Our Mission
The mission statement of the Franklin-Grand Isle United Way is ”to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of the Franklin-Grand Isle Communities”

Our History

April 1979
United Way Comes to Northwest Vermont

The first meeting of the newly formed United Way of Franklin County was held at the Cornerstone Restaurant in St. Albans on April 26, 1979. Spinning off from the United Way of Chittenden County, the new organization enabled area residents for the first time to make payroll contributions specifically intended to support agencies serving their home communities.

The new organization was formally incorporated on June 28, 1979, with Ted Tyler as President, Paulette Buckley as Secretary, and Janet Page as Treasurer. The first fundraising campaign was chaired by Ted Tyler. The campaign succeeded in raising $55,000 and paved the way for annual contributions that would grow to nearly 10 times that amount within the next 25 years.

One of the earliest decisions made by the newly formed United Way was to select Barbara Chase as its first Executive Director. This key appointment brought to the organization a person with substantial experience in working with the United Way of Chittenden County, as well as with other not-for-profit organizations. "This was a wonderful collaboration," Barbara recalled recently. "My knowledge of how to navigate the United Way system was useful in getting us started. It was a good complement to the enthusiasm and commitment of all those who contributed so much to our early success." In 1982, Barbara moved to Connecticut to work for the United Way in Bridgeport.

November 1988
Radiothon Debuts as Annual Fund-Raising Event
United Way's Deeds for Dough fundraising program hit the airwaves for the first time just after Thanksgiving in 1988. Every November since then, local citizens have tuned their radios to WRSA at 1420 on the AM dial for a day of fun in which they bid on merchandise donated by area businesses and organizations.

The "Radiothon" was the brainchild of Susie Chagnon, daughter of Edna Chagnon, the organization's longtime Executive Director.
When the United Way appeared to be falling short of its campaign goal, Susie suggested that a radio event would be a good way to pick up the pace of the pledge drive.

With WRSA contributing 12 hours of airtime each year and the St. Albans Messenger also spreading the word, the program was a success from the start. Total pledges grew steadily over the years and in 2003, the Radiothon hit a new high, delivering more than $10,000 for the first time

August 1989
Grand Isle County Joins United Way

On August 18. 1989, Grand Isle County was welcomed into the United Way as the organization's name officially became the Franklin-Grand Isle United Way. The goal of community leaders in Grand Isle County was to provide an effective means of funding and developing locally based agencies to better serve their populations. The Champlain Islands Parent-Child Center in Alburg was the first such agency to receive support from the United Way.Later. support was extended to Champlain Islanders Developing Essential Resources (CIDER). the Champlain Adaptive Mounted Program (C.H.A.M.P.). and others.

David Carter. the first Grand Isle representative to serve on the Board of Directors, said, "It's hard for widely separated communities to feel close to an organization centered elsewhere. but the United Way has developed a good profile in the Islands and has become well recognized for its contributions to the area."

Spring 1992
Edna Chagnon Named Executive Director
Edna Chagnon accepted the Executive Director position and went on to direct the United Way for the next 18 years and was able to grow the organization substantially and lay the groundwork for continued success. Widely admired and respected throughout the area. Edna embodied a spirit of giving that few in the United Way, or any place else, could hope to exceed.

June 1996
Golf Tournament is Popular Fundraiser

Since its start in 1996, Franklin-Grand Isle United Way's annual golf tournament has been one of the most popular events on the organization's fundraising calendar - and has become the most successful of all the United Way tournaments in the state of Vermont.

In 2009, United Way joined forces with Northwestern Counseling & Support Services and Northwestern Medical Center, merging each agency's tournament into one community event. The tournament, The Community Partners Classic, continues on each year and is a great example of community collaboration at work.

April 2000
Moreau Takes Helm as Executive Director

Bringing with him a solid background in business and fundraising, Jeff Moreau joined the Franklin-Grand Isle United Way as Executive Director in April 2000, succeeding long-time Executive Director Edna Chagnon.

At his first annual meeting, three weeks into the job, Jeff announced that he would aim to raise a half million dollars annually within three years. "We actually did it in two years," he said recently.

High on Jeff's current agenda is a plan to constantly carry forward the message that the United Way is much more than a fund¬raising organization. This message is succinctly presented in the mission statement of the local organization: "To increase the organized capacity of people to care for one another."

In 2001, the Franklin-Grand Isle United Way put in place a strategic plan to develop a wide range of initiatives to increase its impact on the community far beyond its traditional role as an annual fundraiser.

The 2004-2006 edition of the strategic plan includes five areas of activity all aimed at maximizing the organization's impact on communities large and small throughout northwestern Vermont. Though not a comprehensive list of planned activities, the five areas below give a sampling of what is in store for United Way staffers and supporters:

• Foster community understanding and support through effective marketing and communication.

• Develop new resources to promote year-round fund raising, such as acquisition of grants and planned-giving programs.

• Develop and nurture partnerships with other community organizations such as Vermont 2-1-1 and Success by Six.

• Distribute and make use of data compiled in 2003's community needs report; commit to on-going plan to keep abreast of current needs.

• Use outcome measurement of United Way and member agency activities as means of determining effective use of resources.

February 2004
New Process Assures Responsible Allocation

In early February, the Franklin-Grand Isle United Way initiated a rigorous process leading up to the tough decisions it will make on how to achieve the greatest impact in allocating available funds.

"This system helps guarantee our donors that their gifts are being used in a responsible manner by quality organizations, and that we are factoring in both community need and fairness in allocating the funds we have to distribute," said Marianne Marshall, Allocations Panel Facilitator.

As a key step in the process, a 15 member panel of citizen volunteers met for two full days to hear presentations from 24 member agencies requesting funding for the year's activities. Following the meeting, each panel member individually considered agency interviews as well as previously submitted applications and the United Way Finance Committee's financial review of each agency.

The panel then reconvened to discuss individual suggestions and to compile their joint recommendations in a report to the United Way's Board of Directors for final approval.

February 2004
L.E.A.D. Program Inaugurated

In February 2004, Franklin-Grand Isle United Way, in conjunction with Chambers of Commerce in Northwest Vermont, unveiled the L.E.AD. Program, an initiative for long¬term nurturing of potential leaders.

Emphasizing leadership, education, aptitude, and development, the L.E.AD. Program aims to identify promising young people in the area and provide them with the tools, knowledge, and confidence that will encourage them to step forward to become the community leaders of the future.