The Community Chest, the Red Feather Campaign, the Lycoming United Fund, and finally, the Lycoming County United Way — this organization that has been serving the local community faithfully for years, recently celebrated its 100th anniversary.
“It all began in 1922 with what was known as the Board of Trade, now the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce,” Ron Frick, president of the Lycoming County United Way, told Webb Weekly.
According to Frick, the early history of the United Way is chronicled in the original minute books in the archives of the Chamber. They document that the Board of Trade passed a formal resolution to establish a Community Chest. At that time, it was called the Williamsport Welfare Corp. The official date of the anniversary is April 14. The United Way celebrated the event with a birthday party at the Chamber attended by board members, community leaders, and elected officials.
The Senate of Pennsylvania presented citations and proclamations honoring the centennial anniversary, along with the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the US House of Representatives. Lycoming County also honored the United Way with a proclamation at the April 14 meeting of the County Commissioners, and the same is on tap at an upcoming City Council meeting.
According to early documents, the local Community Chest was organized in response to the demand that all significant health and welfare organizations’ appeals be combined into one federated fundraising campaign. The spirit of federation debuted in Lycoming County in 1922, originally established as the Williamsport Welfare Corporation.
For a century now, this federated effort has involved thousands — enriching the quality of life in the county. It has taken on many names — Hughesville Community Chest, Jersey Shore Community Chest, Montgomery Community Chest, Montoursville Community Chest, Lycoming United Fund, and Lycoming County United Way.
The West Branch Manufacturer’s Association, the Chamber of Commerce, and organized labor and professional groups began developing a “United Fund” in the mid-1950s. After careful study, the Association unanimously endorsed and adopted the United Fund concept in 1956. The Association broadened the representation of the development group to include other citizens in the drafting of by-laws and nomination of directors and officers.
On May 23, 1956, the courts granted a charter, and the Lycoming United Fund became a reality. The community declared that it chose to support private human services through federation, permitting the United Way to solicit funds for this purpose. The community granted no other human service organization such explicit license. The broad community organized the United Way to serve the community.
Turning to the present and future of the organization, Frick stated, “Resource development efforts have been difficult for our United Way in the past few years as traditional workplace giving has dropped, many of our donors have retired and have not been replaced by younger donors, and development efforts have been stymied by COVID-19.”
He continued, “We learned to be more nimble and flexible and worked very closely with our community partners in Lycoming, Sullivan, and Tioga counties to meet their needs for funding and to leverage federal dollars when available. We were also able to use Paycheck Protection Program and CARES Act dollars to support our operations and allow us to give back in 2020-2021 at close to pre-pandemic levels.
“Our more robust partnership with the First Community Foundation of Pennsylvania will allow us to leverage almost $2.5 million to support the community.”
Frick concluded, “Celebrating 100 years of service to our community is a big deal, and we are proud to be part of the history of our region. Northcentral Pennsylvania is a great place to live, work and raise a family, and we are just happy to play a role in fighting for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in every community. While we are celebrating the first 100 years, we look forward to what the next 100 years will bring.”
Raised Here • Stays Here • Shared Here
98 cents of every dollar raised by the Lycoming County United Way stays IN Lycoming, Sullivan and Tioga counties.
The impact of your donation goes far beyond the dollars donated. Participation in any one of their giving societies is an indication of a deeper involvement, a stronger commitment, and a desire to do more to meet the most pressing needs in our community. Donors ignite the interest of others and lead the way toward building a strong, healthier community through their generous gifts.
United Ways across the world create change by addressing the underlying causes of community issues. The Lycoming County United Way is present within communities in three counties, Lycoming, Sullivan, and Tioga, and serves 25 agencies and helps fund 36 programs. The Lycoming County United Way goes beyond temporary fixes to create lasting change that lifts up entire communities around the world.
They focus on health, education, and financial stability, because these are the building blocks for a good quality of life.
According to lcuw.org, “Advancing the common good is less about helping one person at a time and more about changing systems to help all of us. We are all connected and interdependent. We all win when a child succeeds in school, when families are financially stable, when people are healthy. Living United means being a part of the change. It takes everyone in the community working together to create a brighter future.”
Volunteer
Volunteering your time is critical to the function of our communities. Volunteers serve on the Board of Directors, lead working committees that drive policy, staff campaign divisions, present information about the Lycoming County United Way to employee groups, determine how money raised is distributed and assist with special events.
Giving to the Lycoming County United Way isn’t just about financial support. It is also about sharing your time and talent for the betterment of our community.
Are you interested in volunteering for or donating to the Lycoming County United Way? Contact them via at lcuw.org or call 570.323.9448 to learn more.
