United Way of Southwest Michigan incorporating Van Buren office into St. Joseph headquarters
The Van Buren team will continue to serve Van Buren County from main UWSM office.
United Way of Southwest Michigan is folding its Paw Paw office, formerly the office of Van Buren County United Way, into UWSM’s office in St. Joseph, which now serves as the operations hub for all of Southwest Michigan, including Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren Counties.
The July 2019 merger of United Way of Southwest Michigan, which has served Berrien and Cass Counties, and Van Buren County United Way has been a tremendous benefit to all three counties. The consolidated organization is bigger and better than ever before—and continues to scale its impact on its combined geography with greater resources, fewer redundancies, and increased efficiency.
The two organizations—their respective leadership and boards—decided to merge last year because both recognized it as a unique opportunity to serve our region with the power of collective thought and local expertise. Van Buren County, in particular, gains dramatically increased staff capacity to do much-needed work, significantly greater leveraging of funds, robust data collection and measurement tools, and an extensive system for engaging and mobilizing volunteers.
Vera Sebree, former Executive Director of Van Buren County United Way, and her team remain with United Way of Southwest Michigan, continuing their work serving Van Buren. In July 2019, Sebree became Director of Programs for United Way of Southwest Michigan. The Van Buren team are now working out of the St. Joseph office (albeit remotely during the pandemic).
Sebree can be reached at the same number: 269-657-2410. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program will continue in Van Buren County and will be held at another location in Paw Paw for the 2021 tax season. We will update the community once a new location is secured.
United Way extends its deepest thanks to Harold Schuitmaker who leased the lower portion of his law office to Van Buren County United Way and generously supported United Way for well over 25 years.