Otsego County United Way

Home
United States
Gaylord, MI
Otsego County United Way

LIVE UNITED https://www.otsegounitedway.org/

10/12/2026

🍎 TEACHERS! Have a great idea for your classroom? We want to help make it happen! 📚 Applications are OPEN for our new Classroom Teacher Grants.

Thanks to our Touchdowns for Tomorrow fundraiser and a generous match from the OCUW Board, $8,000 is available to support up to 16 classrooms throughout Otsego County!

Teachers can apply for grants of up to $500 to bring new ideas and opportunities to their students! Whether it's classroom materials, special programs, guest speakers, training, or unique educational experiences, we want to help turn those ideas into reality.

📅 Application Deadline: Friday, October 30 at 4:00 PM

✅ Apply Today: https://forms.gle/kD7sZ8JoN8ysYTGR7

Great things happen when we invest in our teachers and students! We're proud to support the creativity, dedication, and passion of our local educators. 💙

Questions? Contact Kimberly Akin or Alice McPherson at 989-732-8929.

***rd

10/08/2026

🌟 RSVP Volunteer of the Month – October 🌟

Congratulations to our October Volunteer of the Month, Mary Fox! 💙

Mary is the kind of person every community hopes to have in its corner. She was instrumental in the planning and success of Project Connect, generously giving her time, ideas, connections, and support every step of the way. Her impact reached far beyond the event itself, and we are incredibly grateful for the heart, dedication, and generosity she continues to give to our community.

💙 Thank you, Mary, for all that you do for Otsego County! Congratulations on being our October RSVP Volunteer of the Month! 🎉

10/07/2026

Last Thursday was all about celebrating some pretty incredible people—our RSVP volunteers! ❤️

Nearly 100 volunteers and guests joined us at the Ga***rd Eagles for an afternoon of great food, delicious desserts, prizes, laughter, and wonderful company.

Our RSVP volunteers give nearly 30,000 hours of their time each year across 67 volunteer stations throughout Otsego County. From helping neighbors and local organizations to supporting programs and services throughout our community, chances are you’ve seen an RSVP volunteer in action!

We are incredibly grateful for every hour given, every helping hand, and every volunteer who chooses to make a difference in our community.

A huge thank you to the Ga***rd Eagles and their wonderful team for once again providing such a welcoming place to gather and celebrate. We appreciate you!

And most importantly, thank you to our volunteers. Otsego County is a better place because of you. ❤️

10/05/2026

🍎 Today is World Teacher Day and we have something BIG to announce! 📚

For the first time, Otsego County United Way is offering Classroom Teacher Grants to help bring new opportunities, resources, and experiences directly into local classrooms!

Earlier this year, our Touchdowns for Tomorrow Super Bowl Squares fundraiser raised $4,000 specifically for classroom grants—and the OCUW Board generously matched that with an additional $4,000. That means $8,000 is available to support up to 16 classrooms across Otsego County!

Classroom teachers may apply for grants of up to $500 to help fund materials, programs, guest speakers, training, educational experiences, and other opportunities that may not have access to traditional funding.

📅 Application Deadline: Friday, October 30 at 4:00 PM
✅ Apply Here:https://forms.gle/kD7sZ8JoN8ysYTGR7

We are so excited to invest these dollars back into our local classrooms and help teachers bring great ideas to life for their students. 🍎

Questions? Contact Kimberly Akin or Alice McPherson at 989-732-8929.

***rd

10/01/2026

Otsego County United Way will be closed today and tomorrow as we welcome the AAUW Book Sale to our building.

Today: Book Sale Setup
Tomorrow: The AAUW Book Sale Begins!

Thank you for your understanding! 🫶

09/29/2026

With great pride, OCUW and the RSVP program celebrate the incredible work happening across all of our workstations. Each station plays an important role in connecting volunteers with meaningful opportunities to serve, support, and strengthen our community.

Together, our volunteers, partners, and workstations show what makes Otsego County so powerful. 🫶

09/28/2026

A full room, a great conversation, and a community getting better prepared. ❤️

Friday’s Disaster Preparedness Lunch & Learn brought together RSVP volunteers and community members to learn how we can better prepare ourselves, our families, and our homes for the next emergency.

Our presenter, Erin Mann, OCUW's Disaster Recovery Consultant, guided us through practical steps we can take now to be ready when disaster strikes. But some of the most meaningful moments came from simply talking with one another. We shared our own experiences from the pandemic, the Ga***rd tornado, and the ice storm—what we learned, what was difficult, and what we might do differently next time.

Everyone left with useful information, new knowledge, and a preparedness bag to help put what we learned into action.

And, of course, no Lunch & Learn is complete without lunch! A big thank you to Alpine Tavern & Eatery for the wonderful meal.

Thank you to Erin and to everyone who joined us. Preparedness starts before an emergency happens, and Friday was a great reminder that a prepared community is a stronger community. ❤️

09/23/2026

In the fall, the Otsego County United Way celebrates the Retired Senior Volunteer Program and its amazing accomplishments. RSVP volunteers give their time, talents, and hearts to strengthen our community in meaningful ways every day. 💙

One inspiring example is Pam Zeilinger, who began volunteering at OMH in April 2025 and is already making an incredible impact, with about 700 hours served in 2026 as she works toward a goal of 1,000 hours in a year. Her dedication is a powerful reminder of what happens when people choose to show up for their neighbors.

We are proud to recognize and celebrate RSVP volunteers whose service helps make Otsego County a more connected, caring place to live. Thank you to every volunteer who gives their time to make a difference! 🫶

09/22/2026

🧡 The first backpacks of the season are being packed! 💙

Today, our friends at the Otsego County Food Pantry are holding their first backpack packing of the season, filling bags with groceries that will go home with area kids who may need a little extra food support.

And this one is extra special. ❤️

The apple cinnamon oatmeal meals our community packaged during Day of Caring – United for Hunger are heading out to their first group of kids!

Those meals were packed by local volunteers with this exact purpose in mind—to provide an easy, nutritious meal for our neighbors when they need it. Now, just a little over a week later, they’re already making their way into homes across our community. 💙

A huge thank you to the Otsego County Food Pantry who make this program possible all season long!

***rdMI

09/17/2026

💙 RSVP Volunteers—join us for a special Lunch & Learn focused on disaster preparedness and community response with special guest Erin Mann!

📅 Friday, September 25
⏰ 11:30 AM–1:30 PM
📍 Otsego County United Way Building, 116 E. 5th St, Ga***rd, MI

We’ll talk about practical ways to prepare yourself, your family and your home—including knowing your risks, creating a communication plan and taking steps to make your home more secure.

We’ll also explore how local volunteers can safely support our community before, during and after an emergency.

Did you volunteer during the pandemic, tornado or ice storm? Have you wondered how you could help when the next disaster happens? Whether you have volunteered before or are simply interested in helping in the future, your willingness to learn and prepare can make a meaningful difference.

Sign Up Here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/925lunchlearn

***rdMI

Address

116 E 5th Street
Gaylord, MI
49735

Telephone

+19897328929

Website

https://otsegounitedway.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Otsego County United Way posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Otsego County United Way:

Want your organization to be the top-listed government service in Gaylord?