The Community Chest was designed to eliminate duplication of effort for Springfield charitable organizations. J. M. Quinn was elected the first board chairman of the Community Chest. Seventeen local organizations found support through the Community Chest, including, the Salvation Army, YMCA, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and the Red Cross.
The campaign was known as the Community Chest—Red Cross Campaign. Later Campaigns were known as the United Appeal and the United Fund.
A permanent organization, United Fund, was formed with a newly elected board of directors representing both donors and member agencies.
United Fund changed its name to United Way of the Ozarks to reflect the regional emphasis and responsibilities of the organization.
A unique partnership formed in 1994 between the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and United Way of the Ozarks. The board of directors of both organizations agreed to support a combined capital campaign which would provide the first building owned by United Way and enable the Chamber of Commerce to build a new building.
The campaign was a success, and a new structure named the “John Q. Hammons Enterprise Center” was built for the Chamber of Commerce. The previous chamber building was titled to United Way debt free, including furniture and fixtures.
On June 12, 1996 the building at 320 N. Jefferson Avenue was dedicated as the “Clarence R. Wheeler Center” in appreciation to the principal donor and commitment to the mission and work of providing a better quality of life for this and future generations in the Ozarks.
When COVID-19 reached the Ozarks in March 2020, we knew that our local nonprofits would be needed more than ever before. With the demand for services increasing and fundraising efforts decreasing because of safety precautions, United Way of the Ozarks dropped everything to connect with our donors and the community at large to help us keep nonprofit operations running safely.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have:
Collaborated with other philanthropic leaders. We work in close coordination with Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO) and Community Partnership of the Ozarks (CPO) to orchestrate support for our local and regional nonprofits. Collectively known as “Philanthropy Row," our three organizations talk and coordinate regularly to climate duplication and ensure we are addressing critical needs in the most generous and efficient way possible. See List of immediate needs.
Helped unite the faith community. City of Springfield and Greene County leaders asked Philanthropy Row to help organize and lead our faith community’s response to COVID-19. With more than 100 faith leaders, we serve as the convener and host weekly Zoom meetings with leaders from over 80 congregations and faith traditions. This group is co-chaired by Rev. Mark Struckhoff and Rev. Bob Roberts. In August, Rev. Mark Struckhoff accepted a position with Council of Churches at the state level, and Pastor Jenn Simmons took over. The initiative has engaged the faith community to help address some of our community’s most critical needs. Learn more about the Have Faith Initiative here.
United and Supported our partner nonprofits with over $185,000 in relief funding and bridged the gap from immediate response to long-term recovery. Our fundraising efforts for our Coronavirus Response Fund brought over $185,700, which we directed to our nonprofit network’s immediate needs to continue operating during the pandemic. At the same time, we’re running our annual fundraising campaign to address the long-term recovery efforts of our community.
Distributed reusable and disposable masks to partners. Many nonprofits needed masks in order to continue meeting the needs of our community. We reached out to our partners to address the need for personal protection equipment and purchased 109,618 face coverings.
Facilitated Operation Hand Sanitizer. This involved the purchasing a 55-gallon drum of hand sanitizer that was distributed to our partners at no cost. Learn more at Ozarks First.
Distributed COVID-related supplies to the Springfield community. United Way of the Ozarks was given the opportunity to purchase COVID-related supplies through the Greene County CARES Reserve funding. These supplies included: toilet paper, paper towels, all-purpose cleaner, and bleach, which was all allocated to our partner and community nonprofits.
