Nonprofit pulls in $1.2 million to support community programs

This article is brought to you by Moore’s Home Health and Medical Supply. For more than 70 years, Moore’s Home Health has been Howard County’s leading provider of assistive and adaptive ​home medical equipment and supplies. Call 765-454-5210 or visit Moore’s at 608 W. Markland Ave. to let them help meet your healthcare needs!

Every year, the United Way of Howard and Tipton Counties asks the community to dig deep and donate to its annual campaign. The nonprofit uses those funds to support childhood literacy, fight hunger, assist people and veterans in finding needed services and resources, and helping people file their income tax returns.

And that’s just the internal programming. The money raised in the United Way’s annual campaign also goes to other nonprofits in the community through grants. Fortunately, the people of Howard and Tipton counties once again stepped up to help reach those goals.

The nonprofit raised more than $1.2 million in the 2025 campaign, and it held a celebratory luncheon on May 13 in honor of reaching that goal.

“We are excited to share that together with all of you our campaign total is $1,205,121,” said Morgan Quinn, CEO of the United Way of Howard and Tipton Counties. “So, a huge thank you to all of you. None of this would have been possible without all the people in this room and beyond.

“Because of your support and generosity, more children are going to have food on the weekends. More families are going to have access to critical resources to meet their needs. More veterans will be served with dedicated support resources, and so much more is going to be happening in our community.”

During the event, the United Way staff highlighted each of the five internal programs it operates in service to the community, from Buddy Bags, which provides weekend meals for 300 students during the school year, to Imagination Library, which has distributed more than 32,000 books to children last year.

Cheryl Graham, who oversees both the United Way’s Information and Referral service and its free tax preparation, explained how each program benefits the community.

“What we really try to do is focus on the person,” said Graham. “If you need to talk for 45 minutes, I’m going to talk to you for 45 minutes. If you need to come into our office and sit down and wait the afternoon out, you can come and sit down.

“There’s a lot of people out there without a place to go. Here, you can talk to a person and access services. None of us have been in every emergency situation we meet. We get people whose home has just burned. I had a lady call me who put a rabid raccoon in her car and had no idea what to do with it.

“There was a new mother who called and needed some baby bottles. So, we talked about how to get bottles. We talked about how to get food, to make sure she was okay. It’s never just what you ask, because you don’t know what you don’t know. It’s our job to say, ‘You have a baby. You have food. Is there anything else I can help you with? Do you have a bed for the baby?’

“When we talk to people with a problem or situation, they really place their focus on that idea. They can’t think about what’s going to happen next. That’s what we inform people about and take as much time as they need to understand where they need to go, what’s available, what’s going to happen when they get there, how long it’s going to take, and what are the short-term and long-term options.”

Graham explained that United Way’s Information and Referral Services handled more than 6,000 referrals last year, making the dollars raised work for a large part of the community. But another part of the nonprofit’s services – grants to other nonprofits – ensures that as much money as possible that is donated goes to work to improve Howard and Tipton counties.

One example of the success of the grant program was presented by Angie Ciski, the executive director of the Family Service Association (FSA). Through a $20,000 grant to the FSA’s Healthy Families program, lives were changed.

“Many parents that we serve are navigating poverty, housing instability, mental health challenges, or social isolation,” said Ciski. “Many did not grow up experiencing healthy relationships themselves, yet every day they’re trying to build a different future for their children. That is where Healthy Families come in.

“Our home visitors walk alongside families during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. We provide education, developmental screenings, emotional support, connections to community resources, and encouragement when families feel overwhelmed and alone.

“But more than anything, we provide relationships, because when a parent has someone who believes in supports them, helps them see their grace, it changes how they parent their child. And when a child experiences safety, comfort, predictability, and joy in those early years, it changes the trajectory of your life.”

With the assistance of the United Way grant, Healthy Families completed nearly 800 community resource referrals, Ciski explained. She cited connecting families to medical care, early intervention, safe sleep education, and other essential supports as the result of that investment.

But that wasn’t the only grant awarded to the FSA in 2025. United Way also devoted $25,000 to the nonprofit’s domestic violence and sexual assault program.

“With this support, our program provided more than 4,500 services to more than 330 unduplicated clients, including 154 children,” said Ciski. “Our advocates answered 263 crisis calls, delivered more than 1,500 advocacy services, and ensured that survivors were not alone. Early support matters.”

The local United Way is preparing to launch its 2026 grant program. Information sessions for nonprofits seeking to apply for grants were held today, and the application window opens June 1. Grants will be awarded in September.

Local nonprofits serving Howard and Tipton counties are encouraged to apply for funding that supports programs and projects that work to address community needs in the areas of health, education, and financial stability. Learn more by visiting https://www.howardandtiptonunitedway.org/grants.