The United Way of Perry County was organized in our community in 1973 by the Tell City (IN) Jaycees.  Their goal was to provide a united fundraising effort for our community’s health and human services.  During its first campaign, the United Way volunteers raised $32,000 for six local organizations:  Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Visiting Nurse Association, Salvation Army, Southern Indiana Retardation Services (SIRS-now known as Southern Indiana Resource Solutions), and Camp Koch Easter Seals Camp in Troy, Indiana.

     The United Way of Perry County was run solely by volunteers until 1991 when a grant enabled the group to open an office at 506 Main Street and hire a part-time secretary to assist the organization with the campaign.  Since that time the office was located in the former Fifth Third Bank building and is now located at 1012-31st Street in the Bright Beginnings building in Tell City.  Rebecca Fenn currently serves as Executive Director on a part-time basis.  
    
     Our United Way has grown to be much more than its original role of community fundraiser.  We promote collaborations, develop programs where there is a gap in services, coordinate volunteers, and continually seek to address the most pressing needs in our community.  One of the first programs we started was our Day of Caring in 2000, which matched volunteers to our funded partners to help them complete maintenance projects at their sites.  Each year we now organize two Days of Caring, one in the spring for business people and one in the fall for youth. 
   
     In 2003, we developed a partnership called the Perry County Food Coalition with five food pantries in our area to assist them with publicity and additional funding.  That collaboration led to the development of a new program called Holiday Helpers United in 2003 which the United Way of Perry County coordinated for the community.  This program brings together all the groups that provide help for residents during the holiday season to assist those who need help.  Whether it is clothing, Christmas gifts, blankets, food, or other assistance, the United Way makes sure all those who are in need get help.  This group also began organizing Election Day food drives at the polling places in 2006.  This effort is helping fill the community’s food pantry shelves several times a year.
    
     In 2005, the UWPC formed a new collaboration with seven other organizations to look for ways to enhance our community’s well-being.  Many needs were examined by the 4Community partners.  In the end, the group chose to develop a Greenway in our county.  They received a grant from the Indiana Association of United Ways, through a grant from the Lilly Endowment for its development.  The group believes this project will provide a much needed area for walkers, bikers, and runners to have a safe area to exercise and enjoy the beauty of our scenic Ohio River.  They also believe that it will enhance the economic development of our area by offering a desirable recreational opportunity.  The Greenway will run along the banks of the Ohio, through local parks, and through the towns of Troy, Tell City, and Cannelton, Indiana.  Although it got its start through the United Way, the Perry County Greenway is being developed by a group of community volunteers separate from the United Way of Perry County.  A second 4Community grant is now available and the United Way is working with a new group of partners to develop a project to benefit our community.  That project will be chosen later in 2008.

     2007 brought another new program and, “Stuff the Bus” multi-county school supply drive in late July at the Tell City Wal-Mart.  The United Way of Perry County invited the United Way of the Ohio Valley which serves our neighbors across the river in Hancock County, Kentucky to collaborate on this project at the local Wal-Mart.  School systems in Perry and Spencer Counties, Indiana and Hancock County were invited to park school buses at Wal-Mart and collect donations of school supplies for needy children in their buses.  It was a huge success and the start of a great new way to assist those in need in our communities.

     What’s next for the United Way of Perry County?  To expand United Way services to Crawford County, Indiana.  In late 2007, a grassroots group of volunteers contacted our United Way to start a United Way in our neighboring county.  After many meetings it was decided to expand to Crawford County to help their residents.  The volunteers’ first activity was to hold a countywide food drive during the spring election in 2008.  We look forward to great things for our neighbors to the northeast.

     The United Way of Perry County strives to identify and meet the ever changing health and human service needs of our community.  Since 1973, we have provided over $2 million to those organizations who are doing just that. Won’t you join us in making a positive impact in our community?

New program started in 2009

     Dolly Parton Imagination Library, The goal of this program is to improve literacy through the promotion of reading by providing an age-appropriate book free of charge every month to every child age 5 and under in Perry County.  This program is being conducted through a partnership with the United Way of Perry County as the local champion and the Perry County Junior Women as a co-sponsor.  Enrollment began in April 2009.

     Power of Youth Council is an initiative to teach high school sophomores, juniors and seniors how to be changemakers in their community through philanthropy, volunteerism, grantmaking and leadership. This program is a collaboration between the United Way of Perry County and the Perry County Community Foundation.