United Way of Highway 55 announces the funding of twelve local nonprofits. On June 20, 21, & 22, the United Way of Highway 55 allocations committee, made up of local community and Board members, reviewed applications and conducted interviews with each agency. Of 30 nonprofit applicants, the committee chose 12 nonprofit partners to help fund. They are located and/or serve in Coffee, Moore, and Warren Counties. They will each receive varying amounts to help fund unique requests within their organization. Each nonprofit will receive quarterly checks for the year. Ashley Abraham, Director of United Way of Highway 55, states, “Our goal is to allocate more funds every year to local nonprofits. Raise more so we can give more. The committee does not take choosing the partners lightly. Every nonprofit is required to present to the committee. The committee studies every application and required documents. Many areas are weighed, like do they serve Coffee, Moore, and/or Warren Counties? Does their mission serve one or more of our four pillars: Health, Basic Essentials, Education, & Income? Does their mission impact many in our community? Are their services duplicated? Can their need be solved by stronger partnerships or resources? How much are they requesting, and where will the funds be used? Where do most of their donations come from (Grants, Businesses, Individuals, Fundraisers)? Are they heavily volunteer or salary based? What are the top needs of each county we serve? The committee decides whether to select fewer to allocate more to those nonprofit needs and missions-thus creating a bigger impact OR selecting more. These questions, along with many more, are discussed. The committee meets without the Director to decide and divide the budget on how much each nonprofit will receive. It is a tedious and well-thought-through process. I would say it is the best way to get involved and learn about our local nonprofits and what United Way does. We do this process to protect donated dollars entrusted to United Way of Hwy 55. Any community individual can be on the allocations committee if they are not employed or serve on a nonprofit Board/Committee and there is no conflict of interest with those applying. We do want a diverse committee representing all 3 counties we serve. We appreciate all nonprofits that applied and will continue to share our resources. We also invite all local nonprofits (501c3) that serve Coffee, Moore, and Warren Counties to apply next year. Introducing our 2023-2024 Partner Nonprofits:”
The 2023-24 partners include:
- Warren Co. Meals on Wheels
- Horseplay Inc.
- CASA Works Inc.
- Haven of Hope
- Children’s Advocacy Center-31st Judicial District
- Shepherd’s House
- Coffee County Humane Society
- Access Hope
- Tullahoma Daycare Center
- The Hope Center
- HOME (Homeless of McMinnville Effort)
- Kids in The Community
On August 11th at Common John Brewing Co, United Way of Hwy 55 celebrated and announced the 12 new partner nonprofits. They received their first quarter check. The nonprofits will receive three more checks throughout the year. UWHWY55 Director Ashley Abraham comments, “We appreciate all applying agencies and the time and effort put into their applications and presentation. It is never an easy decision for the committee. There are many important nonprofits in our community, and they exude passion and dedication toward their mission. Though we cannot accept every nonprofit applicant, we do consider sponsoring specific needed projects/events that support our four pillars (Health, Education, Income, and Basic Essentials) and help our community throughout the year. Our goal is to help connect every nonprofit with needed resources. Uniting our efforts is at the center of our mission every day. Congratulations to the 2023-24 UWHWY55 Partner Nonprofits.”
Abraham continues by saying, “Our community will continue to grow and strengthen through supporting these much-needed missions and programs. I am truly grateful for the businesses and individuals who support our nonprofits every year. We can support so many local agencies and programs because of the help of our community. United Way of Hwy 55 strives to be involved and impact as many nonprofits and programs in the community as we can with the support of our amazing, continued donors”.
This year’s allocation team included the following individuals:
- Wayne Monteith: UWHWY55 Board Member; Deputy General Manager at National Aerospace Solutions (2023 Allocations Chair)
- Michele Simmons: UWHWY55 Board Chair; Business Development Manager at ResourceMFG
- Ashley Franklin: UWHWY55 Board Treasurer; Regional Leader, Primerica: Independent Contractor
- Monty Hawkins: UWHWY55 Board Member; Utility Man, Certified Arborist at TUA
- Gloria Humphrey: UWHWY55 Board Member; Physician Recruiter, American Physician Partners
- Katie Crowell: Flight Capital projects for Arnold Engineering Development Center
- Michelle Carmack: UWHWY55 Board Member; Director of Finance and Administration at The University of TN Space Institute
- Katie J. Guthrie-Shearin: Tullahoma Downtown Lions Club Member and Community Volunteer
- Marsha Hale: UWHWY55 Board Member; Executive Administrator at Jack Daniels; President of Metro Lynchburg Moore Co Chamber of Commerce
- Bertha Smith: UWHWY55 Board Member; Pageant Director; Tullahoma Noon Rotary Club Member; Director of Imagination Library of Coffee Co
- Katie Anderson: UWHWY55 Board Member; Director of Membership Services for the Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce
- Rikki Tucker: Relationship Manager Associate at FirstBank-Tullahoma
- Shellee Nunley: Manager at US Bank in Tullahoma
- Amanda Johnson: Certified Childbirth Educator and Doula at Gentle Voice Prenatal Support
About United Way of Highway 55:
United Way of Highway 55 works in the community to build access to financial stability, education, health services, and basic essentials in Coffee, Moore, and Warren Counties. Most know of ‘United Way’ but not the impact we make locally. Our chapter, United Way of Hwy 55, only focuses on these three counties: Coffee, Moore, and Warren. We collaborate with businesses, schools, individuals, nonprofits, churches, food pantries, and more to meet needs and find solutions. All donated dollars stay in OUR community, helping our partner nonprofit missions and many needed programs. United Way of Highway 55 would like to acknowledge our Gold Sponsor: National Aerospace Solutions. Other consistent and valued donors include Cherokee Distributing Company, Vanderbilt-Tullahoma Harton Hospital, Stan McNabb-Chrysler Dodge Jeep & Ram, Tullahoma Utilities Authority, Kroger, Marcroms Pharmacy, Tullahoma Downtown Lions Club, Publix, Walmart, Jack Daniels, Nationwide, City of Tullahoma, AT&T, Roni Jarrell and more! We thank all donors and volunteers that have contributed. YOU make this possible! Please visit our website to learn more or DONATE at highway55unitedway.org or email Director@highway55unitedway.org.
