Opportunities From: United Way for Southeastern Michigan

United Way’s Seasons of Caring connects individuals, groups, corporations and labor partners to meaningful volunteer work. Each season, we focus on one area where volunteers can make a big impact.

In honor of Global Volunteer Month, United Way and Central Detroit Christian are co-hosting a volunteer project on April 27 from 2 - 4 p.m. to create a safe, engaging and encouraging environment for youth.

In Central Detroit Christian's afterschool program, volunteers will work directly with students on a variety of enrichment activities that promote academic success, creativity, and healthy physical activity.

Volunteer responsibilities include:

Ideal volunteers enjoy working with youth, are patient and dependable, and bring enthusiasm to helping students learn and grow. To register, click on the yellow respond button at the top of the page.

United Way works to ensure that families have the resources to help their children start school ready to learn and graduate prepared for success in life. We know that to ensure the future success of our region, we need to support our community’s children now.

Access to books is one of the strongest predictors of early literacy and future academic success. Children who grow up surrounded by books have stronger vocabularies, develop reading skills earlier, and perform better throughout their school years. Yet far too many families in our community lack access to age‑appropriate, engaging books at home.

To help increase access to reading materials in our community, United Way for Southeastern Michigan manages several Little Free Libraries across our region. These libraries are stocked with books that families and children can take and enjoy, helping foster an early love of reading. We also distribute books through community events and to our community partners throughout the region.

United Way is seeking corporate partners and groups to host a book drive for new books that will be distributed to the community. There is no strict timeline for the book drives - we will work with you to develop a timeline that works for your group and the needs of the community.

After registering, we will provide a list of recommended books (which includes diverse genres, topics, and reading levels). Spanish language and bilingual (Spanish/English) books are of particularly high need!

To host a book drive, click RESPOND or contact volunteer@UnitedWaySEM.org. 

Volunteers will support Central Detroit Christian’s Breakthrough Afterschool Program by helping create a safe, engaging, and encouraging environment for youth. Volunteers will work directly with students on a variety of enrichment activities that promote academic success, creativity, and healthy physical activity.

Volunteer responsibilities include:

Homework Support: Provide one‑on‑one or small‑group assistance to students as they complete daily homework assignments, offering guidance, encouragement, and positive academic reinforcement.

Reading Support: Read with students or listen to them read to help build literacy skills, comprehension, and confidence.

Arts & Creative Activities: Assist with structured art projects and hands‑on creative activities that allow students to express themselves and develop fine motor and creative thinking skills.

Sports & Recreation: Support staff in facilitating organized sports and physical activities designed to promote teamwork, fitness, and fun.

Positive Engagement: Serve as a role model by building supportive relationships, encouraging positive behavior, and helping maintain a welcoming, inclusive space for all participants.

Ideal volunteers enjoy working with youth, are patient and dependable, and bring enthusiasm to helping students learn and grow.

Overview/The Need:
In our region, nearly 40% of families struggle to afford their basic needs. The percentage of families without access to critical resources is rising. That includes the ability to provide learning tools at home that boost childrens’ performance in school and bring families together for educational activities.

Building a DIY Children and Family Enrichment Kit is a great way to ensure all families have essential items to fuel educational experiences at home and spend quality time together. We encourage you to get your friends and neighbors involved in building these kits!

Supplies Needed:
• Sturdy container such as a cardboard box, plastic bin, or drawstring bag (one per kit).
Items (Please include a minimum of five items per kit at any age/grade level.):
• Crayons
• Coloring books
• Puzzles
• Family games/cards
• Educational workbooks
• Children’s books

Please note that one kit can range greatly in price depending on where the items are purchased and in what quantity. The average range in cost per kit is $10 to $30.

How to Build Your Kit:
• Select your box/bin/bag and a minimum of five items from the above list to put in the kit.
• Collect or purchase the items. They must be new or never opened/used.
• Build a minimum of five kits.

Host a Drive:
• Involve your friends, family and neighbors in your volunteer efforts! Instead of purchasing items alone, host a virtual or in-person item drive. Coordinate a time and place to have the items dropped off or one location where online purchases should be shipped. Be sure to set a goal of how many kits you want to complete together.

Delivery Information:
Once you sign up by selecting RESPOND, we will share delivery information with you within a few days. All kits will go to local nonprofit agencies. We will also send you tips and tricks for where to purchase items and keeping costs down.

Sharing Your Progress:
• Don’t forget to take pictures of your progress and final products before delivery! Share on social media with #UWVolunteer and #LiveUnited and tag us with @UnitedWaySEM.

Download this flyer and share with your friends and families!

Overview/The Need:
In our region, nearly 40% of families struggle to afford their basic needs. The percentage of families without access to critical resources is rising, and that includes the ability to provide learning tools at home that boost childrens’ performance in school.

Building a DIY Learning at Home Kit is a great way to ensure families have important educational items to fuel learning from home. We encourage you to get your friends and neighbors involved in building these kits!

Supplies Needed:
• Sturdy container such as a cardboard box, plastic bin, or drawstring bag (one per kit).
• Please include a minimum of three flash card sets and two other items from the list below.

FLASH CARDS (age/grade indicated on box)
• Sentence structure
• Punctuation
• Adjectives
• Nouns and verbs
• Multiplication
• Division
• Fractions
• Any flash cards that are math/literacy focused

WORKBOOKS
• Vocabulary, reading comprehension, grammar
• Multiplication/division, fractions, measurements

BOOKS
• Novels, poetry, short stories

LEARNING GAMES
• Riddles, trivia, Brain Quest

OTHER LITERACY TOOLS/MISC.
• Mini dry erase board with marker
• Pencils or colored pencils
• Sketch/drawing pad
• Pencil sharpener
• Supply/pencil bag/box to store items in

Please note that one kit can range greatly in price depending on where the items are purchased and in what quantity. The average range in cost per kit is $10-30. Please note that some items may be available at dollar or discount stores. 

Considerations for Buying Materials:
• When you shop for materials, please keep in mind that children who receive kits come from a variety of backgrounds and demographics. It’s important to pick materials that celebrate and showcase a variety of races, ethnicities, genders, abilities, statuses, and family makeups to ensure children can see themselves and their peers represented in the materials.
• Provide materials in multiple languages. You could create a kit completely in another language or mix two languages into one kit.
• Languages most needed: English, Spanish, Arabic. (If you create kits in languages other than English, please let United Way staff know so that they can match you with an appropriate agency.)

How to Build Your Kit:
• Select your box/bin/bag plus a minimum of three flash card sets and two additional items from the above list to put in the kit.
• Collect or purchase the items. They must be new or never opened.
• Build a minimum of five kits.

Host a Drive:
• Involve your friends, family and neighbors in your volunteer efforts! Instead of purchasing items alone, host a virtual or in-person item drive. Coordinate a time and place to have the items dropped off or one location to have online purchases shipped. Be sure to set a goal of how many kits you want to complete together!

Delivery Information:
• Once you sign up (Select RESPOND), we will share delivery information with you within a few days. All kits will go to local nonprofit agencies. 

Share Your Progress:
Don’t forget to take pictures of your progress and final products before delivery! Share on social media with #UWVolunteer and #LiveUnited and tag us @UnitedWaySEM.

Download DIY Kit project guide and share with your friends and families!

Overview/The Need:
In our region, nearly 40% of families struggle to afford their basic needs. The percentage of families without access to critical resources is rising, and that includes the ability to provide learning tools at home that boost childrens’ performance in school.

Building a DIY Learning at Home Kit is a great way to ensure families have important educational items to fuel learning from home. We encourage you to get your friends and neighbors involved in building these kits!

Supplies Needed:
• Sturdy container such as a cardboard box, plastic bin, or drawstring bag (one per kit).
• Please include a minimum of three flash card sets and two other items from the list below.

FLASH CARDS (age/grade indicated on box)
• Letters
• Sight words
• Phonics
• Addition
• Subtraction
• Time/money
• Any flash cards that are math/literacy focused

WORKBOOKS
• Reading readiness, sentence structure, reading comprehension
• Math skills, math focus

BOOKS WITH COMMUNITY AND FRIENDSHIP THEME
• Learn to read, beginner chapter books

LEARNING GAMES
• Uno, Mad Libs

OTHER LITERACY TOOLS/MISC.
• Mini dry erase board with marker
• Small plastic bin to store items in
• Sketch/drawing pad
• Pencils/pencil sharpener
• Crayons

Please note that one kit can range greatly in price depending on where the items are purchased and in what quantity. The average range in cost per kit is $10-$30.  Please note that some items may be available at dollar or discount stores. 

Considerations for Buying Materials:
• When you shop for materials, please keep in mind that children who receive kits come from a variety of backgrounds and demographics. It’s important to pick materials that celebrate and showcase a variety of races, ethnicities, genders, abilities, statuses, and family makeups to ensure children can see themselves and their peers represented in the materials.
• Provide materials in multiple languages. You could create a kit completely in another language or mix two languages into one kit.
• Languages most needed: English, Spanish, Arabic (If you create kits in languages other than English, please let United Way staff know so that they can match you with an appropriate agency.)

How to Build Your Kit:
• Select your box/bin/bag plus a minimum of three flash card sets and two additional items from the above list to put in the kit.
• Collect or purchase the items. They must be new or never opened.
• Build a minimum of five kits.

Host a Drive:
• Involve your friends, family and neighbors in your volunteer efforts! Instead of purchasing items alone, host a virtual or in-person item drive. Coordinate a time and place to have the items dropped off or one location to have online purchases shipped. Be sure to set a goal of how many kits you want to complete together!

Delivery Information:
• Once you sign up (Select RESPOND), we will share delivery information with you within a few days. All kits will go to local nonprofit agencies. 

Share Your Progress:

Don’t forget to take pictures of your progress and final products before delivery! Share on social media with #UWVolunteer or #LiveUnited and tag us @UnitedWaySEM.

Download DIY Kit Project Guide

Join us as we gift new books to elementary school students to help them grow into strong readers!

United Way for Southeastern Michigan is partnering with Scholastic, Inc. to host several My Home Library Book Fairs at local elementary schools throughout the year. At these book fairs, students will get to pick out free books to take home with them to create a home library.

Volunteers are needed at Mann Learning Community in Detroit to:

To register to volunteer, click Respond at the top of the page. Lunch will not be provided so please plan to bring snacks and a lunch (if you sign up for multiple shifts). There will also be a break if you prefer to go out and get your lunch.

Volunteers are required to complete a background check per Detroit Public Schools district policy. After registering, volunteers will receive the background check form to complete.

Sign up today to be a part of this impactful event!

United Way works to ensure that families have the resources to help their children start school ready to learn and graduate prepared for success in life. We know that to ensure the future success of our region, we need to support our community’s children now.

Access to books is a key part of the equation, as research shows that children with access to ample reading materials have increased literacy at an earlier age and are more prepared for school at all levels. 

To celebrate Ann Arbor's bicentennial, United Way for Southeastern Michigan has set a goal to collect 200 books for organizations in Washtenaw county. Spanish language and bilingual (Spanish/English) books are of particularly high need!

If interested in serving as a book sponsor, select RESPOND or contact volunteer@UnitedWaySEM.org. 

United Way works to ensure that families have the resources to help their children start school ready to learn and graduate prepared for success in life. We know that to ensure the future success of our region, we need to support our community’s children now.

Access to books is one of the strongest predictors of early literacy and future academic success. Children who grow up surrounded by books have stronger vocabularies, develop reading skills earlier, and perform better throughout their school years. Yet far too many families in our community lack access to age‑appropriate, engaging books at home.

To help increase access to reading materials in our community, United Way for Southeastern Michigan manages several Little Free Libraries across our region. These libraries are stocked with books that families and children can take and enjoy, helping foster an early love of reading. We also distribute books through community events and to our community partners throughout the region.

Click here to purchase books from our Amazon wishlist.