DearFriends,
FROM OUR President
AtUnitedWayofthePiedmont,werelyonthepowerofunity.Everyday,weseehowcoming togethercreatesrealchange–whetherit’shelpinganeighboraccesslife-savingmedicalcare, guidingastudentthroughatoughtime,orsupportingfamiliesthroughcrises.
ThisisthespiritbehindUnitedistheWay.
Whilewe’refundingandpro usbuildstrongerlocalcomm bipartisanissueslikechildca
Yourvoiceandgenerosityb
Thankyouforbeingpartof
PaigeStephenson President&CEO
ALICE IN OUR COMMUNITY
ALICEstandsforAssetLimited,IncomeConstrained,Employed Theseareindividualsand familieswhoworkhard ofteninessentialroleslikehealthcare,education,andservice industries butstillstruggletomakeendsmeet.
Theyearnabovethefederalpovertylevel,yetnotenoughtoaffordtheirbasicneedslike housing,food,childcare,andhealthcareinourcommunities.Manyareineligibleforpublic assistanceduetotheirincome,leavingtheminaprecariouspositionwhereeverydayinvolves toughtrade-offs.
InUnionCounty,5.6outof10householdsareALICE.
Source: 2025 State of ALICE in South Carolina Above ALICE Poverty ALICE
The2025StateofALICEReportrevealsthat42%ofhouseholdsinSouthCarolinalivebelow theALICEthreshold,including28%whoareclassifiedasALICEand14%wholiveinpoverty.
Inourregion,thenumbersareevenmoretelling:44%ofhouseholdsinSpartanburgCounty areALICE,and51%inCherokeeand56%inUnionCountiesstruggletoaffordbasicliving expenses.
Overthepastdecade,thenumberofpeoplefacing financialhardshipinourareahasgrown.From2010to 2023,thenumberofhouseholdsinourstate increasedby23%,butthenumberofALICE householdsgrewbyagreater36%.Thisgrowing
gaprequirescommunity-wide,collaborativesolutions.
AtUnitedWay,wesupportALICEfamiliesbecausewhenALICEfamiliesthrive,ourentire communitybenefits Byfocusingoneffortstohelpourneighborsreachfinancialsecurity,we canfosterastrongerlocaleconomy,healthierfamilies,andamoreresilientcommunityforall.
Byopeningaccesstoqualitycoverageandcare,UnitedWayadvanceshealthandwell-being forall.OurinvestmentintheFreeMedicalClinicofCherokeeCountyprogramhelpsour uninsuredneighborsreceivethehealthservicestheyneed.
OneoftheFreeMedicalClinicpatientsshared:
"Foryears,Istruggledwithhighbloodpressureandchronicpain,butwithoutinsurance,seeing adoctorfeltimpossible.WhenIwalkedintotheclinic,Iwasmetwithkindness,respect,and themedicalattentionIsodesperatelyneeded...I’mnowontherightmedication,feeling stronger,andabletocareformyfamilywithoutconstantworry.Thisclinictrulysavedmylife."
UNITEDFOR HEALTHY COMMUNITY
21,700+ children served by our 2024 funded programs
This clinic truly saved my life. Patient served by United Way-funded program
YOUTH OPPORTUNITY
AtUnitedWay,wecreatepathwaysforyoungpeopleto reachtheirgoals,fromearlychildhoodeducationtocollege andcareersuccess.
Together,wearehelpingyoungpeoplerealizetheirfull potential.
OurHigherEducationCommunityResourceCoordinators(CRCs)areoneofthewayswehelp youthfindpathwaystothriveinourcommunity.
Lastyear,alocalcollegestudentwasstrugglingwithgriefandpressure,facingbarriersto findinghelpandputtingherhealthandeducationatrisk.Afterconnectingwithoneofour HigherEducationCRCs,thestudentwasabletoquicklysecureanappointmentfortheservices sheneededandgetbackontrack.
Yourcontributionsenablenotonlyprogramsbutalsodedicatedpeoplewhoprovidetailored solutionstohelpyouthsucceed.
OurUnitedWayHigherEducationCRCimpactispoweredbyMovement2030.
COMMUNITY RESILIENCY
Fromcrisissupporttodisasterrelief,UnitedWayengageslocalleadersandneighborstobuild astrongercommunitythatcanfaceanychallenge.
WhenHurricaneHelenestruck,wemobilizedquicklytodeliverimmediatereliefto960 households,distributingover$450,000infinancialassistance.Recoverydoesn’thappen overnight,andweremaincommittedtosupporting
familiesthroughongoinghomerepairsandcleanup effortsinpartnershipwithlocalorganizations.
Throughoutitall,our211informationandreferral helplinehasbeenvital,connectingindividualsand familiestolocalresources.In2024alone,our regional211mademorethan21,600referrals, guidingpeoplethroughcrisisandtowardstability.
UNITEDFOR
FINANCIAL SECURITY
40% ofregional211 callsin2024were forRentorElectric Assistance
UnitedWayequipspeoplewithfinancialresourcesandguidancetoday,sotheycanplanfora thrivingtomorrow.
EachyearthroughourVolunteerIncomeTaxAssistance(VITA)program,volunteersassist thousandswithfreetaxpreparation,savingonfeesandmaximizingrefundsforstronger householdstability.
In2024,ourVITAteamandvolunteersprepared2,321returns,bringingover$2.4Minrefunds backtohouseholdsinourcommunity.
“WhenIwasasingleparentandhadmyfirstkid,Iwould gotoUnitedWayandgetmytaxesdone.Then,United Wayaskedmetovolunteer.NowIgettodotaxesfor othersingleparentswithkids,sotheycanhavemore moneyforwhattheyneed.”
AnnettaLipscomb,PedsTechat SpartanburgRegionalHealthcareSystem
Ourcommunityispoweredbypassionatenonprofitscreatingmeaningful,on-the-ground changeeveryday AtUnitedWayofthePiedmont,weplayauniqueroleinthisecosystem throughourCommunityInvestmentProcess:bringingtogetherdonors,volunteers,and partnerstoensurethatthisvitalworkisresourcedstrategicallyandsustainably.
Thankstotheincrediblesupportofourcommunity,lastyearUnitedWayofofthePiedmont fundedatotalof$1,450,356millioninlocalprogramsthroughourCommunityInvestment Process.
Ourfundedprogramstacklefoodinsecurity,career readiness,wellness,andmore.Thesechallenges arebig,butwefundthemtogether.
In2025,withover$4.8millioninfundingrequests from138localprograms,wearemaking decisions forthenextthreeyearsoffunding.
Rightnow,youcanhelpdeterminehowmuch impactgetsfunded.
Yourgiftbecomespartofamulti-milliondollar investmentinyourowncommunity.Itsupports vettedprogramsalignedwithlocalvaluesand helpsshapeabrighterfutureforall.
