company
Employee Campaign Chair – Large Business
- Cathy Cowles – Western Diversified Plastics
- Jill Tooman – Western Diversified Plastics
- Sue Prudden – Western Diversified Plastics
- Shirley Smith-Torp, Palisades Power Plant
- Michael Caskey-Mol-Son, LLC
Employee Campaign Chair – Medium Business
- Courtney Driscoll – Gateway Services
Employee Campaign Chair – Small Business
- David Ravitch – Ravitron
David J. Weichhand Award
- Whirlpool Corporation
Inspired Giving Award
- Bronson Healthcare
Live United Award
- Meijer
- Michigan Association of United Ways
Whirlpool Community Commitment Award
- United Federal Credit Union
Additionally, United Way of Southwest Michigan extends its deepest thanks to those who made the celebration for 2020 possible, including:
Presenting sponsor –
- Indiana Michigan Power, an AEP Company
Major sponsors –
- 1st Source Bank
- Gast
- Kinexus
- Spectrum Health
- Whirlpool
United Way of Southwest Michigan fights for the Health, Education, and Financial Stability of every person in every community. They have the influence and relationships to make sustainable change a reality. By harnessing resources from corporate, nonprofit, and public partners, they provide immediate assistance to the most vulnerable populations among us, while addressing the root causes of the community’s longstanding challenges and changing lives for the better. To join the fight—through giving, advocacy, and volunteering—you can visit http://www.uwsm.org.
