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Every year Operation Toy Lift is special. But this one felt even more remarkable. Leading up to this event there is a lot of movement in the backfield. Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwartfeger is joined by folks at the City of Wheeling. Also heavily involved is the Sheriff’s Department in Belmont County and the Ohio Valley Mall.  They all work …

Written by Jess Rine – UW Executive Director Fortunately for our community, good volunteers are not hard to come by. Serving on a board of directors or as a committee member are great ways to volunteer your time, ideas and knowledge.  We have a great Board of Directors that is so supportive of the United Way and its mission.  I …

Raised here, stays here. Our 2022-23 campaign theme is Raised Here, Stays Here.  It’s important for our community to know that the funding we work all year to raise in this community stays in the upper Ohio Valley.  Last year our theme had the same message with “Give Where you Live” encouraging community members to contribute donations of time and …

Red, White, & Brew Proceeds Benefit Your United Way!   Looking for something out of the ordinary to do on Independence Day Weekend? Hoping to listen to some local music and sample some local beer? What about supporting a local nonprofit you know and love? Red, White, & Brew brings all these elements together! Live music, food, and drinks — …

I’m a big believer in the benefit of the local chambers of commerce and I believe that they are a giant asset if you utilize them.  Our community involvement depends strongly on opportunity to network in each area.  Many of them give us the opportunity to present a little bit about the United Way and how we can help people …

The last week in April, we will have one of our greatest weeks of the year: allocations panels week. More than 10 years ago, I was a volunteer on an allocations panel via the request of my boss. I was given the day off to go visit four nonprofit agencies. United Way provided a packet of information for each agency. …

How does donating to United Way help my community? Of all the things you could spend your money on, after food and rent or mortgage, after clothes and toilet paper, even after spending a few bucks on the fun things in life, you still feel like your money could go further. Maybe you see suffering or struggle in your community …

graduated from West Liberty University in 2004, and I absolutely loved it. So any time to have an opportunity to be involved with the school, I jump at the chance. I spoke to a professor that asked me to speak to a business class and the topic could be anything important businesswise for students entering the workforce. I wondered what …

Charitable giving has been an integral part of American life for many years, with private citizens and companies donating money to people in their communities. While those communities may have changed over time, United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley remains the region’s leader in community assistance. It’s this sense of community that drives not only the United Way of …

I’m excited to share that I had such a heartwarming surprise that made it well worth going to work in between Christmas and New Year’s this year.   I love Christmas cards and when I saw a pile of envelopes on my desk at work, I smiled assuming they were Christmas cards.  When I opened the first small card, the words …