When people think of United Way, the first thing that comes to mind is fundraising.  In fact, when you ask people what their top five favorite charities are, their response might be 1. Red Cross, 2. American Cancer Society, 3. Heart Association, 4. Easter Seals, and 5. United Way — not necessarily in that order. What people don’t realize is that your United Way plays a fundamental role in each of the four charities listed above plus 41 other different agencies – 45 agencies total.

But raising money to help these agency partners is only a strategy for United Way, not our mission. We are in the business of impacting communities in the five county River Region. It isn’t how many individuals we serve, nor is it how many programs we create. Our measure of success is in the lives we change and the community we shape – that is how your United Way operates, doing what matters in the River Region.