United Way of Elgin-St. Thomas is a registered charitable organization. We are a community of people with a common goal of caring. People like you offering a hand to people in need. By helping people in our community, we are changing lives. Simply, United Way is "People Helping People".   The United way is a unique organization. It is not a single charity but a federation of charities which raises funds in one campaign each year to fund a wide range of services for the communities it serves. The United Way is an effective and efficient method to collect funds for a variety of organizations. The federate campaign is seen as a more rational approach to seeking funds and the division of those funds. As United Ways and Centraides emerged in separate communities across Canada, a need for a rational organization to assist in the coordination of their efforts was seen, Over the year, the name of the national organization has changed and today is called United Way/Centraide Canada. The United Way is People---people like you and me, people from all parts of the community, from organized labour, industry, retail merchants, professionals, retirees and students. Originating in St. Thomas in 1957, the Elgin-St. Thomas United Way has grown substantially, now providing funding for 21 Member Agencies.   A more comprehensive history is available from United Way Canada's website A history and timeline from the United Way of America United Way of Oxford United Way of Chatham-Kent United Way of Haldimand-Norfolk