United Way of Sumner County: A Brief History
In 1887, a Denver woman, a priest, two ministers and a rabbi recognized the need for cooperative action to address their city’s welfare problems. Frances Wisebart Jacobs, the Rev. Myron W. Reed, Msgr. William J.O’Ryan, Dean H. Martyn Hart and Rabbi William S. Friedman put their heads together to plan the first united campaign for 10 health and welfare agencies. They created an organization to serve as an agent to collect funds for local charities, as well as to coordinate relief services, counsel and refer clients to cooperating agencies, and make emergency assistance grants in cases which could not be referred. That year, Denver raised $21,700 and created a movement that would spread throughout the country to become the United Way. Over 125 years later, United Way is still focused on mobilizing the caring power of communities and making a difference in people’s lives.
1922:
In Nashville, Tenn., the idea of coodinated fundraising gains support during World War I with the success of the War Chest Campaign. After the war, four men decide to continue this successful concept to support local health and human services. This was the beginning of what became the Community Chest.
1954:
Nashville business leaders establish the United Givers Fund (UGF), replacing the Community Chest. UGF has its first $1 million workplace campaign.
1974:
The UGF joins with similar organizations nationwide to become United Way.
1977:
Discussion of creating a stand-alone United Way for Sumner County began as far back as 1967. Discussions took place in various forms until 1974, when increasing needs in the community made it clear that our community needed its own United Way. Wade Powers, then the Dean of Admissions for Volunteer State Community College and a member of the Sumner County Quarterly Court (now known as the County Commission), was approached to lead the local effort to form a United Way by the Area Wide Study Committee. Over the next two years, through several committees and meetings, the decision was made to create United Way of Sumner County in July 1977.
The organization was originally led by an Executive Committee made up of local leaders. Committees were established to make recommendations to the Committee. Included in the first group of leaders were:
- Chairman Wade Powers
- Vice Chairman Charles Bone
- Campaign Cmte. Chair Frank Farnum
- Admissions & Allocations Cmte. Chair Dr. Charles Moffatt
- Collection, Disbursement & Audit Cmte. Chair Len Little
- Publicity & Promotion Cmte. Chair Jack Burnette
- Bill Anderson
- Bill Burgess
- Tom Gray
The organization's first local fundraising campaign, with a goal of $150,000, was announced in a front-page story in the Sumner Times on Aug. 31, 1977.
2010:
United Way of Sumner County responds to the early May floods that devastated Middle Tennessee by mobilizing resources and volunteers across the community to bring relief and hope to those affected by rains that total up to 19 inches in some areas. The Cumberland River crests at 51.86 feet in Nashville, a level not seen since 1937. In addition to raising money, collecting relief supplies and materials, and organizing volunteers, United Way of Sumner County works to coordinate relief efforts from various aspects of the community to make sure assistance gets where it is needed.
2011:
UWSC moves into its new home on Hunt Club Boulevard in March 2011 and continues to improve the quality of life across Sumner County by allocating funds to 36 health and human service agency partners.
2023:
On Saturday, December 9, 2023, Sumner County was hit by an EF2 tornado with a max width of 400 yards and winds up to 130mph that travelled over 29 miles. Approximately 600 homes and businesses were damaged in Sumner County including 37 homes that were destroyed or had major damage. The Hendersonville Business District was severely impacted with 137 businesses hit. Of those, 74 were destroyed or deemed condemned. As a result, more than 300 employees were out of work just two weeks before Christmas.
United Way of Sumner County jumped immediately into action setting up an online Disaster Relief Hub with information for victims, volunteers, and donors and opened a Disaster Relief Headquarters to collect relief supplies and to serve as a distribution point for those in need. UWSC also worked with partners to coordinate a Community Wide Cleanup Day on December 16 in which over 850 volunteers participated in cleanup efforts.
Through the UWSC Disaster Relief Fund over $249,000 was raised from over 350 donors. Funds were distributed to almost a dozen agencies providing direct assistance to storm victims.