
COMMUNITY VOICES
DRIVE EVERY
DECISION.
Local volunteers—your neighbors, coworkers, and friends—review programs, visit sites, and share their perspectives on where funds can make the greatest impact. Their insights ensure investments reflect the real needs and opportunities in our community.
Community Investment Grants are just one way United Way of the Lakeshore creates change. From volunteer mobilization to partnerships, advocacy, and direct initiatives, we’re uniting people and resources to build stronger, healthier communities across the Lakeshore.
We’re always looking for volunteers who want to serve and advise on our impact work. Together, we can shape the future of our region—because lasting change starts when the community leads the way.
Healthy Community Programs
Volunteer For Dental (VFD) provides no-cost, comprehensive dental care and oral health education to uninsured or under-insured adults in Muskegon and Oceana Counties in exchange for community service.
TrueNorth’s Weekend PowerPacks fills the weekend meal gap for 400 PreK–12 students across Grant, Newaygo, White Cloud, Hesperia, and the Newaygo County Education & Activity Center for 40 school weeks.
The Hope Project’s Group Therapy, Recovery & Mentoring Groups provide trauma-informed, wrap-around healing supports for girls and women who have survived sex trafficking—as well as targeted prevention for highly vulnerable youth—in Muskegon, Newaygo, and Oceana Counties.
The Oceana County Council on Aging (OCCOA) operates the only public transportation available to county residents, prioritizing adults 60+.
Newaygo County Compassion Home provides no-cost, home-like end-of-life care and education for terminally ill neighbors in Newaygo County and surrounding areas.
Mission for Area People’s free Walk-In Medical Clinic gives uninsured and underinsured Muskegon County residents fast, no-cost access to primary care.
Mediation & Restorative Services’ Family Mediation program gives Muskegon and Oceana County families a safe, low-cost way to resolve conflict and plan for the future.
Life Align operates a no-cost recovery community center and harm-reduction hub for people navigating substance use and co-occurring mental health challenges—and their families.
Kids’ Food Basket’s core Sack Supper program delivers a ready-to-eat evening meal to about 1,700 Muskegon County students at seven partner schools each school day.
Every Woman’s Place operates a 20-bed emergency safe shelter in Muskegon for survivors of domestic violence and their children.
COVE’s Crisis Intervention—Domestic Violence program provides 24/7, trauma-informed support for survivors across Oceana County.
The Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program recruits, trains, and supervises community volunteers who are appointed by Muskegon County judges to advocate for the best interests of children (birth–17) in abuse/neglect court cases.
The Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) is a child-friendly hub where Muskegon County children (birth–17) who have experienced abuse receive coordinated, trauma-informed care—free of charge.
Catholic Charities West Michigan’s Behavioral Health Services in Muskegon provides outpatient substance use treatment and mental health counseling for adults and children.
Arbor Circle delivers culturally responsive, women-focused behavioral health care that meets people where they are—at home, in the community, and in the clinic.
Arbor Circle provides person-centered counseling and recovery services for children, youth, adults, and families in Newaygo County (with a school-based site serving Hesperia in Oceana County).
AgeWell Services’ Senior Transportation Program provides safe, no-cost, door-to-door, non-emergency medical rides for low-income adults age 60+ in Muskegon County.
Financial Security Programs
Women’s Resource Center’s New Beginnings is a jail-based, trauma-informed workforce and life-development program for justice-involved women (17+) at the Muskegon County Jail.
TrueNorth’s Housing Case Manager provides flexible, person-centered support to Muskegon County residents experiencing—or at imminent risk of—homelessness, especially ALICE households who often don’t qualify for rigid state/federal programs.
Mission for Area People’s Transportation Assistance (ALICE) program removes transportation barriers so working Muskegon County residents can obtain and keep employment.
Certified HUD Housing Counselors provide group workshops and one-on-one counseling for first-time homebuyers, renters, and homeowners.
Love INC’s New Directions program delivers small-group, skills-based classes across Muskegon County that help ALICE households stabilize and grow.
Legal Aid of Western Michigan (LAWM) provides free civil legal help to low-income residents of Muskegon, Newaygo, and Oceana counties.
Hope 101 Ministry’s The Cookery is a “pay-as-you-can” social-enterprise eatery and meal program serving Newaygo County.
Goodwill Industries of West Michigan’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program provides free, IRS-certified tax preparation for low- to moderate-income households across Muskegon, Newaygo, and Oceana Counties.
Fresh Coast Alliance’s Financial Success Program—delivered as the six-week Healthy Lifestyles class—gives returning citizens and people in early recovery the everyday skills that keep jobs and stabilize budgets.
Every Woman’s Place’s Housing First initiative sustains 45 HUD-funded Permanent Supportive Housing units across Muskegon County for chronically homeless individuals with disabilities—many fleeing domestic violence.
The Red Cross Disaster Cycle Services program supports families before, during, and after home fires and other local disasters.
Youth Opportunity Programs
TrueMentors is TrueNorth’s countywide mentoring initiative offering four evidence-informed tracks that wrap caring adults around Newaygo County youth.
Read Muskegon’s Family Literacy Initiative is a two-generation (2Gen) model serving families in Muskegon and Oceana Counties.
Pathfinders’ Lights On Afterschool runs September–June and provides a safe, trauma-sensitive space where Muskegon County youth—especially those in ALICE and low-income households—receive one-on-one mentoring, tutoring, and engaging enrichment.
Lights On Afterschool at Orchard View’s Cardinal Elementary serves grades 2–5 in a licensed, safe, after-school and summer setting that extends the school day with hands-on STEAM projects, literacy enrichment, homework support, and social-emotional learning.
Orchard View Community Education’s Innovative Learning Center provides free, on-site child care so parents can attend GED or high school completion classes without the cost or logistics of arranging care.
Hope Network’s Michigan Education Corps will place Math Corps AmeriCorps interventionists at Muskegon County schools to deliver high-impact math tutoring to students below benchmark.
Hope Network’s Michigan Education Corps will Reading Corps AmeriCorps interventionists in Muskegon County to deliver daily, high-dosage literacy tutoring for K–3 students who are below benchmark.
Prevention Through Education delivers age-appropriate safety education to students in every Muskegon County school—pre-K through high school—on personal body safety and abuse prevention, bullying and conflict management, internet safety, human trafficking awareness, and the realities of teen pregnancy.
Catholic Charities West Michigan’s St. Gianna Baby & Toddler Pantry in Muskegon provides free essentials and serves as a referral hub for pregnancy counseling, mental health and SUD treatment, postpartum support, and domestic violence resources.
Project Learn is the Club’s year-round, research-based academic enhancement model delivered at the newly renovated Clubhouse and through school partnerships.