Serving Hopkins and Muhlenberg Counties

The History of the United Way of Hopkins County

Early in 1972, volunteers from several local human service agencies took the initiative to combine their fund-raising efforts into one concentrated annual campaign.  Prior to that, each agency was compelled to spend a large block of valuable time in generating the needed funds to keep their agencies in operation.  By working cooperatively, these agencies were able to spend more time on providing services that on fund raising.

That first year, they were called the Hopkins County United Fund and successfully raised $80,000 for nine agencies.  The original agencies were Red Cross, USO, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Salvation Army, Mental Health Center, Arthritis Foundation, Meals-on-Wheels and Madisonville Benevolent Society.  Many of these agencies are still a part of the United Way “Family.”  Leadership for the United Fund was provided by President Berl Fowler, Secretary Lucille Cardwell, and Campaign Chairman Ernest Clayton.  Other active members included O. M. Kington, Jr., Ann Brown, Tom Lovan, Bill Arthur, Tom Houck, Rev. Don Tabor, Cardwell Smith, Ed Nicoletta, Aubin Higgins, D. W. Dockery, O.T. Rudd, Tony Mills, Rod Tompkins and many others.

Within the next two years they became the United Way of Hopkins County.  It became apparent nearly form its inception that the United Way was an operation that would be involved year-round with the business of collecting pledges, distributing allocations, conducting board and committee meetings and planning for future growth.  The founders saw the need for a paid staff to carry out these necessary functions and hired a part-time campaign director and office secretary.

In 1974, United Way of Hopkins County became affiliated with the United Way of the Ohio Valley based in Owensboro, Kentucky.  This relationship was renewed for several years and provided the fledgling organization with the impetus for growth.  Part of the contract with UWOV is 1977 include funds for their first full time administrative assistant, Diane Jesse.  Then in 1981 when Curtis McCoy, Jr. was President of the United Way, they voted to become independent of the United Way of the Ohio Valley.  By this time, agency membership had increased to thirteen, and campaign results had topped $200,000, and Charlene Reliford had become the new Administrative Assistant.

Evidently these had been wise steps on the part of the United Way because the decade of the 1980’s saw steady growth in all areas.  Upon resignation of Charlene Reliford in the fall of 1986, Ann Oldham was hired as the Executive Director.  Campaign result for the ensuing five year period were phenomenal when totals for 1986 were $306,000 reaching a high of $446,620 in 1991, a 46% growth.  In response to the increase of funds generated, new efforts were developed to broaden the scope of human services provided by United Way through Project Grants which were established in 1988.  This funding mechanism made United Way monies available to qualified private, non-profit agencies that neede funding for new or expanded programs in the local area.  Additionally, an anonymous donor provided the means to establish a donor-directed Job Training Grant to assist adult students needing to further their education.  This was done for three years in addition to funding the eighteen member agencies.

The United Way of Hopkins County was approached in 1990 by leaders from Princeton-Caldwell County area to help them establish a United Way.  United Way of Hopkins County advised and trained these volunteers in every aspect of United Way work for the following three years.  Caldwell County now has a fully functioning, all volunteer United Way under the umbrella of the United Way of The Pennyrile raising in excess of $50,000 annually.  In 1996 and thru 1997, Muhlenberg County community leaders have expressed a similar interest, led by the administrator and the Chief Financial Officer of the Muhlenberg Community Hospital.  Several companies located in Muhlenberg County conducted a United Way campaign and designations from employee groups within Hopkins County were increasing in support of agencies in Muhlenberg County as well.

Beginning in 1995, this organization began a 3-5 year process of redesigning our funds distribution from agency funding to outcome-based program funding.  Agencies seeking United Way support complete an application for funding of specific programs they administer.  Highest levels of funding are targeted toward those programs addressing the most critical needs as prioritized by and ad hoc committee that utilize results of the needs assessments and other measures of community needs.  Agencies must demonstrate that they are not only addressing a documented critical human need, they must also be well managed, efficient, and prove the programs’ effectiveness through measureable outcomes of program objectives.  United Way is committed to strong accountability to its donors.