Public Affairs Director, Jon Michaels (since 1977), talks with Olivia Essig, Champaign Director for the Sioux Empire United Way.

from their website:

History

From a modest beginning raising $42,000 for seven member agencies in 1929, Sioux Empire United Way has continued to grow in response to community needs. 

In the 1930s, under the name Community Chest, the Sioux Empire United Way began its legacy with nine member agencies.  Americans were facing the Great Depression and insurmountable need.  The Community Chest stepped in and raised emergency funds to assist those in need.

As the 1940s began, and our country faced World War II, the Community Chest became the United Community Fund and War Chest Campaign.  We helped soldiers through the USO and United Seamen, as well as provided relief funds for 11 occupied countries, while continuing our support for local agencies.

In the 1950s, we changed our name to the United Fund of Sioux Falls, and began providing funds to the YMCA, YWCA, Red Cross, Family Services, and Boys Club.

We merged with the Community Planning Council in 1960 to create a unified front to better serve our community. 

Drug and alcohol abuse were identified as top issues in our first needs assessments in the 1970s. United Way directed funds to address these problems in our community. The current name of Sioux Empire United Way, Inc., was adopted at the corporate annual meeting held in February of 1971.

In the 1980s, women began to enter the workforce in higher numbers. The first childcare initiative was launched with the goal of making quality childcare available to everyone.

“Youth at Risk” was identified as a serious issue facing the community in the 1990s. As a result, United Way launched programs aimed at these youth in order to address the rising need.

Research on the importance of a child’s first years of life surfaced during the turn of the century. In the 2000s, United Way addressed the issue with initiatives such as Success by 6 and Ready to Read. And with a growing population of older adults, United Way also wanted to ensure this population maintains their way of life and independence by supporting programs for seniors, like Workers on Wheels.

Initiatives continue to be a part of Sioux Empire United Way success in the 2010s. Helping families maintain safe and permanent housing, providing food to children on weekends so they are ready to learn on Monday mornings and giving high school students the support they need to graduate - these are all ways in which we are changing lives.

No one can know what the future will bring, but we do know that Sioux Empire United Way will be here, meeting the growing and changing needs of our community for generations to come.  

Funded Agencies

Active Generations

Augustana University

Avera McKennan Children's Programs

Boy Scouts of America, Sioux Council

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire

Challenge Day

Character On Track

Children's Inn

The Community Outreach

The Compass Center

Connecting Kids

DakotAbilities

Delta Dental of South Dakota

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

Family Connection

Family Service Inc.

Furniture Mission of South Dakota

Glory House

Harmony South Dakota

Helpline Center

HorsePower

Inter-Lakes Community Action Partnership

KIDSTOP

Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota

One Smile Program

Project Car

REACH

Ready to Start

Sad Isn't Bad

Sanford Children's

Save a Life - Community AEDs

Sioux Falls Area CASA Program

Sioux Falls Family YMCA

Sioux Falls Hope Coalition

Sioux Falls Housing & Redevelopment Commission

Sioux Falls School District

Sioux Falls Thrive

St. Francis House

USD Scottish Rite Children’s Clinic for Speech and Language Disorders

Volunteers of America, Dakotas

Public Affairs Director, Jon Michaels (since 1977), talks with Olivia Essig, Champaign Director for the Sioux Empire United Way.
from their website:
History<a></a>
From a modest beginning raising $42,000 for seven member agencies in 1929, Sioux Empire United Way has continued to grow in response to community needs. 
In the 1930s, under the name Community Chest, the Sioux Empire United Way began its legacy with nine member agencies.  Americans were facing the Great Depression and insurmountable need.  The Community Chest stepped in and raised emergency funds to assist those in need.
As the 1940s began, and our country faced World War II, the Community Chest became the United Community Fund and War Chest Campaign.  We helped soldiers through the USO and United Seamen, as well as provided relief funds for 11 occupied countries, while continuing our support for local agencies.
In the 1950s, we changed our name to the United Fund of Sioux Falls, and began providing funds to the YMCA, YWCA, Red Cross, Family Services, and Boys Club.
We merged with the Community Planning Council in 1960 to create a unified front to better serve our community. 
Drug and alcohol abuse were identified as top issues in our first needs assessments in the 1970s. United Way directed funds to address these problems in our community. The current name of Sioux Empire United Way, Inc., was adopted at the corporate annual meeting held in February of 1971.
In the 1980s, women began to enter the workforce in higher numbers. The first childcare initiative was launched with the goal of making quality childcare available to everyone.
“Youth at Risk” was identified as a serious issue facing the community in the 1990s. As a result, United Way launched programs aimed at these youth in order to address the rising need.
Research on the importance of a child’s first years of life surfaced during the turn of the century. In the 2000s, United Way addressed the issue with initiatives such as Success by 6 and Ready to Read. And with a growing population of older adults, United Way also wanted to ensure this population maintains their way of life and independence by supporting programs for seniors, like Workers on Wheels.
Initiatives continue to be a part of Sioux Empire United Way success in the 2010s. Helping families maintain safe and permanent housing, providing food to children on weekends so they are ready to learn on Monday mornings and giving high school students the support they need to graduate - these are all ways in which we are changing lives.
No one can know what the future will bring, but we do know that Sioux Empire United Way will be here, meeting the growing and changing needs of our community for generations to come.  
Funded Agencies<a></a>  
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/ActiveGenerations">Active Generations</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/Augustana">Augustana University</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/AveraMcKennanChildrensPrograms">Avera McKennan Children's Programs</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/BoyScouts">Boy Scouts of America, Sioux Council</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/BoysGirlsCluboftheSiouxEmpire">Boys &amp; Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/ChallengeDay">Challenge Day</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/CharacteronTrack">Character On Track</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/ChildrensInn">Children's Inn</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/CommunityOutreach">The Community Outreach</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/CompassCenter">The Compass Center</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/ConnectingKids">Connecting Kids</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/DakotAbilities">DakotAbilities</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/DeltaDental">Delta Dental of South Dakota</a>
<a href="https://www.seuw.org/dolly-partons-imagination-library">Dolly Parton's Imagination Library</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/FamilyConnection">Family Connection</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/FamilyService">Family Service Inc.</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/FurnitureMission">Furniture Mission of South Dakota</a>
<a href="https://www.seuw.org/glory-house">Glory House</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/harmony-south-dakota">Harmony South Dakota</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/HelplineCenter">Helpline Center</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/HorsePower">HorsePower</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/InterLakesCommunityActionPartnership">Inter-Lakes Community Action Partnership</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/KIDSTOP">KIDSTOP</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/LutheranSocialServices">Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota</a>
<a href="https://www.seuw.org/one-smile-program">One Smile Program</a>
<a href="https://www.seuw.org/project-car">Project Car</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/REACH">REACH</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/ReadytoStart">Ready to Start</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/SadIsntBad">Sad Isn't Bad</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/SanfordChildrens">Sanford Children's</a>
<a href="https://www.seuw.org/save-life-community-aeds">Save a Life - Community AEDs</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/SiouxFallsAreaCASAProgram">Sioux Falls Area CASA Program</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/SiouxFallsFamilyYMCA">Sioux Falls Family YMCA</a>
<a href="https://www.seuw.org/sioux-falls-hope-coalition">Sioux Falls Hope Coalition</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/SiouxFallsHousing">Sioux Falls Housing &amp; Redevelopment Commission</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/SiouxFallsSchoolDistrict">Sioux Falls School District</a>
<a href="https://www.seuw.org/sioux-falls-thrive">Sioux Falls Thrive</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/StFrancisHouse">St. Francis House</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/USDScottishRite">USD Scottish Rite Children’s Clinic for Speech and Language Disorders</a>
<a href="http://www.seuw.org/VolunteersofAmericaDakotas">Volunteers of America, Dakotas</a>

A community issues and answering program that focuses on the city and people of the Sioux Empire.