This year marks the United Way of Washtenaw County's 100th anniversary. Appropriately enough, "Washtenaw United" has now surpassed 100 episodes on WEMU. David Fair marks both milestones in a conversation with UWWC president and CEO Pam Smith and touches on what the future holds.
WEMU has partnered with the United Way of Washtenaw County to explore the people, organizations, and institutions creating opportunity and equity in our area. And, as part of this ongoing series, you’ll also hear from the people benefiting and growing from the investments being made in the areas of our community where there are gaps in available services. It is a community voice. It is 'Washtenaw United.'
ABOUT PAM SMITH:
Pam Smith has been the President/CEO of the United Way of Washtenaw County since 2012. As a nonprofit executive, she is dedicated to strengthening the community through philanthropy, collaboration, and community engagement. Her vision and leadership guides the Equity, Diversity, and Justice work of the United Way of Washtenaw County. She has more than 25 years of experience in Management, Communications, and Nonprofit administration. She has served on local nonprofit boards, as an UM guest lecturer, and on local advisory teams. Ms. Smith has extensive experience in management, marketing, communications, training, and workforce development. Her development and fundraising skills have made her keenly aware of the intricate balance of the diverse needs within the Southeastern Michigan community.
RESOURCES:
United Way of Washtenaw County (UWWC)
UWWC STATEMENT:
UWWC is celebrating 100 years of service to our community.
- As a volunteer driven organization for 100 years, we are willing and able to pivot to meet the community needs – we are an anti-poverty, anti-racist organization that believes that, by 2030, we can make this a county where all people can thrive.
- We have amazing business and corporate partners who believe in our work, and invest in our work through workplace and corporate giving – we then leverage these funds with other funds to create maximum impact in our community (State of Michigan grant for example)
- Our board is diverse and as thought leaders share their insights to create equitable solutions, our volunteers give back 250k worth of time to the community!
- We work with agencies and programs across the county to build a safety net of support so we have real time data on community conditions and challenges. We work together toward solutions together.
- We are not afraid to try something new and learn from our missteps.
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— David Fair is the WEMU News Director and host of Morning Edition on WEMU. You can contact David at 734.487.3363, on twitter @DavidFairWEMU, or email him atdfair@emich.edu
