The United Way of Southwest Michigan has received a donation of $50,000 from the Joseph N. and Rosemary E. Low Foundation.
United Way Director of Major Gifts Susan Polfus tells us the organization was contacted by Foundation Advisory Board Chair John Low, the son of Joseph and Wilma Low. It was the first time the United Way has heard form the foundation, and Polfus says the donation doesn’t have to be used in any particular way.
“They left it up to the discretion of our board and our volunteers,” Polfus said. “So, it is an unrestricted gift.”
Polfus says Low felt the United Way of Southwest Michigan was a good fit for what he wanted to achieve with the foundation.
“In keeping with the wishes of his family who created this foundation, United Way was a good match for their contributions to the community. It was the kind of support that their family wanted to provide to people in our community through United Way.”
The Joseph and Rosemary Low Foundation was created last year and has been supporting organizations throughout Berrien County, and specifically in Niles. It previously made a $50,000 gift to Fernwood Botanical Garden.
John Low was raised in Niles and is now a professor at Ohio State University.
Polfus says the $50,000 will be used to support United Way projects that focus on the education, financial stability, health, and basic needs of southwest Michigan residents.
