Our History
Adams County’s own United Way had its beginnings in 1937. Robert F. Gunther, then the president of the Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce, and the presidents of the Kiwanis, Rotary, Lions and Exchange Clubs were responsible for nominating twelve individuals from the community. From the twelve, six were elected to serve on the board of directors of the Community Chest of Quincy, along with a director representing each of the member agencies.
The Red Feather was adopted as the national symbol of the 1946 Community Chest campaign. It represented each individual's contribution to health and welfare assistance in the community.
In 1962, the Community Chest and Welfare Council of Adams County followed the national trend and became the United Fund and Welfare Council of Adams County. Actually, the only formal change that was necessary to establish the United Fund was to amend the section of the existing constitution regarding the name of the organization. The United Fund was more embracing than the Community Chest, with its doors open to all worthy local and national welfare agencies. The Community Chest idea was more limited in nature, aimed primarily at local agencies. At the opening of its fifth decade, United Community Services of Adams County changed its name to United Way of Adams County to join in the standardization of the United Way name across the country.
Since 1937, nearly fifty different agencies have been members of United Way and received part of the more than $34 million allocated over nearly 80 years.