United Way of Yuma County, Inc.
The United Way of Yuma County is dedicated to building our community through its partnership of volunteers and organizations.
Description:
United Way of Yuma County provides funding to member agency programs for health and human services. The funding is determined related to Impact Areas as identified through the Measuring What Matters Community Assessment. Healthy Impact Community programs include: Adaptive Equipment Sharing Center, Catholic Community Services-Senior Nutrition and Adult Day Health Care, Saddles of Joy, Saguaro Foundation Group Homes, SMILE-Independent Living Center, Yuma Center for the Visually Impaired, and the Yuma Community Food Bank. Safe Community Impact programs include; American Red Cross Disaster Specialist & Disaster Assistance, Catholic Community Services -Safe House, Child & Family Services, Chicanos por la Causa, and Saguaro Foundation -transportation. Educated Impact programs include; Girl Scouts-Sahauro Council, Habitat for Humanity, and the Yuma Reading Council. Strong Comunity Impact programs include; Grand Canyon Boy Scout Council, Transitional Living Center, The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs of Somerton and Yuma, and the Yuma WORC Center.
History:
In 1887 Denver, Colorado was undergoing rapid growth and facing critical social needs. Four men formed what was known as the Denver’s Charity Organization Society to do fundraising in support of ten local charities. This was the root of what eventually would become a national/international organization known as United Way of America.
In 1913, the first Community Chest was organized in Cleveland. This was the first true financial federation of charities to be organized under the original concept of holding an annual fund drive and was the first real predecessor of the United Way movement.
The inspiration to hold an annual drive to benefit local organizations came to Yuma in 1943. On May 10,1943 local civic leaders would organize what would be known as the Yuma Community Chest and during the Fall 1944 Campaign raised $10,728 to fund three local service organizations in Yuma County. The first organizations to benefit financially from the Yuma Community Chest campaign were the Campfire Girls, Boy Scouts and The Salvation Army.
With the onset of World War I the concept of supporting fund raising campaigns took hold and were know as War Chests. To promote the development of these War Chests the United States Congress passed the first War Revenue Bill, which allowed for the first time the deduction of charitable contribution from taxable income. During the onset of World War II, these campaigns would see their next major change. The concept of using payroll deduction to support organizations was first introduced into the workplace. This would become the heart of what would become the United Way campaign and is still to this day the heart of the United Way movement.
In 1950, the first national campaign slogan “Give the United Way” was first used and in 1963, Los Angeles was the first community to formally adopt the name United Way. Starting in the 70’s, another major change was in development. Over the years several communities had developed their own individual campaign name. There were an estimated 137 different drive across the country conducting annual local campaigns with names such as Community Chest, Torch Drive, Joint Appeal, United Crusade and United Fund Drive. With the support of the national organization these campaigns rapidly saw the need to develop a support network while maintaining their independence. It was during this time that many campaigns across the nation were becoming members of the United Way of America network and in 1967 our organization formally became know as the Greater Yuma Area United Way. As years passed organizations developed in accordance with their own communities and so did ours. With so many outlying communities in Yuma County their was a need to show unified support to the outlying communities and at this time the organization formally became know as the United Way of Yuma County, Inc and since it’s creation to-date has raised and distributed over $9,880,441 to local social service agencies here in Yuma County.
We continue to be members of the United Way of America network, which has association with over 2,300 independently autonomous United Way’s across the country. Although United Way of America provides central information and resources to each organization all United Ways remain totally independent and self-governed by their own communities volunteer governing Board of Directors. It is this concept of being accountable to your own community, which allows local United Way the flexibility to address their own community’s needs. The concept of local money raised here stays here still rings true today and allows us the flexibility to address the issues that matter most in our community by improving lives and delivering meaningful results.
Contact people:
Office fax number: (928)782-5463
Languages Spoken: English
Address:
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180 West 1st Street, Suite B
Yuma, AZ 85364
(See a map) |
Web Site: http://www.unitedwayyuma.org
Directions:
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Drive on 4th Avenue towards Interstate 8. Turn right onto 1st Street. Office is located in old Yuma City Hall building. The buildin will be on your right opposite the Yuma COunty Jail. Enter through front doors of. . . (more) |
| Last updated on September 25, 2009 |
