At United Way of Metro Chicago, LIVE UNITED is more than a slogan.  

Our dedicated employees are not only excited to contribute their time and talents to our organization, they’re deeply passionate about our work to build a stronger Chicago region, neighborhood by neighborhood.

“I support our United Way because I’ve lived in Chicago nearly my whole life and until working here, I didn’t fully understand how I could help my community in such an impactful way,” said Katie Jozwik, senior manager of Business Development. “It’s clear our United Way and our supporters create change, and I’m so proud to share that I’m a part of that.”

Our 2017 United Way Internal Campaign kicked off last week, giving employees the opportunity to put their money where their mouth is. Employees will pledge a monthly donation to United Way efforts, pack care packages for one of our Neighborhood Network partners and celebrate the important work that drives our mission forward.

To showcase what inspires us all here at United Way, we also created the Inspiration HUB. This corner of our office serves as space where employees can share things stories and moments that encourage them to continue fighting for our communities. Quickly, the space filled with pictures, quotes and memories of the many people, places, ideas and events that have inspired us all.

“It’s clear our United Way and our supporters create change, and I’m so proud to share that I’m a part of that.”
Photo of United Way of Metro Chicago's Internal Campaign Inspiration Hub

One common theme we discovered in our offerings was our love of the people we serve and partner with.

There were pictures from our Stay In School program, which, in partnership with Exelon and ComEd, has provided mentorship opportunities to more than 15,000 youth in the region.

There were images of from Young Leaders Society’s beautification project at Spry Elementary School in Little Village, the United Pride panel discussion on healthcare access for LGBTQ youth and Women Leadership Council’s spa and beauty product donation drive to provide children with Mother’s Day gifts.

Our staff also highlighted events like United for the Holidays, where we celebrated the season with our South Chicago Neighborhood Network community by hosting a resource fair and providing 480 coats, 600 toys and 1,000 hats, scarves and gloves to over 100 families.

We also shared the causes that are near and dear to us, like Access United, which provides union apprenticeship opportunities to minority youth, and the Marshall Square Resource Network’s Peace Committee, which works to prevent domestic violence.

Each year, our internal campaign allows us to step back and reflect. Most importantly, it reiterates that what we do every day wouldn’t be possible without the support of great donors, partners and volunteers.

Because when we LIVE UNITED, anything is possible.

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Invest in people. Invest in your neighborhood. Invest in a stronger Chicago.

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Give Time.

Share your time. Share your talents. Share your love for community.

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