Over 100 years of serving our community!
Thanks to our donors, volunteers and supporters, Pikes Peak United Way has been improving the quality of life in our community for over 100 years!
history of pikes peak united way
Pikes Peak United Way, which has had several names throughout the decades, was started by local citizens on June 20, 1922. The first United Way actually began a little north of us, in Denver, CO!
In 1887, a Denver woman, a priest, two ministers and a rabbi got together… It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but they didn’t walk into a bar; what they did do was recognize the need to work together in new ways to make Denver a better place.
They put together an idea that became the nation’s first united campaign, benefitting 10 area health and welfare agencies. They created an organization to collect the funds for local charities, to coordinate relief services, to counsel and refer clients to cooperating agencies, and to make emergency assistance grants for cases that could not be referred. This movement would become United Way.
Now known as the Community Chest, we delivered emergency and work relief programs in the Pikes Peak Region throughout the Depression.
Funds collected went directly to agencies engaged in wartime services. We also funded the El Paso County Tuberculosis Association.
The Community Chest officially changed its name to the United Fund.
In addition to being incorporated, the United Fund also announced its payroll deduction plan for annual giving. That year, we had 28 total agencies.
23 agencies were supported that year with almost $800,000 raised! That same year, the first color film about what the United Fund did came out explaining the programs and needs of our partner agencies.
Big Brothers Big Sisters received $60,000 of its $93,000 annual budget from the United Fund.
Healthy children, healthy families and healthy communities were identified as focus areas of the United Fund.
The referral call center dial code was officially active in the state of Colorado. Today, Pikes Peak United Way 2-1-1 is powered by Ent Credit Union.
Funding was given to 18 organizations that provided housing assistance, case management, health and mental health services and more after the fire.
The future is bright! The Family Success Center will open in southeast Colorado Springs in August of 2022. Read more below!
