Bay County agencies seeking opinions on how we're handling diversity, equity, and inclusion

The Bay Area Community Foundation — and 20 community partners — want to hear what you think about diversity, equity, and inclusion in Bay County.

This week, a coalition of agencies launched a Bay County Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Community Survey asking residents 18 and over about their experiences with police and public safety; business; local government; housing; and education. All responses are confidential.

The survey is open until Oct. 26. After that, Saginaw Valley State University will analyze the data to provide benchmarks for six components of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The goal is to identify what we’re doing well and where we need to improve.

“To know where to go, we must understand where we are at,” says Diane Fong, President and CEO of the Community Foundation.

“Each person in Bay County has a unique lived experience, and we want to know what that is. Decisions about the community should only be made after gathering information from the community. That means you. Your voice matters.”

To access the survey online, click here. Paper copies of the survey are available at the Foundation office inside the Pere Marquette Depot at 1000 Adams St. or by calling (989) 893-4438. The survey is available in both Spanish and English.

“This survey gives individuals the power to inform local action through the confidential sharing of their experiences,” Fong says. “The short time it takes to complete the survey, about 15 minutes, has the power to create a community that is better for all.”

Community partners include:

• Bangor Township Schools
• Bay Area Chamber of Commerce
• Bay City Public Safety
• Bay County
• Bay County Sheriff’s Office
• Bay County Treasurer/ Bay County Land Bank
• Bay-Arenac ISD
• City of Bay City
• Do-All, Inc.
• Great Lakes Bay Pride
• Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance
• Michigan Sugar Company
• Minority Business Partnership
• NAACP - Bay City Branch
• Saginaw Valley State University
• THRIVE (joint initiative of Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance and MiHIA)
• United Way of Bay County
• YWCA of the Great Lakes Bay Region