About Us

Our Mission

United Way improves lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities around the world to advance the common good.

Our Goals

In 2018, United Way World Wide initiated a 10-year program designed to achieve the following goals by 2028:

Over the next ten years, we are engaging 10 million people in the U.S. in 1,000 communities to achieve three goals:

• 5 million people will get better jobs.
• 90 percent of people will get healthier.
• 95 percent of students will graduate high school ready for college and career

These goals are ambitious, but with your help, and by utilizing our core strengths — a national network, committed partners and public engagement capacity — we can achieve them.

United Way of Knox County has responded to the needs of our local community while simultaneously addressing the root causes of key issues. We do this by inspiring and uniting the power of individuals, the business community, and the public and nonprofit sectors around common goals. Together, we’re able to drive real community impact in our neighborhoods, our communities, and our region.  Together, we’re working to ensure that every individual and family is able to achieve educational success, financial stability and good health.

United Way works for a healthier America

Whether it is a neighbor without health insurance, a victim of abuse, or someone struggling with mental illness or an addiction, United Ways are working to ensure everyone has access to affordable and quality care.

Our Goal

Since 2018, we’ve been working to achieve our bold, 10-year goals: 5 million people will get better jobs. 90 percent of people will get healthier. 95 percent of students will graduate high school ready for college and career by 2028.

Our Strategy

Achieving our goal requires us all to become more aware of health risks and the potential effects they have on ourselves and others, starting from before birth. Working to change policies and practices, such as extending health care coverage, will enable more people to live healthier lives.

Health Facts

• More than 33% of children and adolescents are overweight or obese. That’s 25 million kids and teenagers.
• Children with health coverage are better prepared to learn in school and succeed in life.¹
• The number of Americans without health insurance has increased steadily since the beginning of the century, now totaling about 47 million. More than 80% are working families.²
• 8.7 million children live without health insurance – more than the total number enrolled in the first and second grades in U.S. public schools.³

¹Institute of Medicine. From Neurons to Neighborhood: The Science of Early Childhood Development. Washington DC: National Academies Press, 2000.)
²Employee Benefit Research Institute estimates from the March Current Population Survey, 2007 Supplement.
³Compiled by the State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC), University of Minnesota School of Public Health, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey 2007.