United Way Emerald Coast is a local volunteer-based organization that brings individuals and groups together in a community wide effort to help people. United, we fight for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in Okaloosa and Walton counties. To drive positive change, UWEC evaluates our community's diverse needs, mobilizes the caring power of the community, and directs resources to the areas that will have the most positive impact.
We're on a mission to build a stronger region - a region where all children have the opportunity to learn and thrive, where families are financially secure, and where people can live their lives to the fullest because they have the good health to do so - today and for generations to come.
Change doesn't happen alone. With you by our side, United, we know we can make this vision a reality.
To live better, we must LIVE UNITED.
Who We Are
United Way Emerald Coast (UWEC) is the catalyst in building community change by bringing hearts, minds, and resources together. UWEC's role in the community continues to evolve. While UWEC has historically been a fundraising entity, we have expanded to a truly unique position to recruit, convene, and collaborate with people and organizations who bring the passion, expertise, and resources needed to get things done. Today, we work with hundreds of individuals and organizations that share a collective vision for what is possible when we Unite our efforts.
What We Do
UWEC aligns the caring, compassionate power of this community to tackle some of our greatest challenges together. Because no single person or organization can do it alone.
From child care to elder care, when you support UWEC you are joining the fight to create opportunities for a better life for everyone in our community. Together, we'll address big issues - like low high school graduation rates, food insecurity, or homelessness - issues that no single organization can address by itself. When you join forces with UWEC, you're supporting more than a dozen of our area's most effective programs. No other agency takes such a comprehensive view of the needs of the whole community.
As a United Way supporter, you play an important role in our success. You help us improve lives and build a healthy, strong community. Together, we will strategically invest in quality programs, build partnerships, advocate for better policies, engage people in our community, and leverage our resources to transform lives.
Why Support United Way?
Each year with your help, UWEC works to create the best possible version of our community. We stand alongside our donors and our volunteers as the leaders capable of understanding the community’s unique needs and then addressing them in ways that create real change. We do it by connecting children, teens, adults, and families with the tools and support they need to thrive. YOU make it all happen! Something special happens when we LIVE UNITED.
- We have partnerships in place to quickly mobilize the caring power of our community and direct resources to areas that will have the most positive impact. We are uniquely poised to respond with expertise, passion, and innovation... just like we've been doing for more than 60 years.
- We use data to identify our region's greatest needs; then, we follow best practices to drive our strategies to tackle those needs. We are flexible and have the ability to adapt to address the community’s needs even as they change.
- It’s a solid investment in our local community. Undesignated contributions raised here stay here, supporting hard-working households experiencing economic hardship throughout Okaloosa and Walton counties.
- This is an efficient and effective way to stretch your gift since it will support multiple agencies working in their field of expertise. Agencies are vetted by UWEC and meet high standards of financial accountability, governance, and performance. We'll track our dollars and measure success. And we'll report those outcomes back to you.
- We don't do our work alone. We are in this together, and it's the strength of our community partners that drives real change. By joining forces with United Way Emerald Coast, you're able to magnify your philanthropic powers by aligning your efforts with hundreds of other generous donors, volunteers, and advocates.