United Way of the Eastern Upper Peninsula History

In the spring of 1956, a committee of the Chamber of Commerce met to review the area’s need for a fundraising campaign for non-profit organizations and to recommend a course of action.  This was prompted by the dissolution of the former Red Feather Community Chest and the proliferation of individual campaigns in the county.  The committee was attracted to the united technique developed in the Lower Peninsula, called the Michigan United Fund.  With help from key staff representatives where the “united” approach was already in place and interested citizens from this area, the Chippewa County United Health and Welfare Fund was created.  This new campaign was designed to eliminate the innumerable individual drives with a single, once a year, concerted effort.

A board, comprised of 15 members representing various parts of the area, was elected with Phillip Colasanti selected Chairman; W.F.G. Weber as Co-Chair; Paul Willson, Treasurer; and Ford Faulkner selected as Secretary.  Mr. Weber was also elected to the State Board of Directors of the Michigan United Fund to represent this area.  October 1, 1956 was set for the kick-off of the very first campaign, with a goal set at $48,125 and an operating budget of $3,000.  W.F.G. “Bud” Weber was selected to be the first campaign chairperson, with assistance from approximately 240 solicitors who had volunteered from various service clubs and organizations.  The slogan chosen was A Day’s Pay is the Chippewa Way.  The first contribution to the campaign came from Local 46, Carpenters and Joiners of America, in the amount of $100.  Agencies that participated in the first campaign were: Emma C. Nason Children’s Home, American Red Cross, 4-H Center, Camp Fire Girls, Hiawathaland Council of Boy Scouts, Salvation Army and the 32 state-wide agencies of the Michigan United Fund.

According to Audrey Gillett and Fern Anderson, who served as United Way secretaries during the 1960's and 70's, in the early years the United Way had no permanent home and only part-time secretaries.  During campaign time (September through December), the office was housed in unused buildings, open offices or vacant house trailers.  The rest of the year business was handled out of the secretary’s home.  Office equipment was very limited, with an old donated manual typewriter as their major means of communication.

Finally, in the late 1970's First National Bank (now National City Bank) donated the use of the open space near their front window for an office to be used during campaign time.  As the bank grew larger the space was then needed and United Way had to move.  With no donated space available, modest rent had to be paid for the first time.  The office was moved to the basement of the Urban Center (formerly Cowan’s Department Store), located in the downtown area, and remained there until the building burned in 1986.  The office suffered major water damage, but nothing of importance was lost.  After that the office was moved two more times (to Arlington Plaza and Northwoods Land Surveying) until 1990 when again donated space was made available, this time in the basement of First of America Bank (formerly First National Bank and now National City Bank).  The office remained there until 1998 when they moved to donated space upstairs at North Country Bank.  In 2002, the office was moved to its present location in donated space on the main floor of  Huntington Bank, 511 Ashmun, Suite 104.

Over the years, the organization had been referred to as Chippewa County Health and Welfare Fund, Chippewa County United Fund and Chippewa County United Way.  In 1979, all United Ways were being encouraged to adopt a name similar to the national and state agencies so they would be more easily identified.  As a result, on November 2, 1979 the name was officially changed to United Way of Chippewa County.

Colleen Arbic served as Executive Secretary during the 1980's, and during her tenure a computer was procured and most of the campaign records were computerized.  Colleen’s husband, Bernard Arbic, wrote several computer programs that helped immensely with the bookkeeping and reporting process.  Under her direction, the Volunteer Bureau was started, leadership in the Combined Federal Campaign was undertaken and involvement in the Emergency Food and Shelter Program was begun.  In addition, the number of individuals giving by payroll deduction was increased, the first correctional facility was added to the campaign, better reports were produced and the amount raised in the campaigns was increased approximately $20,000.  As the workload increased, there was need for an assistant to be hired, and Sharon Jones was selected to fill the position.

When Colleen Arbic left to open her own business, Al Covell was hired as Executive Director and Lynn LeCureux was hired as the Volunteer Bureau Director and additional Office Assistant.  Covell moved on to other pursuits six months later and Sharon Jones was named as Executive Director in January of 1987, with Lynn LeCureux as Office Assistant.  Up to this point, the campaign goal had been set at $100,000 for several years and seemed impossible to reach.  Lt. Jay Boyd, from the local U.S. Coast Guard base, was elected president of the United Way Board of Directors that year, and he and the Executive Director, a Board Committee and United Way of Michigan undertook to make some major changes in the structure of the Board and the campaign.  A Citizens’ Review Panel was instituted which uses members of the community to hear agency presentations, review budgets and determine the amount of funds to be allocated.  This process allows the people who are actually donating the funds to determine how they are spent.  In addition, the make-up of the Board of Directors was changed to include representation from a wide range of the business and professional community across the entire county, and the leadership of the campaign was separated from the Board, as it had been when United Way was started.  In preceding years the Board Chair had also served as the Campaign Chair.  William Poppink was selected as the first Campaign Chair under this new method, and again $100,000 was set as the goal.  The goal was not only met that first year, but was exceeded.

Each year since then many capable and dedicated Board Presidents and Campaign Chairpersons have devoted their time and energy to increasing the goal in order to give the non-profit agencies serving this county the capacity to help many citizens in need of services.  In addition to those agencies who were in the first campaign, organizations that have been a part of United Way over the years include: Bay Cliff Health Camp, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Club of Bay Mills, Catholic Social Services (now Catholic Charities), Diane Peppler Resource Center, EUP Food Bank, EUP Veteran’s Center Transitional Program, Hiawathaland Search and Rescue, Hospice of Chippewa County, Great Lakes Recovery Centers New Hope Houses, Northstar Habitat for Humanity, Sault Housing Safe Haven, Chippewa County Senior Citizens Club, Community Health Access Coalition, Boys and Girls Club of Sault Ste. Marie, Meals on Wheels,  EUP Community Dispute Resolution Center,  and UP Emergency Medical Services.  

During the following years, new technology was introduced, the campaign was fine-tuned, United Way was introduced to new corporations, organizations and government agencies, additional payroll deductions were secured, leadership in the State Combined Campaign was instituted, and a Leadership Giving Campaign was begun.  Participation in the Combined Federal Campaign and the Emergency Food and Shelter Board continued, and the campaign was increased from $100,000 to over $300,000.  Serving as Office Assistants during this time period were Mary Lou Gregory, Barbara Larson (who also served as Director of the Volunteer Bureau), Barbara Reed and Jenny Pike.  Barbara Reed continues to serve as Administrative Assistant, a position she has held for 13 years.

Volunteers have always been the foundation on which United Way has grown, and much of the credit for United Way’s success has to go to them.  Therefore, in 1999, when the opportunity arose to expand the Volunteer Bureau through two endowed grants requiring matching funds, it seemed appropriate to do so.  As a result, the Volunteer Bureau was redesigned into the United Way of Chippewa County Volunteer Center, with Kristina Beamish hired as the Director in 2000.  This agency has since become an integral part of the community serving in many capacities to assist United Way and other non-profit organizations.

In 2000, Sharon Jones retired from United Way and her daughter-in-law, Deborah Jones, was hired as Executive Director.  Under her direction technology was upgraded, the Volunteer Center has flourished and the campaign continued to grow, with over $365,000 raised in the 2004 campaign.  Molly M. Paquin was hired in 2004 as Executive Director, and the organization continues to grow and stands ready to meet the future.  United Way strives to be a community builder, and through its mission “to increase the organized capacity to care for one another,” works with the 19 agencies it funds to care for citizens in this county.  The ongoing generous support of local donors and the ability to put 98% of the funds it raises back into this area allows United Way’s tradition of caring, developed by the first group of far-sighted citizens who founded United Way of Chippewa County in 1956,  to continue into the next 50 years.

From the first campaign in 1956 “A Day’s Pay Is the Chippewa Way” where a goal of $48,125 was established, to the 2006 Campaign “50Years of Caring,” where a goal of $365,000 has been set, United Way continues to be a strong and growing funding source for health and human service organizations in Chippewa County.

In 2007 the United Way board held two planning retreats and conducted a self-assessment.  The board determined that the organization truly represents the entire Eastern Upper Peninsula and voted at the January 17, 2008 annual meeing to change the name to United Way of the Eastern Upper Peninsula to more accurately reflect where our donors live and where our agencies provide programs and services.

(Written in 2004 by Sharon Jones; updated in 2008 by Molly M. Paquin)

Past Presidents and Campaign Chairs