In 1923, United Way of Southwest Missouri was organized with eight partner agencies. Through its distinguished history, United Way of Southwest Missouri had an unparalleled reputation for addressing community needs and as a vital community resource.
In 1952 the Pittsburg United Way, known then as the Pittsburg Community Chest, held its first successful United Fund Drive to help local social agencies provide hope and help to the people of the community. Years later, the Pittsburg United Way was renamed the United Way of Crawford County and continued providing support for the surrounding communities.
On January 1, 2011, the United Way of Southwest Missouri and the United Way of Crawford County merged to become United Way of Southwest Missouri and Southeast Kansas. Combined, the organization provided funding to 36 agencies and two initiatives.
Consolidation enabled Southwest Missouri and Southeast Kansas to achieve better coordination of services to the constituents and the communities they serve, gain greater efficiencies in operations and free up more funds to meet priority needs and achieve impact within the communities.
Today, United Way of Southwest Missouri and Southeast Kansas service area includes Jasper and Newton Counties in Missouri and Crawford, Cherokee and Labette Counties in Kansas. Whether it’s through our traditional fundraising campaign, providing support to our communities following a disaster or implementing initiatives such as Building Bridges or the Little Blue Bookshelf Project, United Way of Southwest Missouri and Southeast Kansas works hard to serve all members of our communities.