Unemployment is one of those words that have become a buzz phrase in modern American culture. Here in the Great Lakes, the word has almost become synonymous with everyday reality.

However, unemployment is no laughing matter. With national jobless rates reaching 8.5% just recently, and Michigan’s unemployed continuing to hover around 12% (the highest of any state in the country), everyone seems to be in total agreement that something must be done.

In the meantime, wonderful tools like the Unemployment LifeLife are starting to spring up. By going to the Unemployment LifeLine’s official website, jobless Americans are just one click away from accessing a virtually endless database of resources that connects out of work citizens local unemployment offices, veterans’ services, and even child care services.

As a collaborative project between Working America, the Working America Education Fund, the AFL-CIO and the AFL-CIO's Community Services staff, the Unemployment LifeLine is designed to bring opportunities to the countless thousands of families who may have written off hope as all but lost. It is a powerful resource tool that could just provide the life-preserver Michiganders have been desperately searching for.

So don’t wait: if you’re unemployed and have been struggling to make ends meet, head over to the Unemployment LifeLine today, and begin setting the stage for a new tomorrow. Hope doesn’t have to be a far off promise just reserved for other people – it can be a powerful reality.