-300x163.jpg)
About United Way of the Inland Valleys
United Way of the Inland Valleys was formed in 1931 by community leaders for the purpose of making our region a better place to live and to do business. The mechanism for doing this was to raise funds to support health and human services provided by United Way affiliated agencies through a single fund-raising campaign.
United Way of the Inland Valleys currently funds 46 local community partner agencies and 62 local programs. The majority of the funds for these programs comes from donations made by employees in the workplace through payroll giving and from committed members of the community making leadership gifts.
United Way of the Inland Valleys is an independent 501(c)3 organization and is a licensee of United Way Worldwide in good standing. UWIV is a local, non-profit, public benefit corporation that serves the communities of Beaumont, Banning, Cabazon, Moreno Valley, Riverside, Jurupa, Perris, Lake Elsinore, Canyon Lakes, Murrieta and Temecula. United Way of the Inland Valleys is governed by local volunteers.
Funding decisions are made by local volunteers. Each agency and each program is annually reviewed by teams of volunteers called Community Review Teams. These volunteers examine the agencies' finances and governance and each funded program for efficiency, effectiveness and ethics.
United Way also collaborates with other community groups in problem-solving projects such as Financial Stability (featuring our financial literacy program: MoneyWork$).
One in every three people in Western Riverside County directly benefits from programs and services offered through United Way affiliated agencies.
United Way was created by the community, for the community and community volunteers oversee the systems and processes to assure effectiveness, efficiency, and trustworthiness.
VISION STATEMENT
Because Community Matters, United Way of the Inland Valleys is committed to being a leader in facilitating a proactive culture of responsiveness to improve the quality of life in our communities in a United Way.
United Way of the Inland Valleys History
Following the Industrial Revolution, as Americans became more wealthy and successful; it was obvious that not everyone was sharing in the newly earned bounty. Many in society were still left wanting, and many of those who were successful did not want to turn a blind eye to the needy. Money was raised in many communities through what was known as the Community Chest.
In 1931, The Community Chest was established in Riverside. In that first year, $62,000 was raised. Four years later, a group of Riverside residents, fearing the impact "modern society and economic conditions" would have on the area, formed the Riverside County Coordinating Council. By 1938, this council was merged into the Riverside Community Chest, supporting eleven member agencies.
In 1944, The Community Chest became The War Chest during World War II. Following the war, Riverside Community Chest resumed its name until 1954, when it became the United Fund of Riverside. In 1955, United Fund raised $266,000.
In 1975, United Fund of Riverside became United Way of the Riverside Area, following the introduction of the United Way name on National Football League telecasts. 1980 marked the first year that United Way of the Riverside Area exceeded $1 million in contributions.
1987 was another banner year for United Way. The name was changed to United Way of the Inland Valleys to represent the 21 Western Riverside County communities that it serves. 1987 also marked the first time that the United Way campaign exceeded $2 million, raising $2,100,000. The $3 million mark was first exceeded in 1990.
Since 1994 and until 2007, United Way of the Inland Valleys raised more than the previous year for thirteen consecutive years. Giving overall increased 55% since 1995, more than any other California United Way. The 2000 campaign was the first to break the $4 million mark, and the 2005 campaign raised a record $4,409,800.
In 2011, United Way of the Inland Valleys celebrated its eightieth anniversary. 2007 ushered in a new set of challenges for United Way of the Inland Valleys as our local economy dipped into a recession based on the collapse of the local housing market. For the first time in many years the campaign did not improve on the previous year. Due to the rapid increase in our local population, it is vital that United Way succeed in raising the funds to keep employees productive in the workplace and to enable customers with the ability to support our regional economy. The agencies and programs funded by United Way are vital to support the bottom line of our community. UWIV has dedicated itself to raising more funds and to meeting these emerging needs in partnership with our agencies, local business, local government and the community.