Our Partners

United Way corporate partners, health and human service partner agencies, individual donors, and volunteers come together to build a stronger LaPorte County. From leading workplace campaigns to participating in conversations about challenges facing our region, United Way partners are fighting for the health, education, financial stability, and safety of every person in our community.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

United Way of La Porte County strives to be a model of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our Board of Trustees, staff, and volunteers reflect the many faces, cultures, and walks of life that proudly make up our community.

United Way of La Porte County thrives on the shared humanity of our diverse community. We believe we are at our best when every member of our community is welcomed, valued, heard, acknowledged, and celebrated. We share the outrage, anguish, and grief many in our community are feeling, and United Way of La Porte County is committed to standing as an ally, an advocate, and an agent for change to eliminate discrimination in La Porte County and beyond.

We stand alongside all people who seek freedom, safety, and equity including but not limited to Blacks/African Americans, Indigenous peoples, Asian and Pacific Islanders, Hispanics/Latinx, women, and those along the diverse spectrum of sexual orientation and identification.

We recognize structural racism and other forms of oppression have contributed to persistent disparities which United Way seeks to dismantle. Our United Way network strives to engage community members, especially those whose voices have traditionally been marginalized. We work with residents and public and private partners to co-create solutions that ensure everyone has the resources, supports, opportunities, and networks they need to thrive. We commit to leveraging all of our assets (convening, strategic investments, awareness building, advocacy) to create more equitable communities.

In LaPorte County, we are better together, and we LIVE UNITED.

We take the broadest possible view of diversity.

We value the visible and invisible qualities that make you who you are.

We welcome that every person brings a unique perspective and experience to advance our mission and progress our fight for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in every community.

We believe that each United Way community member, donor, volunteer, advocate, and employee must have equal access to solving community problems.

We strive to include diversity, equity, and inclusion practices at the center of our daily work.

We commit to using these practices for our business and our communities.

Join us in embracing diversity, equity and inclusion for every person in every community.

Definitions

di·ver·si·ty (də-ˈvər-sə-tē) n.: the quality of being different or unique at the individual or group level. This includes age; ethnicity; gender; gender identity; language differences; nationality; parental status; physical, mental and developmental abilities; race; religion; sexual orientation; skin color; socio-economic status; work and behavioral styles; the perspectives of each individual shaped by their nation, experiences and culture—and more. Even when people appear the same on the outside, they are different!

eq·ui·ty (ˈekwədē) n.: an approach to ensure everyone has access to the same opportunities by recognizing the systemic advantages and barriers that exist in our communities prevent us from all starting from the same place. Equity begins by acknowledging these inequities and developing tools and resources to correct and address imbalances.

in·clu·sion (in-ˈklü-zhən) n.: a strategy to leverage diversity. Diversity always exists in social systems. Inclusion, on the other hand, must be created. In order to leverage diversity, an environment must be created where people feel supported, listened to and able to do their personal best.

Statement of Principle

More than 125 years ago, the diverse community leaders who founded United Way crossed cultural, religious and economic boundaries to make a difference through collective action. Today, diversity and inclusion remain vital to achieving our mission, living our values and advancing the common good.

United Way fosters and promotes an inclusive environment that leverages the unique contributions of diverse individuals and organizations so that we can collectively and effectively create opportunities for a better life for all.

United Way takes the broadest possible view of diversity, going beyond visible differences to affirm the essence of all individuals including the realities, background, experiences, skills and perspectives that make each person who they are.  Engaging the power of diverse talent and partners results in innovative solutions and the community ownership necessary to address complex community issues.

United Way of LaPorte County is an equal opportunity employer. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the heart of what it means to LIVE UNITED.

EQUITY TOOLKIT

This toolkit is designed to support you in being bold and effective on your race, equity and inclusion journey. It focuses on what you might consider “getting your own house in order”—building our understanding of the core issues; building our organizational capacity to focus on race, equity and inclusion; and creating supportive and thriving work places for our staff so that we can mirror an inclusive culture as we go out into the community.

Click here to view the resources.