Get to know…Michele Grimm, Director of 211
Michele joined United Way of the Plains in 2024 and works to help connect Kansans to resources provided by the social services safety net through the 211 Information and Referral Service.
Describe your role with United Way of the Plains.
I am the director of the 211 Information & Referral Service at United Way of the Plains and we serve 98 of the 105 counties in the state of Kansas. We are a contact center that connects people confidentially with available resources in their areas. I oversee a phenomenal team of six individuals who care deeply about finding help for those in need. I work with many organizations across the state to make sure our database is up to date, allowing us to have confidence in the resources we provide.


What drew you to want to help others?
I’m honestly not quite sure. I have worked in customer service roles most of my career. A friend suggested I apply for an opening at the American Red Cross in donor recruitment, saying she thought I’d be good at it and really like it. From my first day there, I was hooked on nonprofit work and truly helping others in any way that I could. 23 years later I was looking for a change but still wanting to stay true to my heart and nonprofit work. Another dear friend led me to United Way of the Plains, and this has been the best change ever! I absolutely love the work we all do and the people I have the honor of working with every day. We all have a true passion for the mission.
How do you define success in your role?
Success in this role looks different from other roles I’ve held. I’d say it’s much bigger than success for myself or for my career. It’s truly about what I can do for others. The best example I have is when I received a call from a gentleman in a neighboring county. He was completely distraught because his wife had just passed away two weeks before and he had no idea where to even start with paying bills or getting himself set up with social security and Medicare. Someone at his church suggested he call 211. I listened with care and compassion, and offered my condolences. I then carefully walked him through what he needed to do and resources in the area that would be able to help him from start to finish and continue helping him with anything he needed. He was so thankful at the end of the call and said he felt better at that moment than he had been for weeks. That is when I felt successful. It seemed like I received that call “on purpose” because I had just helped my father-in-law through some of the same processes after my mother-in-law passed away and I had to learn all those things myself.
We’re the ones people call when they don’t know who to call.
How does 211 improve an outcome for someone looking for help?
We receive many calls from individuals who just don’t know where else to turn so they call us. We’re the ones people call when they don’t know who to call. 211 also offers several different ways people can connect with us to find help, including text, chat, and an online database. We can walk them through resources that can help in their time of need and help get them back on track.
How do you see the future of 211 and the impact this will have on those in need?
I’m very excited about the future of 211 Kansas. We recently received a generous grant which is allowing us to update our database. This allows us to send callers information via text message which helps them have the information they need at their fingertips instead of hunting for pen and paper. We are also able to do follow-ups with those that we send information to via text so we can see if they are truly receiving the help we recommend to them. I am also able to work with our organizations and agencies to more easily keep their services updated in our database. And we have a great new public facing website that is more user friendly at www.211kansas.org. The future of 211 is improving our systems and information to help more people across Kansas.
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