The St. Joseph County United Way has a new friend. He stands over 6’ tall, is blue, and is quite large for his age. His name is “Joey!”

“Joey is our new mascot,” stated Kelly Hostetler, Executive Director of the St. Joseph County United Way. “He is very excited to begin meeting the people in our community, and is looking forward to the many upcoming events for the United Way.

Joey’s debut appearance will be Saturday, May 17th at the Michigan Week Parade in Sturgis. He is also preparing for the Three Rivers Water Festival Street Parade this summer. Look for Joey out in the community promoting the many funded agencies of the St. Joseph County United Way and the 211 program which is scheduled to launch this summer.

Joey was brought to life by an extraordinary grandmother in remarkable time. Hostetler added that “Joey was created out of love and a need for a “greener” way of promoting the St. Joseph County United Way and it’s forty-one funded agencies.” Joey will be replacing the United Way float seen in previous events. Retiring the float was a difficult but timely decision, with the ever-rising fuel costs. “The float will be missed, however, we have a new found friend in Joey!” said Hostetler.

If your company or funded agency would like to request Joey’s presence at your event, please contact Kelly Hostetler at (269) 467-9099.