Press Release

WARSAW — United Way of Whitley and Kosciusko Counties recently announced it will receive a second COVID-19 economic relief initiative grant for $331,537 from Indiana United Ways, the state professional association of which United Way of Whitley and Kosciusko Counties is a member.

The grant will be used for children’s initiatives, focusing on healing from challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“United Way of Whitley and Kosciusko Counties has been an active part of our region’s response to critical human needs for decades,” said Darren Bickel, United Way president. “Even before this crisis, we knew that families in our region were not able to make ends meet, despite working. In the wake of COVID, those needs became even more dire, especially for children. Thanks to the generous support of Lilly Endowment, we can continue to help our community, deal with and hopefully resolve the impacts of this trying time.”

The second COVID-19 economic relief initiative grant again calls for United Ways that receive funding to leverage partnerships and relationships to better meet COVID-related basic needs aligned with the social determinants of health as defined by the CDC. In August, United Way will begin rolling out opportunities for local organizations to be a part of children’s initiatives that will a) reduce the long-term traumatic effects of this crisis, b) rebuild children’s relational skills and c) address factors that will help children experience greater success in school.

In April 2020, Lilly Endowment helped Indiana United Ways establish the COVID-19 economic relief initiative with an initial $30 million grant. Lilly Endowment made an additional $15 million grant in March to Indiana United Ways to support the initiative. Both grants are part of Lilly Endowment’s overall grant making to help organizations meet COVID-43lated needs. Since March 2020, Lilly Endowment has made grants totaling more than $210 million to organizations working in Indiana and across the nation as they respond to the pandemic. The grant is one of 47 grants that Indiana United Ways is making through the initiative, which was made possible by funding Indiana United Ways received from Lilly Endowment Inc.

United Way of Whitley and Kosciusko Counties was formed in January when the two organizations came together to better meet the challenges of the region. United Way has a strong focus on children, particularly birth through sixth grade, helping them overcome challenges and succeed in life.