We at Summit Legal Aid deeply appreciate the United Way of Washington County’s longstanding support of our clients seeking civil justice for their families, homes, and financial security.
The United Way has supported our representation of over 267 victims of violence last year, along with our services for 138 Washington County residents to remove past, nonviolent criminal records barriers to employment opportunities.
The United Way is a vital leader to Washington County’s charitable causes.
By Olivia Kemp
The United Way of Washington County stands as a pillar of community care and collaboration, and in 2025, the organization is celebrating 100 years of impact. Since 1925, this nonprofit organization has worked diligently to unite people, resources and ideas, which has helped and left long-lasting impacts on people in Washington County. With a legacy grounded in compassion and innovation, the United Way continues to adapt to meet the evolving needs of the community.
At its core, the United Way of Washington County is dedicated to addressing local challenges and improving outcomes in education, financial stability and health. The organization focuses on collaboration by bringing together volunteers, donors, businesses and other nonprofits to create effective solutions. In the past year, 54,000 individuals have received assistance through United Way’s initiatives. This support is provided through the Community Impact Fund, a financial resource that directs grants to programs aimed at tackling food insecurity, supporting veterans, enhancing education and meeting supplemental needs. The fund has invested over $24 million in Washington County in the past 25 years.
The United Way plays a vital role in supporting vulnerable populations in Washington County through various initiatives. One key service is the PA 211 Southwest Resource Helpline, a 24/7 resource that connects individuals with essential services. Over the past year, more than 2,300 residents have accessed the helpline, resulting in over 8,600 referrals.
Additionally, United Way has managed an emergency food and shelter program that ensures FEMA funds are allocated to local food and housing initiatives. Since 2022, this program has brought $613,842 to the county to support these essential services.
United Way of Washington County also organizes care drives, which are seasonal campaigns that provide school supplies, hygiene kits and winter clothing for children in need. A notable success from these efforts was the “Build a Bike” project, which resulted in 100 bikes being built and donated to local youth, thanks to contributions from
local businesses and volunteers.
Another significant initiative is the Holiday Helping Hands program, which aims to support senior citizens who may feel isolated during the holiday season. This program connects community support with the needs of older adults through partnerships with local senior organizations.
A defining feature of United Way’s work is its Volunteer Connection program. A hub that matches individuals with meaningful service opportunities across Washington County.It empowers residents to take an active role in the community, from participating in Days of Caring to engaging in year-round projects that uplift lives.The Days of Caring initiative mobilizes volunteers to tackle projects at nonprofits that range from site repairs to community cleanups.
Every two years, community volunteers are invited to review grant applications for the Community Impact Fund, ensuring transparency and accountability. Currently, the fund provides over $ 432,750 to support 31 programs managed by 24 different nonprofits. The democratic approach ensures that funding aligns with the most urgent and relevant needs in the area.
As the United Way of Washington County celebrates 100 years of purpose-driven service, it also sets its sights on the future. With a renewed focus on equality, opportunity and community resilience, the organization invites everyone to participate in building a brighter future. Whether through giving, volunteering or advocating, United Way offers numerous paths for individuals and organizations to get involved.
The United Way is more than a charity; it’s a movement for change. Through its strategic program, collaborative partnerships and unwavering dedication to service, United Way continues to be a lifeline for thousands and a beacon of hope for generations to come. As it honors its 100th anniversary, the organization remains committed to fostering a community where everyone has the resources and support they need to
United Way of Washington County!
Thanks for 100 Years of caring, support, and love for our community.
By Madison Meeks
Founded in 1776, Washington County is renowned for its rich history, including its pivotal role in the Revolutionary War and the Whiskey Rebellion. Washington County is also known for its philanthropy. The county has been spending decades helping residents in need, but it would not be able to do so without the help of one of its oldest community organizations that celebrated 100 years of service in 2025.
The United Way of Washington County has historically used its mission: “To unite people, resources, and organizations to improve lives in Washington County” to give back to the community and people suffering from lack of resources. The organization utilizes fundraising and the Community Impact Fund to give back to the community, has raised $24,776,149 through annual campaigns since year the United Way grants funds to help people achieve healthy, educational, and financially stable lives. “The United Way of Washington County envisions a community where everyone achieves their human potential through education, financial stability and healthy lives.” The vision dates to 1925 with the start of an organization called the Community Chest.
In July 1925, the Washington Chamber of Commerce invited all charities and civic organizations to form a group known as the Community Chest. The group was established to assist those in need and foster a sense of community in Washington County. The group determined the total amount of funding based on the funds available to each charity, the time and resources required to assist those in need. Funds were also collected from donations using a door-to-door fundraising method.
The Community Chest of Washington was introduced to the community in October 1925. That same year, a small group of eleven board members raised $40,000 for several local charities, including The Salvation Army and the Washington YMCA.
The George Washington office became the organizations’ first known office.
In 1974, the campaign had reached the half-million-dollar mark. This was the year that the organization changed its name to the United Way of Central Washington County, marking the first use of the national name and logo, along with conducting a national partnership with the National Football League. As it continued to grow with campaign results, the United Way Southwestern Pennsylvania region was established to conduct the first joint campaign between United Way of Allegheny and Washington County. Since the 1970s, the United Way Southwestern Pennsylvania has grown to consist of Allegheny, Beaver, Greene andWashington counties, as well as the Mon Valley.
The United Way of Central Washington County experienced a drastic increase to its annual campaign with huge growth. According to the article “75 Years of Caring in Washington County, the growth of the campaign prompted the organization to initiate new activities, targeting its mission expansion to “develop community resources to meet local human service needs.” Along with traditional activities such as United Way Ambassador Pageants and United Way Parades, the group started the Caring Tree in 1984. This event linked the United Way partners with people who could not afford to buy gifts for their children for Christmas.
In 1985, 17 contestants participated in the United Way Ambassador Pageant to represent Central Washington County in the Fall United Way campaign. The contestants included Dayna Marchando, Lisa R. Bird and Elizabeth L. DeRose. The United Way of Central Washington County underwent its most recent name change in 1986, when it adopted the name United Way of Washington County, which is the name currently recognized. During this time, the organization was recognized for its role as a major community organization and had created the Volunteer Resource Center, in memory of Clyde J. Tracanna, a prominent United Way volunteer.
A joint deal with Washington County Human Services and Community Action Southwest helped United Way create its helpline in 1991. 1992 was a significant year for the organization, as it saw 225 volunteers come together to help during the inaugural Day of Giving. This event later underwent a name change and became Days of Caring, which are now held annually in September and April.
United Way reached 75 years in the 2000s. 2008 saw the organization make an office move to Huntington Bank in South Strabane, where it stayed for 13 years. The “Live United” theme was also established at this time. In 2009, United Way launched its largest fundraiser, the annual golf outing.
In 2012, UWWC bought 211, a 24-hour resource helpline for community members in need. Washington County would see this
addition to the organization as a benefit for the community. This service is vital to communities nationwide, including Washington County residents. The helpline is an easy-to-remember telephone, chat, text and web resource that helps find human and health services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 211 is still used today to help community members get the resources they need. 2018 saw the worldwide organization receive the most donations among any nonprofit in the country. United Way established its mission statement in 2019: “to unite people, resources and organizations to improve lives in Washington County.
ALICE Data, which stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, for Washington County became available to the public in 2019. The 2020 campaign raised $871,538. These results were announced virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic during an annual luncheon. The administrative office of the United Way of Washington County made another move in 2021 to its current location at 70 East Beau Street. In 2023, the Veterans Fund, Food Insecurity Fund, and Supplemental Needs Fund were launched into the community.
The Volunteers’ Connections website, a platform connecting nonprofits with volunteers, also launched in 2023. Recently, UWWC joined the rebranding of the United Way brand. It also established the Thriving United Framework. In 2025, the United Way reached a major milestone with 100 years of service to the Washington County community. The celebration of the 100th anniversary consisted of a radiothon using their partnership with WJPA and a centennial celebration.
The United Way of Washington County has spent a century helping give resources to the residents of Washington County. From their start as the Community Chest to the 100 year celebration in 2025, the organization has united forces with local organizations to raise funds to serve the community. Volunteer and join the United Way to help serve people in need. Remember to call the United Way hotline 211 to get resources if they are needed.
By Trista Thurston
The United Way of Washington County has spent 2025 celebrating the organization’s centennial, but there is still much work to be done. The milestone provides an opportunity to both reflect on the past and look forward to the future.
Executive Director P. Ann Hrabik has served six and a half years at the helm of the local United Way, and in that time has learned that this is the perfect role for her. With a small office of three full-time employees, each person wears many hats, and community outreach is a big piece of that work.
Reaching the centennial milestone is a huge reason to celebrate, as the pandemic’s impact on nonprofit work, including the shift to remote work and changes in corporate partnerships, required the organization to adapt to the evolving landscape of fundraising and community outreach. In that time, it forced the United Way of Washington County to focus on the core of fundraising and getting those funds into the hands of nonprofit organizations that need them.
One of the organization’s biggest challenges is that there is an increased need in the community, and more nonprofits are looking to diversify their funding. Although the United Way of Washington County does not currently receive federal funding, many of the nonprofits it supports do rely on government funding. With the funding landscape as a whole changing, that can make things uncertain. Everyone is competing for donor dollars and trying to find different revenue streams.
But by supporting the United Way of Washington County, you support many different nonprofits, and the funds raised here stay here. A local board runs each United Way, so even though each organization is a member of the overarching national organization, the work and funding are done right here in Washington County. The board of 23 volunteers are led by board chair, Cynthia Dorazio, assistant vice president training manager at Washington Financial Bank.
One of the misconceptions Dorazio says she faces is that younger folks are not as familiar with the United Way and how it works. The organization has been working with Washington & Jefferson College to introduce incoming first-year students to the role the United Way of Washington County plays in the community.
So how does the United Way of Washington County distribute funds? The Community Impact Fund has distributed over $8
million in the last 25 years. It operates on a two-year grant cycle. Interested nonprofits present in front of volunteers who review applications, ask questions and make recommendations. The community at large, and not United Way staff, makes the decisions. Dorazio says the United Way works hard to be good stewards of that money, using it as designated.
A significant focus for the United Way of Washington County is the ALICE population, or Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.
According to the United Way of Pennsylvania, ALICE represents the 28% of Pennsylvanians who work, but struggle to survive. These are people who are working, but just barely making it, and are one major emergency away from no longer making ends meet. That’s where 211 comes in, which connects people to the resources in the community they need. Anyone can call anytime.
“We hope to address those needs by funding those programs,” Hrabik says. “People are contributing to our community, but sometimes they just need a little help, and it may be the only time they need help.”
In the 2024-2025 fiscal year, 2,610 contacts were made to 211 in Washington County, resulting in 9,208 agency referrals.
How can interested parties get involved? The best way is the Volunteer Connection website, volunteerwashco.org, funded and presented by Range Resources. Dec. 3 is also the organization’s Build-A-Bike drive, where volunteers gather to build bikes to give to local children around the holidays. Visit unitedwaywashco.org for more information and to see upcoming events.
In the next 100 years, Hrabik says she wants the organization to still be growing, uniting people to the resources they need with a stronger United Way, new programming and increased 211 awareness. United Way of Washington County will continue to identify the community’s needs to unite people, resources and organizations.
“The most important thing in my job that I do is say thank you,” says Hrabik. “Thanking not only volunteers, but also my coworkers and our board members. That’s always front of mind. Thanking people and recognizing that they are giving their time and effort to us is invaluable.”
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By Kristin Emery Bob Hollick
When longtime insurance agent Bob Hollick was first starting in his career, he got some good advice that not only helped him grow his contacts but also wound up touching his heart and leading to decades of volunteering. “When I started selling insurance in 1975, my mentors advised me to get involved in the community,” Hollick remembers. “Friends of mine were on the Red Cross board and asked me to become a member. As a board member, I was exposed to the need for funds to operate the Red Cross. The United Way at the time was in the same building as the Red Cross. The difficulty in raising money for a small organization on a large scale became very apparent.” That piqued his curiosity about how nonprofits raise funds, and he started looking into the United Way a little more closely. “I watched how the United Way specialized in raising money,” he says. “I then learned how they distributed the funds, and that is when my involvement began. I was totally impressed by their efforts to fund organizations that provided services the community needed.” That was decades ago, and Hollick wound up serving as a board member, campaign chair, radiothon guest and longtime volunteer for the United Way of Washington County as well as being a loyal contributor. When I asked him why contributing to the United Way is so important to him, he replied, “My knowledge that my dollars are going to be spent wisely.” What stands out most to him when reflecting on the organization’s longtime success is how it touches so many lives within the community. “Serving on the allocation committee and seeing the presentation by the organizations and realizing how lucky I was,” says Hollick. “I have always found the people who serve as board members or administrators are true servants to the community.”
Sheila Cowieson got involved with the United Way of Washington County back in 2008 and has since served as a Board Member, Board Chair and was chosen Volunteer Of The Year. “I really like the organization, and throughout the years, everyone that I worked with there has been great,” Cowieson says. “As a board member, as a panel, you interview organizations that have come to you for grant money and then you select the ones that seem the most in need. When a nonprofit applies for funding, they have to provide financial information, a budget, lay out the need for that money to be given to them. So, it’s a pretty lengthy process.” Cowieson, who is Director of Commercial Lending at Washington Financial, feels it’s important that the United Way funding is not just given to one organization. “I like the fact that the money they raise is allocated to many nonprofits,” she says. “It’s kind of diversified, and it lets you actually work with each of those nonprofits in helping them.” She also enjoys the process of visiting the organizations and seeing the good work they do in the community. “Say it’s the City Mission, for instance. We actually go to the City Mission, and they give a presentation as to why they need the money,” says Cowieson. “They would have people who are living there at the mission come out, give their testimony, especially ones who have found success through the City Mission. So, it was really eye-opening to see things like that at the various organizations and how they helped.”
Christina Kramer
Christina Kramer is the community relations manager at Range Resources, which has a long-standing partnership with the United Way of Washington County dating back to 2007. “I manage the company’s Charitable Giving Program,” Kramer says. “The United Way is such a fabulous partner. They’re so flexible. They have a gift for working with corporate sponsors and individual donors. We just love them.” Kramer is the 2025-2026 United Way Campaign Ambassador, a Volunteer Connection sponsor and volunteers with the children’s book drive and builda-bike events. She says she loves working with United Way staff. “They are a small and mighty staff, but I think what’s special about the United Way is that they work within a network of agencies that benefit Washington County,” says Kramer. “It’s all about relationships, and the United Way helps build the corporate and individual donor and nonprofit relationships, and there’s something for everybody.” Most important to her is that the United Way is a good steward of donations. “Whatever you’re giving to the United Way is going directly into the community, and they’ve got a pulse on where the greatest needs are,” Kramer adds. “So, if you don’t know where you want to give, fabulous option. If you do know where you want to give you can tell them.” Kramer also points out that the United Way helped partner with Range Resources to help benefit local veterans. “We needed to be giving more to veterans causes than we were, because there’s such a large population of veterans in southwest PA,” says Kramer. “We told them our situation, and together, we set up a new Veterans United Fund.”
Jim Proudfit also built a career selling insurance and has found purpose volunteering with the United Way of Washington County and serving as a member and chair of the board. In fact, Proudfit has been honored as Volunteer of the Year and says he got started with the United Way at least 50 years ago. “My friend on the board asked me to join the board, and I was in sales,” says Proudfit. “I wanted to meet people, make some sales. I joined the board and became a volunteer. I like the people that work for the United Way, and I like what the United Way does.” He has been a longtime supporter of the organization’s annual golf outing and enjoys working with other volunteers to determine how to support other community nonprofits. “One of the things that I really enjoy about the United Way is the volunteers,” he says. “They’re the ones that decide where the money is allocated to which charities. I think it’s the fairest system and the fairest way to distribute money. Most of it comes from local companies. The United Way solicits the employees of a company to contribute through a payroll deduction. That adds up to a lot.”
Proudfit also likes the way volunteers serve on panels that visit local charities to get to see their work. “They show you their facilities and what they do, and you can ask questions. Then you go back and have meetings on awarding money. It’s very democratic.”
Please consider making a donation to United Way of Washington County
