Recently Scott Dzurka, President of the Michigan Association of United Ways, introduced the launch of LIVE UNITED. There are 64 United Ways across Michigan that are part of the nation’s largest nonprofit, the LIVE UNITED campaign is a new frontier for United Way nationwide. All chapters throughout the state have come together to promote the LIVE UNITED brand and are dedicated to working together to create social change for a better tomorrow.
This effort marks a significant change in our history and is the symbolic start of our effort to have a profound impact on our community through this new messaging.
LIVE UNITED is much more than a branding effort – it’s a personal motto to live by each day. And collectively, when embraced by all, has the power to unify and coalesce communities striving to improve. Our goal is to ignite a new social movement and develop new partnerships and strategies to create opportunities for a better life for all. In conjunction with LIVE UNITED, United Way announced its intent to focus investments locally on the building blocks of a good life that include education, income & health – thereby creating such opportunities for the advancement of “the common good”.
You may have heard the recently released Public Service Ads that have been distributed to media outlets throughout the state through a partnership with the Ad Council. This multi-media campaign has been created pro bono by McCann Erickson from New York, and carries the message of the three pillars that encompass LIVE UNITED – Give, Advocate, & Volunteer.
A website has also been created www.liveunited.org, as well as other social networking tools, which carry the message of engaging in your community by giving, advocacy, or volunteerism. One of the unique aspects of the messaging is through the use of the simple, white t-shirts carrying the statement “LIVE UNITED”. It is our hope, that through these tools, we can engage a new audience to serve their community.
Because underneath everything we are, underneath everything we do, we are all people. Connected, interdependent, united. And when we reach out a hand to one, we influence the condition of all. That’s what it means to Live United. Give. Advocate. Volunteer. – an opportunity to empower an individual to act as part of a larger collective of individuals to make the world a better and brighter place to live one community at a time. That’s living united.
But for us collectively to be successful, it is crucial that the media take advantage of their position and reach out to the masses. United Way is trying to do its part to make a difference for tomorrow and beyond and wants to make a great impact not only on the community level, but on the state, nation and worldwide. It’s a bold initiative, but if not us, then whom? United Way given its local leadership and grassroots efforts is uniquely positioned in its 1300 chapters to take on this challenge collectively.
It takes everyone in a community working together to create a brighter future. When one child succeeds in school, when families are financially stable and healthy, we all win. Give, Advocate, Volunteer – everyone can play their part.