VP sees value in United Way

Grand Valley Vice President for Inclusion and Equity Jeanne Arnold is just finishing her first year serving on the board of Heart of West Michigan United Way. But this is not her first exposure to United Way's work.

Earlier in her career, Arnold worked for a United Way-funded agency called Crime Prevention Association in Pennsylvania. She said it gave her a first-hand look at the important work United Way does. “As a social worker, I have always been aware of United Way’s work, and I have always given through my workplace to United Way campaigns,” Arnold said.

As a transplant to West Michigan, Arnold said her service on the board has helped her get to know the community better. “It's been a way for me to learn about the issues and needs of people in West Michigan,” she said. “It really has helped me learn the community.”

Arnold said one of the things she's been able to learn about the community is that Grand Valley’s annual United Way campaign is “absolutely critical” in the region. “We all know the economic crisis here in Michigan. This is no time for any of United Way's key partners to be retrenching at all — and Grand Valley is one of United Way's key partners,” she added.

Grand Valley’s United Way campaign runs September 30 through October 14.