Improve Your Community with Help From the United Way

The United Way of Greater New Bedford is again offering Changemaker Grants in 2024.

The United Way is encouraging small groups of people (three to four people) to come together and develop a plan to improve their community, and the agency will award grants of up to $2,500 to get the plan off the ground.

The United Way's Sarah Rose joined Townsquare Sunday to talk about the Changemaker Grant program and share how you can get involved.

"The Changemaker Grants allows small groups of volunteers who see a community need, to be able to apply for grants of up to $2,500, and on a grassroots level, make changes in their community," she said.

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Rose said the Changemaker Grant program has been in existence since 1995, and the United Way awards anywhere from 13 to 20 grants per year.

Rose said the United Way is offering two information sessions online this week, on February 12 at 4 p.m. and February 13 at 6 p.m. You can register for the sessions by visiting the United Way of Greater New Bedford website, and the United Way will send to the link for the virtual sessions.

The United Way is accepting proposals starting the next day, February 14, through March 22. Decisions on whether to fund proposals will be made by a citizens review committee, not the United Way staff, and applicants will be notified on the week of May 6.

"You do not need to be an existing non-profit organization to apply for funding," Rose said. "It can be literally be three people with a great idea."

Townsquare Sunday is a community affairs program heard Sundays at 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. on WBSM.

If you would like your organization featured on Townsquare Sunday, please email the host at jim.phillips@townsquaremedia.com.

Hilarious Google Reviews of the New Bedford-Fairhaven Bridge

We've all been there. You think you've made it with a couple of minutes to spare, only to get caught at the red light as the bridge closes. Some of us turn around. Others wait. What most of us don't do, however, is take our anger to the internet — but apparently, several people have, and the results are both hilarious and relatable.

With an average rating of two stars on Google, our love-to-hate-it SouthCoast landmark proves that it's at least slow enough for those stuck waiting to grab their phones and pour out their feelings online. From glowing to glowering, here's what people have to say about the New Bedford-Fairhaven bridge.

Gallery Credit: Kate Robinson