As a long-time community leader, Heart of West Michigan United Way collaborates with other organizations throughout West Michigan to advance the common good - that is, to direct change and create opportunities for a good life for all who live here. We focus our efforts in three critical areas: education, income and health, which are the building blocks to a successful life. A quality education that leads to a stable job, enough to support a family through retirement, with good health at every stage. Our goal is to work toward long-lasting changes that truly make an impact. So while we support those who have fallen on hard times, we also work to identify the root causes of problems. Then we build preventative systems that keep those problems from happening in the first place.