United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley has been working to meet the needs of vulnerable families in our region. No matter the crisis, we have always remained steadfast in our commitment to take care of our community.

To view the 2020 Annual Report online, click here. To download the report, use the link below.

United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley is proud to announce the award of $250,000 grant to the Detroit Lake Foundation providing them with a significant portion of the funding needed to construct a Community Center to replace the City Hall that was lost due to the devastating Beachie Creek and Lionshead Wildfires.
"Our commitment to being a strong community partner in the effort to restore the vitality of the Canyon communities, remains to be one of our top priorities. We are proud to give this support to the Detroit community, in the largest single grant award we’ve ever done." said Rhonda Wolf, CEO.
For over 80 years, United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley has been working to meet the needs of vulnerable families in our region. No matter the crisis, we have always remained steadfast in our commitment to take care of our community. When the wildfires wreaked havoc across our region, forcing thousands of people to evacuate and seek shelter, we immediately jumped into action with a Resource Hub to meet their most pressing needs.
In 2020, United Way has invested over $3.1 million dollars back into our region through our Community Benefit allocation. This award brings our total cash investment in the Santiam Wildfire Recovery effort to just over $530 thousand dollars, which includes $150 thousand to Santiam Canyon Watershed Council, $25 thousand to the Santiam School district and over $100 thousand to support basic needs for wildfire survivors. Additional supports, such as items from our Gifts In Kind Program as a Good360 Regional Distribution Partner, total over $2.2 million dollars.
To date, United Way has raised almost a million dollars to support long term recovery efforts in the Canyon and is facilitating the Long Term Recovery Group (LTRG) – an organized effort of over 110 community partners, volunteers, social service providers, county, city and federal teams to help our friends rebuild and thrive. This effort will continue for the next four to six years.
"We are extremely grateful for the investment in our community from the United Way and the donors who contributed to their Wildfire Relief and Recovery fund." said Chris Tardiff, president of the Detroit Lake Foundation. “This gift is part of a transformational effort to rebuild our beloved city that will be loved by generations to come.”
A check presentation event will be held at the former site of Cedars Restaurant, 200 Detroit Ave, Detroit, OR 97342, on Friday, March 12, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. and will be broadcast live on United Way’s Facebook page

United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley is proud to announce the award of $150,000 grant to the North Santiam Watershed Council providing them with the additional capacity to assist landowners and the community with the devastating impacts of the Beachie Creek and Lionshead Wildfires.
"It is vital that we all work together to support the recovery and revitalization of the Santiam Canyon and its communities. These funds will not only help to begin that effort, but ultimately create lasting impact for our entire region." said Rhonda Wolf, CEO.
The North Santiam River flows through the watershed east-west for approximately 100 miles, draining an area approximately 766 square miles (almost 500,000 acres). Its headwaters are located in the central Oregon Cascades, much of which was damaged in the September wildfire.
The North Santiam Watershed Council, is local nonprofit with the mission of “Providing opportunities for stakeholders in cooperating to promoting and sustaining the health of the watershed and its communities.” In order to carry out their mission the Council works with interested, volunteer landowners in priority areas by assisting them with addressing their natural resource issues through information gathering, project development, grant writing, project implementation and post project monitoring/ 
For over 80 years, United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley has been working to meet the needs of vulnerable families in our region. No matter the crisis, we have always remained steadfast in our commitment to take care of our community. When the wildfires wreaked havoc across our region, forcing thousands of people to evacuate and seek shelter, we immediately jumped into action with a Resource Hub to meet their most pressing needs.
To date, United Way has raised almost a million dollars to support long term recovery efforts in the Canyon and is facilitating the Long Term Recovery Group (LTRG) – an organized effort of over 110 community partners, volunteers, social service providers, county, city and federal teams to help our friends rebuild and thrive. This effort will continue for the next four to six years.
"The immediate and continued support from our community for wildfire relief was incredibly inspiring. I am so proud that the United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley is in a position to provide lasting support to the North Santiam Watershed Council as well as the Canyon communities.” Matthew Casebeer, Capitol Auto Group and United Way board member, said in the announcement.
Event details:

• February 11, 2021
• Check presentation will be held at the City Hall in Mill City, 444 S 1st Ave, Mill City, OR 97360
• Event begins at 3:30 pm. In person attendance is by invitation only due to COVID restrictions. This event will be broadcast live via United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley’s Facebook page.