History

Signs of a United Way were first seen in Lima in 1884 when a Reverend Pittman started a Relief Committee to receive applications for help, collect donations and see that they were given to the needy. The national movement began in 1887 in Denver when a rabbi, priest and two ministers raised funds in a joint effort to help people.

In 1919, Fred C. Becker chaired a War Chest Campaign Organization Committee in Lima. Their goal was to raise $750,000 in four days. The funds were used to support the needs of people during World War I. This is the first detailed information for our United Way.

Through the years, United Way has been known as War Chest, Community Chest, Red Feather, United Fund and United Way. Though the names have changed, the volunteer commitment to this organization and the basic premise of United Way, to fund programs and services for people in need through an annual fund-raising campaign, remains constant.

Over the past 54 years, our United Way has raised $70,032,888 to help people in need. The first million dollar campaign was achieved in 1978 and the first two million dollar campaign in 1996.

The United Way of Greater Lima is one of 1,400 local - and independent - United Ways across America striving to meet the needs of its community. All United Ways are linked together by name and purpose, but each is run by its own local volunteers who set policy and raise and allocate campaign funds in their respective communities.

Photo on the left: First Million Dollar Campaign 1978 - Dick Riggs, Campaign Chair; Beverly Prueter, Executive Director; and Glenn Shumway, Westinghouse
Photo left - Presentation of United Way Labor Community Service Award - 1987 - Award in honor of John Curry, United Way of Greater Lima's first Labor Staff Representative; from left, Bob Leonard, John Keller, Ed Finn and Bob Gehr