Category: United Way of Knox County

United Way of Knox County Celebrates 75 Years While Continuing to Serve the Community

United Way of Knox County Executive Director Katie Ellis sat down with WNZR’s Marcy Rinehart to address the organization’s current challenges and future plans, including staffing reductions, continued programs, and upcoming community initiatives.

Click HERE to hear the full conversation!

Ellis explained that the nonprofit recently made the difficult decision to reduce staff as part of broader efforts to address economic pressures. Like many organizations, the United Way has faced financial strain and needed to make spending adjustments. While the cuts were unfortunate, Ellis emphasized that they were necessary to ensure the organization’s long-term sustainability.

Despite the changes, Ellis reassured the community that the United Way’s core programs will continue. In fact, new partners have stepped forward to help support several initiatives, ensuring that services remain available to local residents.

One program that has already seen strong participation this year is the organization’s free tax preparation service. During walk-in days, volunteers and staff have worked long hours assisting residents with filing returns, completing more than 150 tax filings so far. Ellis encouraged anyone interested in receiving free tax assistance to visit the United Way’s website at uwayknox.org, where a pop-up allows residents to submit their information and get started.

The organization is also continuing to expand its community presence from its new headquarters at 305 East High Street in Mount Vernon. Ellis said the building provides additional opportunities to increase services and support for the community.

She also addressed recent rumors suggesting a potential merger between the United Way organizations in Knox and neighboring Licking County. Ellis clarified that there are no plans for such a merger and that the Knox County organization remains focused on serving its local community.

Looking ahead, the United Way is preparing to celebrate its 75th anniversary, a milestone that will include special campaigns and events throughout the year. Ellis said 2026 will also feature expanded initiatives, including work with the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and other community programs.

One of the next opportunities for the public to connect with the organization will be its annual meeting on March 17 from 4:30–5:30 p.m. at the Ramser 4‑H Activity Center. The meeting is open to the community and will include a recap of 2025 accomplishments as well as a look at the organization’s future plans.

Another major focus is the upcoming grant cycle. Ellis said the United Way plans to allocate more than $500,000 to 21 programs across Knox County, supporting initiatives in education, health care, financial stability, and other vital services.

Volunteers remain a cornerstone of the organization’s mission. Ellis emphasized that community involvement is critical to meeting local needs and encouraged residents to get involved. Those interested in volunteering can contact the organization by emailing liveunited@uwayknox.org

Ellis summed up the mission simply: the United Way exists because of the community and for the community—and its work depends on people coming together to support one another.

Click HERE to find out more about the United Way of Knox County!

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How United Way of Knox County Is Making a Difference—One Donation at a Time

Katie Ellis, Director of the United Way of Knox County, recently sat down with WNZR’s Eric Brown to share an update on this year’s United Way campaign—and the impact it continues to have across the county.

Click HERE to hear the full conversation!

Katie says the community response has been encouraging. Support continues to come in through individual donations and employer matching programs, helping push the campaign close to the $400,000 mark. The overall goal this year is $1.1 million, and while there’s still work to do, the momentum is strong.

She also took time to explain the heart behind the United Way’s mission. With so many organizations working together under one umbrella, United Way helps strengthen local nonprofits while supporting each group’s individual goals. Many of these organizations serve Knox County families in different ways, and the need for their services continues to grow.

One common misconception, Katie says, is that the United Way campaign ends at the close of the calendar year. In reality, the campaign runs through March 31st, giving supporters more time to get involved and make an impact.

Several United Way partner organizations have been serving the community for generations. Thanks to continued support, many have been able to expand their services and reach even more people in need.

Katie highlighted United Way’s three focus areas: education, healthy living, and financial stability. The goal isn’t just to help families survive, but to help them truly thrive. By addressing the greatest needs in the community, United Way works to create long-term, meaningful change.

She also emphasized education around healthy living and financial stability, noting that many programs supported by United Way help people “turn the corner” and, in some cases, completely change their lives.

For those who haven’t given before, Katie encourages taking that first step. Every donation matters—large or small. She notes that even $2.50 a month can help make a difference for someone in Knox County.

To learn more about the United Way of Knox County and its partner organizations, you can find them on Facebook at Live United Knox County or visit UWayKnox.org.

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United Way of Knox County Starts New Campaign!

WNZR’s Marcy Rinehart recently spoke with Katie Ellis, the Executive Director for United Way of Knox County.

Click HERE to hear the full conversation!

Katie is excited to kick off their 2025 Campaign and she shares some exciting details about the goal. Katie shares the mission of the United Way of Knox County and what the United Way means to her.

Katie shares some of their major partners for the 2025 campaign and the power of those partnerships. She likes how agencies can come together for a goal instead of feeling like they’re competing. Their goal for 2025 is $1.11 million to help cover all their internal programs and over 50% of the money will be redistributed to other agencies.

She talks about how they decided on their $1.11 million goal; they looked at the scope of how much they could get and how much they needed to distribute to agencies before deciding their goal. She hopes they can hit the $650,000 from the community goal by the end of the year. Their major contributors are you, the community, and local businesses who will match their employee giving. Their fundraising year doesn’t end until March 2026.

Katie breaks down the three pillars of a community: education, healthy living and financial stability; she talks a bit about those and what they are doing to help achieve that. 

She talks about the agencies and programs the campaign will help support. The campaign goes to support internal agencies and programs they host, and she highlights some of the agency’s part of the united way. The grant application period to become an agency or program of the united way opens Wednesday October 1st and is open until the 31st, interviews happen in November, and she talks a bit how you can do that. The process is largely for vetting agencies and ensuring agencies are meeting community needs and she talks a bit more about that.

Click HERE to find out more about the United Way of Knox County!

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WNZR joins Women United to pack backpacks and tour the new Salvation Army “Learning Lighthouse”

Today was an exciting day at the Salvation Army in Mount Vernon. A group of Women United joined together to pack 300 backpacks for the Salvation Army. Women United is an affinity group of the United Way of Knox County Ohio comprised of passionate women who offer their time, talent and treasure to improve lives throughout Knox County.
After packing backpacks for local students, the ladies had the chance to tour the new Salvation Army 13,270-square-foot childcare center called “The Learning Lighthouse”.

Captain Christine Moretz shared a timeline for opening the new center, plus an update on fundraising.
Click HERE to hear the full conversation or click on the link below. Pictures from the event are also included below.

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WNZR shares an update from the United Way of Knox County

WNZR’s Marcy Rinehart talked with Katie Ellis, Executive Director and Kristina Hagemann, Program Coordinator for the United Way of Knox County. The ladies shared exciting news about two new bike programs happening in our community. They also shared a report about the recent Power of the Purse Event. Katie and Kristina also shared highlights of their summer calendar, how to stay connected to the United Way and how to get involved with Women United.

Click HERE for the full conversation.

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Kristina Hagemann and Katie Ellis talk about Power of the Purse!

We got to speak with Kristina Hagemann and Katie Ellis from the United Way of Knox County about their amazing event! These ladies give us the rundown on the United Way and this great event!

Kristina and Katie share all the details about the night, how to get tickets, and what to do once you get in the door! They also mention how this event can help the women and the community of Knox County.

Click HERE to learn more about the event!

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The United Way of Knox County has reached 92% of their goal!

Katie Ellis, Executive Director of the United Way of Knox County says the 2024 campaign which raises money for 2025 has raised $926, 423 which is a little short of their $1 million goal.

On the Morning Thing Friday, Eric spoke with Katie about their current campaign.

Click HERE to hear the full conversation.

Katie says they will work with 20 different agencies around Knox County. They will receive about $635,000 of support. Last year the United Way about 25% of the population of the county.

Katie explains how the fundraising works for the United Way. Their current campaign ends in just a few days. Then they start raising money for 2026.

Katie adds that they have a new staff member and they recently welcomed new Program Coordinator Kristina Hagemann.

Time is running out to donate to this year’s campaign. The organization encourages the community to help reach the goal and continue supporting vital goals in the coming year.

Click HERE for more information or to donate to the United Way of Knox County!

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The United Way of Knox County’s FREE Tax Assistance Program is back!

WNZR’s Marcy Rinehart talked with Katie Ellis, Executive Director and Walt Lewis, Resource Navigator for the United Way of Knox County.
Click HERE for the full conversation.

They shared the good news that the free tax assistance program is back for 2025. Katie shared how volunteers and donors make this program available for the residents of Knox County.
Walk shared the details of how to make an appointment and how to prepare for the appointment.
This program is designed for low to moderate income families – individuals with an income of $35,000 or less or married couples with a $95,000 income or less.
The program runs from February 3, 2025 – April 10, 2025.
Appointments are required. Call (740) 397-5721 to schedule your free tax appointment.
The United Way office is located at 305 East High Street in Mount Vernon.

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Today is Giving Tuesday. Your gift makes a difference!

Today on The Morning Thing, we talked about Giving Tuesday. Our special guests were Katie Ellis, Executive Director for United Way of Knox County; Joe Springer, Executive Director for the Winter Sanctuary and Carolyn Fergus, Executive Director for Knox County Interchurch Social Services.
Click HERE to hear the full conversation.

Katie shared how important this day is to the 2024 United Way of Knox County Campaign. The focus for this year’s Giving Tuesday is Housing Stability.
She talks about why this topic is important to our community and the United Way as they fund various agencies and organizations in Knox County.
She tells us that housing stability is one of the greatest barriers for families.

Carolyn shares with us how Interchurch Social Services is working to keep families in their homes. She shares some stats from this year on how they are providing rental assistance. Through October 2024, they have spent $54,593 for housing requests in Knox County. Emergency Financial Aid has helped over 600 families and over 1,600 individuals in the county.

Joe shares about their Advocacy Program and how it is helping families and community residents in crisis. The program runs year-round for anyone at risk of losing their home.

Joe and Carolyn both share how the funding from the United Way is helping their organizations. They each share how gifts given today on Giving Tuesday will make a difference for their ministries.
Joe, Carolyn and Katie share goals for their organizations for 2025 related to the focus on housing stability.

To give today go to uwayknox.org

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The United Way of Knox County launches their new All Kids Bike Program

On Wednesday, 10/23/24, the United Way of Knox County hosted an exciting community event. They launched their All Kids Bike Initiative – a program that aims to teach every child in Knox County how to ride a bike. This is the pilot year. They are introducing the program across all the Mount Vernon City Elementary schools as well as Centerburg Elementary. They hope to extend the program to every school in Knox County by the 2025-2026 school year.

Click HERE to hear from Halle Krajenski, Program Director about this exciting initiative. We also talked with Patrolmen Benjamin Fike from the Mount Vernon Police Department about bike safety.

To connect with the United Way of Knox County and to donate for the 2024 Campaign – click HERE.
Your gift makes a difference!
Be sure to scroll down and check out the videos!

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