United Way of Blount County

  • ALICE
  • GIVE
  • VOLUNTEER
  • ADVOCATE
  • GRANTS
  • ABOUT
  • OUR WORK
  • OUR COMMUNITY
  • DEI
  • CAMPAIGN
  • RESOURCES
  • PARTNERS
  • EVENTS
  • CONTACT
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter

Search Results for: CLS

OUR WORK

United Way of Blount County works to create lasting change in our community. But we know we can’t do it on our own. We understand that to make a difference in Blount County we have to work together to achieve so much more than we can alone. That’s why United Way collaborates with multiple organizations throughout the county, region, and state to make a bigger difference in our community. From community impact to our initiatives, United Way of Blount County is working to advance the common good.

Community Impact

United Way of Blount County’s goal for community impact is to: “Improve people’s lives by mobilizing the caring power of our community.”

We implement impact strategies through collaborative partnerships with agencies, businesses, the faith communities and donors. Facilitating collaborations around key issues, providing financial and non-financial assistance to new and existing agency programs, and leveraging community support for these efforts are just a few of the strategies employed by United Way in order to build a better community.

Ultimately, United Way isn’t just about the number of individuals served or even how many programs are funded, but about how lives in our community are changed and improved.

United Way of Blount County’s grant process is essentially comprised of two funding streams:

  • Partner funding: Established, ongoing funding opportunity for programs that are accepted into partnership with United Way of Blount County after historical work in our county. Partner funding opens up in early fall for new partners annually, pending available funding. Programs must serve a Blount County population through a 501©3 with local board representation, and work in one of our three focus areas of health, education or self-sufficiency.
  • Discretionary funding: Any remaining funds left after our partner funding process is allocated through discretionary grants. A committee reviews the available funds and discusses the changing needs of our local community. Based on this discussion, a grant focus is made for the remaining year. Our funding then opens up for one-time grant opportunities and any 501©3 that serves Blount County people and aligns with the focus can apply. This time frame begins in the spring when our main funding is allocated.

For more information, please reach out to Wendy Wand at wwand@unitedwayblount.org.

Fund Distribution

Becoming a Fund Distribution panel volunteer is an engaging way to learn more about the local nonprofit community without sacrificing too much of your time.

Each year United Way of Blount County uses 100 volunteers to review grant requests, tour partner agencies and evaluate funding decisions through our Fund Distribution process. Volunteers receive grant proposals from 3-5 programs, go through a 1-hour training, and donate 1 day of their time to the overall process that strives to be efficient, effective and engaging for all involved.

You do not need any grant reading or non-profit experience to volunteer. We are seeking Blount County residents or full-time employees who are United Way of Blount County donors, who are interested in assisting with the impact of the non-profit community around them. If you would like to learn more about this impact, or how your United Way dollars are being spent, this is a perfect way to get involved!

Express Interest

Community Assessment

Every year, United Way of Blount County performs an informal needs assessment to continuously identify the concerns of the local community. Every five years, UWBC performs a formal assessment, the most recent of which occurred in the summer of 2013. We utilized an online and paper survey, and we conducted multiple community conversations in English and Spanish.

Click here for highlighted results of that assessment. For more detailed information, please contact Wendy Wand at the United Way office, 865-982-2251 ext 18.

CLS Clubs

CLS (Connect. Lead. Serve.) is made up of young professionals engaged with United Way of Blount County through their workplaces at Arconic, DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee, and Clayton. This year, a Community CLS Club composed of Blount County professionals from a variety of organizations was established as well. Throughout the year, Club members meet monthly with United Way of Blount County staff and volunteers in order to accustom them with United Way’s mission and give them the knowledge to distribute funds themselves. Each club was allocated $5,000 from a special United Way of Blount County Board of Directors designation to be put toward their own mini grant process. The funding was made possible by a bequest gift from the late Pat Summitt.

Nonprofit Workshops

Check back soon for more workshops to be scheduled.

United Way of Blount County Champions

Our Champions are an elite group of committed professionals, including business and volunteer minded people interested in and supportive of United Way of Blount County and its mission. Champions are chosen as a result of their motivation and desire to be involved and to give back to the Blount County community.

Champions will gain an understanding of what United Way is, what we do, and why we are vital to the success of our agency partners. The program runs May-December, with commitment time not to exceed 5 hours per month.

Blount Bridges

What is Bridges?

A myth-shattering framework for understanding poverty. Providing real-world examples of how socio-economic class can drive certain behaviors. This workshop is a unique and powerful tool designed to help participants more effectively serve individuals who live or have lived in poverty, giving a deeper understanding of their strengths, viewpoint, challenges, and barriers. For more information on Bridges and other educational opportunities, please click here.

Topics Covered:

Local data on poverty

Hidden rules of socio-economic classes

Internal & external factors affecting poverty

Ways to make an impact

SERVE

SERVE, which stands for Students Engaged in Rewarding Volunteer Experiences, is a partnership among Coulter Grove Intermediate School, Montgomery Ridge Intermediate School and United Way of Blount County. This partnership enables several hundred students to get out into the community while completing service projects at several local nonprofit agencies.

ABOUT US

United Way of Blount County is advancing the common good by creating opportunities for a better life for all. We all win when a child succeeds in school, when families are financially stable and when people have good health. That’s why United Way is focused on the building blocks for a better life by supporting programs that help kids succeed, strengthen and support families, promote self-sufficiency, improve people’s health, and protect community well-being. Our goal is to create lasting changes in our community by addressing the root causes of Blount County’s problems. Together, we can accomplish more than any single group can on its own. That’s what it means to LIVE UNITED. Give. Advocate. Volunteer. LIVE UNITED

Our President

Jennifer Wackerhagen,
President & CEO

Jennifer is a 1993 graduate of Alcoa High School and went on to receive her bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Tennessee in 1997. She started working at United Way in 2001 as Communications & Marketing Director and was promoted to Vice President of Resource Development in 2006. She was named President & CEO of United Way of Blount County in August 2013. She is a 2004 graduate of Leadership Blount and a 2008 graduate of East Tennessee Regional Leadership. In 2010, she received the Leadership Blount Alumni Service Award. Jennifer was also nominated for the Athena Leadership Award in 2015 and 2018.

Jennifer is thankful for the opportunity to lead United Way of Blount County. She said there’s no place she’d rather be than serving our community with a talented staff, volunteers, and her family by her side.

Meet Our Staff

Travis Jones

Resource Development Associate

Alyssa Ikner

Director of Finance & Administration

Marie Owen

Administrative Coordinator

Jennifer Wackerhagen

President & CEO

Wendy Wand

Vice President

Emily Mantooth

Resource Development Manager

Sarah Jurinsky

Community Impact Coordinator

Our Location

The office of United Way of Blount County is located at:

 1615 East Broadway Avenue
       Maryville, TN 37804

From Knoxville, take Alcoa Highway to Pellissippi Parkway (I-140 East). At the end of the parkway, turn right onto East Broadway Avenue. The United Way of Blount County Office is 2.5 miles on the right.

Our 2023 Board of Directors

Executive Committee

Chris Soro
C2RL, Inc.
Chair

Regina Jennings
Pinnacle Financial Partners
Immediate Past Chair

Caitlin Darras
Metro Knoxville Airport Authority
Chair Elect

Christi Sayles
Pinstaff, Simpson, & Headrick, PC
Secretary/Treasurer

Brandon Everhart
Realty Executives Associates
Community Impact Chair

Tracy Queen
ICC International
Campaign Chair

Jennifer Coffin
Retired Community Volunteer
Director at Large

Alex Willard
LeConte Wealth Management, LLC
Director at Large

Members of the Board

Bruce Applegate
City of Alcoa

Jennie Bounds
Blount Memorial Hospital

Jaina Castro
Clayton

Amy Cowden
Blount County Mayor’s Office

Ann Drake
Realty Executives Associates

Keith Edmonds
Pinnacle Financial Partners

Rosemary Garland
Arconic

Ryan Goddard
Kizer & Black Attorneys

Jane Groff
City of Maryville

Andrea Pope
SERVPRO of Blount County

Katie Powers
Blackberry Farm

Chris Ramsey
DENSO

Deb Skyler
Maryville City Schools

Abhijit “AV” Verekar
Avero Advisors

Allison Williamson
City of Alcoa

Susan Zerambo
CBBC

Our History

Chartered in June 1954, Mr. H.L. Miller became the first President of United Community Fund of Blount County’s Board of Directors. The board began planning a fall campaign right away. Mr. Dick Goddard was asked to be the Campaign Chairman for this young and growing charity organization. In that year, $86,150 was raised to assist 14 agencies that provided help to hundreds of people in our community.

In 1973, the Board of Directors voted to change the organization’s name to United Way of Blount County (UWBC). That year $229,132 was raised under the leadership of Campaign Chair Dean Stone. That money helped 17 agencies make a difference in the lives of people of Blount County. In 1997, UWBC began program funding, and over 50 people participated in the allocations process. UWBC celebrated their 50th Anniversary in 2004. That year, UWBC moved into a new facility and the campaign raised $1,850,424 for our partner agencies with the help of our Campaign Chair Greg McClain and a host of volunteers.

In 2008, UWBC hired new President & CEO Michelle Hankes following Sandra Davis’ retirement after 17 years with United Way. In that same year, volunteers began to spearhead an incentive to create measurable goals to improve self-sufficiency, education and health in Blount County. Over 75 people attended focus groups and created 5 year goals and prioritized sub-categories for each benchmark and community need.

In 2013, UWBC hired new President & CEO Jennifer Wackerhagen, who most recently was Vice President of Resource Development at United Way of Blount County. That same year, United Way raised over $2 million in the annual campaign.

In 2014, UWBC celebrated 60 years as an organization in Blount County.

In 2017, UWBC founded the Champions program and CLS (Connect Lead Serve) Clubs.

In 2019, UWBC was honored by Blount Partnership with the Community Impact Award. Through the Homelessness Task Force and a grant from UWBC, the Warming Shelter opened and provided a safe, warm gathering place during extreme temperatures.

In 2020, at the onset of the pandemic, we rose to help our community, immediately releasing $45,000 from our discretionary fund to start a COVID-19 Response Fund. Our community quickly joined in, giving generously to support those disproportionately affected by this pandemic. In a few short months, we raised $275,059 and have since awarded $163,030 in grants, serving 5,791 of our friends and neighbors in need. 

In 2021, for the eighth consecutive year, United Way of Blount County was awarded a 4-Star Rating by Charity Navigator. This is an accomplishment that only 7% of nonprofit organizations in our country have attained. Received a grant from the Arconic Foundation to expand A.L.I.C.E. education and awareness. For the first time in history, the Major Firms campaign division raised over $1 million.

In 2022, the Annual Campaign set a record, raising $2,191,577 by Victory. Hosted workshops and roundtable discussions on Affordable Housing and continued Poverty Awareness education with ALICE workshops, Bridges out of Poverty and the Poverty Simulation. Staff explored I.D.E.A. (Inclusion Diversity Equity Access) and what it means for our organization, our partners, and how we serve the most vulnerable. Developed a three-year Strategic Plan and redesigned our Mission Statement. After awarding $45,000 in grants throughout the year, transitioned the COVID-19 Response Fund to an Emergency Response fund for future disasters.

UWBC fights for the health, education and self-sufficiency of every person in Blount County.

To view our Daily Times insert highlighting our 60th anniversary, click here!

Accountability

Annual Reports 2022 Annual Report 2021 Annual Report 2020 Annual Report

IRS Form 990 2021 form 990 2020 form 990 2019 form 990

Audited Financial Statements 2021 Audit 2020 Audit 2019 Audit

Financial Statement Certifications 2021 Certification 2020 Certification 2019 Certification

Other Important Documents
Tax-Exempt Determination Letter

Job Openings

We have no job openings at this time.

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

At United Way of Blount County, we believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are critical to achieving our mission to improve lives in our community.

We oppose all forms of discrimination. We recognize diversity as an asset that enables our organization to understand and value differences.  We actively seek collaborations with differing identities, including race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, religion, and age. By bringing together individuals with unique backgrounds, experiences, and ideologies, we can collectively and more effectively address the issues facing our community.

Equity ensures everyone access to a healthy, well educated, and self-sufficient life.  We recognize that structural advantages and barriers exist, and that, as a result, we all do not start from the same place.  Equity is a process that continues to address the imbalance, and we are devoted to actively participating in this crucial process.  We place a priority on the most vulnerable in Blount County with our investments and partnerships, including offering educational opportunities and cross sector trainings for all nonprofits serving our local community.

We strive to maintain a collaborative, supportive, and respectful environment that increases the participation and contribution of all.  Our United Way values inclusion – the active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity within a culture that enables all people to be welcomed, valued, respected, and heard. Through partnerships with nonprofits, local government, businesses, community advocates and volunteers, we are building a just and fair community in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential.  The United Way of Blount County Board of Directors, staff, volunteers, and community partners must reflect and genuinely demonstrate these core values because diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the heart of what it means to Live United.


Leadership Givers: Click here to update your Recognition Book information.

Asset 7 CHARITY NAVIGATOR 100% 4/4 Accountability & Transparency Financial 4/4 Overall See more info

AT UNITED WAY OF BLOUNT COUNTY,

we are more than fundraisers. We are handraisers. Game changers. No matter the obstacles. No matter the odds. We surround Blount County’s most critical problems. And we Fight.

United Way of Blount County supports organizations that help Blount County’s most vulnerable through programs that create a healthy, well-educated and self-sufficient community.

We have one life. To live better, we must Live United.

Upcoming United Way Events

View all

05 June 2023

30th Annual Golf Tournament

Find out more »
Green Meadow Country Club, 1700 Louisville Rd
Alcoa, TN 37701 United States
+ Google Map





https://unitedwayblount.org/

GIVE NOW
Make an online
contribution
DONATE
2-1-1
Get connected
Get Answers
Bookmarked File Icon
Board of Directors
Information

SIGN UP FOR OUR E-NEWSLETTER

Select list(s) to subscribe to


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: United Way of Blount County, 1615 E. Broadway Ave., Maryville, TN, 37804, http://www.unitedwayblount.org. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

Copyright © 2023 · United Way of Blount County

Privacy & Terms | 1615 E Broadway Ave, Maryville, TN 37804 | (865) 982-2251 | Powered By Visual Voice

  • Our President
  • Meet Our Staff
  • Our Location
  • Our 2023 Board of Directors
  • Our History
  • Accountability
  • Job Openings
  • Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion
  • Community Impact
  • Fund Distribution
  • Community Assessment
  • CLS Clubs
  • Nonprofit Workshops
  • United Way of Blount County Champions
  • Blount Bridges
  • SERVE
  • Blount County
  • Local Governments
  • Chamber of Commerce
  • Planned Giving
  • Leadership Giving
  • Campaign Divisions
  • Campaign Leadership
  • Campaign Toolkit
  • Community Referral Guide
  • 2-1-1
  • Free Prescription Discount Card
  • GrantStation
  • Programs We Fund
  • Community Partners
  • Blount County Volunteer Calendar
  • Join United Way’s “Can”paign
  • Community Impact
  • Fund Distribution
  • Public Policy
  • Homelessness Task Force
  • Powerpoints
  • Minutes
  • System
  • Documents
  • Responsibilities
  • Who's Who
  • Policies
  • Financial
  • Campaign
  • History
  • Impact
  • Getting Help