UAW volunteers build wheelchair ramps for disabled residents in Detroit.

When it comes to the communities in which they live and work, UAW members’ commitment to those in need runs deep.

For nearly 60 years, UAW men and women have helped provide solutions to our most pressing human problems through the United Way.

United Way agencies feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, support programs for our children, and provide access to education and health care.

As Ron Gettelfinger, UAW president and 2004 United Way chair for southeast Michigan, has said, “In these difficult economic times, many people are in need. Those of us who are in a position to help should do so by investing our time and money in the communities where we work and live.”

The best way to do that is to contribute to the United Way. It’s an investment that pays off in stronger communities.

United Way's Operation ABC

The UAW is proud to be part of a broad-based United Way initiative designed to improve the reading levels of first and second graders in metropolitan Detroit.

United Way for Southeastern Michigan launched Operation ABC early in 2008 at a news conference at Solidarity House, the UAW’s headquarters. The agency hopes to recruit 2,000 volunteers from non-profit groups, corporations and other segments of the community and mobilize them in classrooms across the region as tutors.

The goal is to have every child in southeastern Michigan reading at grade level by the time they reach the third grade. Some 7,000 third graders throughout Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties are not reading at grade level.

“It’s going to harness the power of our community volunteers to help students in those schools improve their reading levels at an early age,” UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said. “When you look at the smiles on these young folks’ faces, it makes you realize this is our future right here.

“We’re so proud that many of our UAW members ­– active and retired – have already signed up for this effort,” Gettelfinger added.
 
Michael J. Brennan, United Way’s president and CEO, attended the news conference.

“Part of our mission is to mobilize the caring power of the region to affect positive, lasting change,” Brennan said. “Our research shows that the third grade is the first benchmark for a successful education. If a child fails to read at the recommended reading level by third grade, a potential domino effect begins, diminishing that child’s chances of completing high school.”

Potential volunteers can get more information by dialing 211 in metropolitan Detroit. Organizations that would like to sponsor a school – committing at least 10 people to serve as volunteer tutors – should contact Angela Walker at (313) 226-9450 for more information.

For Our Children - The UAW and March of Dimes

Premature babies have many struggles to overcome. Thanks to the March of Dimes, preemies are winning those struggles more often. That’s why UAW President Ron Gettelfinger is serving in 2008 as honorary chair of Michigan’s March for Babies, to help raise funds to prevent birth defects and infant mortality. Call (800) 525-WALK (national) or (800) BIG-WALK (Michigan) or log on to March for Babies to find out how and where you can help.

March of Dimes' 'My 9 Months' Program

Tired of searching all over for trustworthy and up-to-date pregnancy information? Log on to "My 9 Months" for everything you need to learn about pregnancy and newborns. Got Questions? Get Answers! Turn to the March of Dimes "My 9 Months" for trusted pregnancy content from the experts in healthy babies! The UAW is a proud supporter of this vital program for expectant mothers.

 

UAW joins ‘Quest for Life’ partnership

Improving lives, saving lives

The UAW along with DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Company and General Motors, as well as Compuware Corporation, is joining with Michigan’s International Association of Organ Donation (IAOD) to form the Quest for Life Workplace Partnership Initiative on organ, tissue and bone marrow donation. UAW President Ron Gettelfinger made the announcement at the 6th Annual IAOD recognition banquet on April 21, 2005.

The Quest for Life partners will work to raise awareness about this important issue by increasing education and encouraging discussion about donation among union members, employees, retirees and their families.

More than 86,000 people in the United States are waiting for organ transplants. Each day 70 people receive an organ transplant but tragically another 16 people on the waiting list die because not enough organs are available.

The IAOD has added more than 7,000 names to the Michigan Organ and Tissue Registry since 1999. The UAW and its Quest for Life partners are fully committed to helping the IAOD add many more.

For additional information about how organ donations improve lives and save lives, visit www.iaod.org.

UAW members dig deep for those who need help

Local 1853 member Gail Bonaire at a fund-raiser for her brother who lives in Thailand.

The tsunami disaster that devastated southern Asia in late December 2004 was mind numbing in its destruction. The death toll numbers grew alarmingly on a daily basis. The UAW responded to the disaster in many ways. The International Executive Board made a donation of $500,000 on behalf of active and retired membership to Oxfam, a hunger and poverty relief organization. And members from locals across the country showed how much they cared by giving what they could to victims of the tsunami. [read more]

 

Useful information about charities:

To donate to the United Way, call 1-800-272-4630, or visit their Web site.

To donate to the March of Dimes, call 1-800-658-6674, or visit their Web site.

To donate directly to the American Red Cross, call 1-800-HELP-NOW, or visit their Web site.

To donate to the Salvation Army, call 1-800-SAL-ARMY, or visit their Web site.