Heaven's Story: Bringing Lived Experience to Kalamazoo's Housing Work
-Heaven, a resident of Kalamazoo for almost 10 years, is now more than a month into her new role as an Intake Specialist with Housing Resources, Inc. (HRI). The journey to get where she is hasn’t been easy, but she’s had some transformative experiences along the way. [MORE: https://connect.unitedforscmi.org/home/blogs/heavens-story-bringing-lived-experience-to-kalamazoos-housing-work-2026-06-26 ] Margaux's Story: Connecting with Community
-Margaux Dever’s support of United Way has spanned many years and several communities, now including Jackson.
She previously worked in housing and community development with the City of Muncie and PathStone Corporation in Indiana – work that brought her into close partnership with Heart of Indiana United Way. Her deep interest in housing, a background in education, and appreciation for the research on ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) led her to become an ardent supporter. [MORE: https://connect.unitedforscmi.org/home/blogs/margauxs-story-connecting-with-community-2026-07-07 ] 2026 PIT Count Volunteer: Willa Ditaranto
-Luckily for UWSCMI's Kalamazoo Continuum of Care, there are volunteers like Willa DiTaranto, Deputy Director of the Kalamazoo County Government Housing Department. [MORE: https://connect.unitedforscmi.org/home/blogs/2026-pit-count-volunteer-willa-ditaranto-2026-06-09 ] VITA Volunteer Spotlight: Yogesh Saxema
-“I started volunteering with VITA in 2020 after I retired at the end of 2019. I had been looking for volunteer activities that I could do after my retirement." [MORE: https://connect.unitedforscmi.org/home/blogs/vita-volunteer-spotlight-yogesh-saxema ] 
