History

United Way of Carlisle and Cumberland County

History of the United Way of Carlisle & Cumberland County

Established in 1918, United Way of Carlisle & Cumberland County is 104 years old. 2022 will mark their 104th consecutive campaign. The organization has had many familiar names, including the Red Feather, Community Chest, and United Fund. In 1970, when United Way became a cohesive national organization, they changed their name to United Way of the Greater Carlisle Area. In June of 2001, United Way was able to create a “Community Services Center” at 145 S. Hanover Street, offering incubation services to small nonprofits. They also adopted a new name reflecting their increased presence in the region – United Way of Carlisle & Cumberland County.

Recent initiatives that began in 2010/11 include a Student Leadership Council consisting of 26 middle and high school students and a Women’s Leadership Initiative. In 2012 we started the Taking it to the Streets Project, designed to educate all served communities of the many available United Way funded programs and services, and the Community Needs to Community Impact Transition Process, designed to align United Way’s funded programs with the current, most pressing health and human services needs of the local community.

The current United Way of Carlisle and Cumberland County provides funding to 23 partner agencies and 35 programs. It also runs a very successful Success By 6 program, heating assistance program, tax assistance programs and a prescription assistance program. They have a successful history of partnering with local agencies on projects such as Pandemic Preparedness, transitioning teams when local companies are closing or significantly downsizing, agency fairs and financial management courses.