United Way update: Branden Nathan has a passion for community service

A majority of Branden Nathan’s friends spent their Thanksgiving feasting on turkey and watching football.

Meanwhile, Nathan was driving through southeast Michigan, delivering meals to elderly residents.

It might not seem like the most ideal way to spend the holiday, but the UM-Dearborn sophomore thrives on helping others.

“Just seeing them, the joy and excitement on their faces, and they’re like, ‘Oh, thank you so much.’ It kind of made my day,” he said.

In Nathan’s role as volunteer coordinator for UM-Dearborn’s Center for Community Involvement and Volunteerism, or CIViC, he often interacts with students who share his passion for community service.

Nathan, who’s studying finance and management, helps students discover volunteer opportunities throughout the metropolitan region.

“We try to focus on Detroit, mainly, considering we’re right here and there’s a lot of issues that need to be addressed in the area,” he said.

Nathan used to help his father clean up parks across Detroit, but he never contracted the volunteer bug until he arrived at UM-Dearborn.

“When I got into this position, I started putting on some of these programs,” he said. “I really got into it and I saw the effects of what I’m doing. Just thinking about it, I was like ‘Whoa, I can make a difference in people’s lives.’”

United Way shares Nathan’s passion for community service. In fact, UM-Dearborn partners with United Way for Southeastern Michigan on a variety of projects to improve Metro Detroit.  The organization partners with UM-Dearborn at the 9/11 Day of Service, Make a Difference Day, Alternative Spring Break and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.

“United Way has helped us in a lot of our events,” he said. “They helped us pick out locations to send our people. They did a lot of the coordination, so we just had to recruit the volunteers and team leaders.”

UM-Dearborn faculty and staff recently showed its support for United Way, as the University wrapped up its 2011 fundraising campaign. About 170 University faculty and staff donated nearly $24,000.

“I thank all faculty and staff for their generosity of donations to the United Way,” said Christopher Tremblay, UM-Dearborn’s assistant vice chancellor for enrollment management and this year’s campaign chair. “At a time of critical need in Southeastern Michigan, together we have made a difference in the lives of our neighbors.”