About the United Way
History of the Wiregrass United Way
Our Mission:
"To increase the organized capacity of Wiregrass Citizens to care for one another."
Wiregrass United Way History
- 1938 formed as the Dothan United Fund - raised $12,000 for 3 agencies
- 1982 became the Wiregrass United Way to include Dale, Henry and Houston counties
- 1991 Coffee County joined the Wiregrass United Way
- 1992 Geneva County joined the Wiregrass United Way
- 1998 over 100,000 persons served by the Wiregrass United Way and its' agencies
- 2007 Wiregrass United Way serves five counties and 37 agencies, raised over 2.5 million
United Way of America History
- Formed in 1913 as the Community Chest of Cleveland
- By 1948 over 1000 communities served
- In 1974 United Way and the NFL formed a partnership
- In 1998 $3.4 billion raised, $150 million up from 1997
- In 2000 there were 1400 United Ways serving 45,000 agencies
Meaning of the United Way Logo:
- Helping Hand in support of services that support people in local communities
- Universal symbol of mankind cradled by helping hand represents how United Way cares about all people everywhere regardless of sex, race, religion, sexual orientation, etc.
- Rainbow overhead symbolizes hope for a better tomorrow.
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