Day of Giving
Our annual Day of Giving offers one last chance each year to engage with and support our work before the close of the campaign year. Match gifts are available to amplify your generosity!
Think of the organizations that make our region a place where families can thrive. Think of all the programs that feed our neighbors, protect our seniors, and prepare our children for life.
Now, imagine the "unbreakable network" that holds them all together.
That is United Way of Kaw Valley. We rarely talk about ourselves because our mission is to lift up our partners and keep the community at the center. Day of Giving, we have to be honest: the organizations that serve our region depend on the success of this campaign to do their vital work.
This is our final, most critical push for each fiscal year. It is the moment where we ensure that no matter what happens in Douglas, Jackson, Jefferson, or Shawnee counties, the resources will be there to meet the needs.
The reality is simple: Without a successful Day of Giving, our local partners will suffer.
How many lives can we change in a single day? Let's find out together!
Hear from some of our partners about how United Way of Kaw Valley donors help power their work.
Thank you to everyone who gave generously on our 2026 Day of Giving!
Total Raised: $32,629/$30,000 Goal
THANK YOU, KAW VALLEY!
Thanks to our sponsors and partners for making this day engaging and fun!
Media Partners: WIBW and KLWN/Great Plains Media
Concert Ticket Giveaway: Azura Credit Union
Printing and Mailing: Moore
Food Partners: El Zocalo and Set 'Em Up Jacks
Douglas County Donor Social Sponsor: UMB Bank
Watch our partner segments on WIBW's Red Couch with Melissa Brunner
Topeka Public Schools Parents as Teachers
Thanks to KLWN for our radiothon coverage again this year!
Day of Giving 2025
Total Raised: $28,102.22/$40,000
WOW! What an amazing day we had for our 6th Annual Day of Giving #YOUnitedWay on June 4th.
Thank you to everyone who contributed, came out to our events and/or helped spread the word on your social media channels! It was a great day to celebrate your impact in our communities and tell the United Way story.
The final results as well as the winner of the tickets to see Cyndi Lauper can be viewed on the Red Couch on WIBW!
Hear from some of our partners about how United Way of Kaw Valley donors help power their work.
United Way of Kaw Valley Day of Giving boosts annual campaign total by $35,492
In addition to 24 hours of fundraising, the day included a food and personal care donation drive in Lawrence and a poverty simulation exercise in Topeka
Topeka, KS—In its fifth year, United Way of Kaw Valley’s June Day of Giving generated its best response to date. Donors and match sponsors contributed $35,492 in an end-of-cycle effort to keep important work running uninterrupted.
To put that amount in perspective, the donations raised during the 2024 Day of Giving on their own would be enough to:
-
Provide 1,400 pounds of food for children and families
-
Teach personal finance concepts to 434 teens
-
Cover the cost of our KawValleyVolunteers.org system that connects volunteers to agencies that need their time
Day of Giving is a 24-hour event that marks the final month of UWKV’s annual campaign. Day of Giving is primarily an online event in much of the UWKV’s four-county service area that includes Douglas, Jackson, Jefferson and Shawnee Counites.
“We are so proud of our donors for their record-breaking generosity on the Day of Giving,” said UWKV CEO Jessica Lehnherr. “These dollars are vital to continuing the important progress we are making across Shawnee, Douglas, Jackson and Jefferson counties. We look forward to continuing to work alongside donors, volunteers, and partners to build strong, healthy and equitable communities for everyone.”
United Way donations support community initiatives and collaborations, volunteer engagement projects and infrastructure, and impact grants to partners. Donations stay in the county where they were raised unless donors request otherwise.
The overall campaign goal for the current year is $2.6 million. Douglas County is only $20,000 from its $600,000 goal after Day of Giving gifts were totaled. Overall, the campaign still needs more than $400,000 to reach its goal. Opportunities remain to give before the campaign ends on June 30.
One-time or monthly recurring donations can be made online at uwkawvalley.org/give. Donations can also be made during business hours at either office location or mailed to the Topeka office, 1527 SW Fairlawn, Topeka, KS 66604.
Donors have raised more than $140,000 through the Day of Giving in the past five years.
Also on the 2024 Day of Giving:
-
Mass St. Collective organized KU student-athletes to assist with UWKV’s food and personal care item drive at Checkers grocery store in Lawrence. Together with volunteers from United Way’s Youth Service Coalition, the athletes collected 1,668 pounds of food and personal care products. Thanks to the Ballard Center in Lawrence for helping collect and distribute those items to agencies in Douglas County.
-
UWKV staff engaged more than 40 participants and volunteers in a poverty simulation at FHLBank Topeka. Activities like the poverty simulation, impact bus tours and community data walks are made possible in part by donors and allow UWKV to engage corporate and community partners in learning more about local challenges.
-
Great Plains Media and its three Lawrence stations hosted a 12-hour Day of Giving radiothon for the second year, generating match money and providing airtime all day for UWKV and social service providers across Douglas County.
WIBW served as the Day of Giving media sponsor for the 5th year, providing advertising and visibility for United Way, including multiple video segments with United Way partners.
SparkWheel: https://www.wibw.com/2024/05/13/program-ignites-spark-students-thanks-assistance-united-way-kaw-valley/
Pine Ridge: https://www.wibw.com/2024/05/07/pine-ridge-prep-values-partnership-with-united-way-kaw-valley/
Mirror Inc.: https://www.wibw.com/2024/05/20/mirror-inc-supports-families-rehabilitation-with-help-united-way-kaw-valley
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library: https://www.wibw.com/2024/05/29/dolly-donors-team-up-spark-kids-imagination-through-reading/
Annual Day of Giving Raised $30,000, which provides;
1,200 pounds of food for families who need it now more than ever
Two weeks of high quality preschool to ensure kids start school on track
161 high school students have the chance to experience a personal finance simulation to build successful financial habits
Hundreds of individuals and organizations have the opportunity to be connected to volunteer opportunities at agencies through Shawnee, Jackson, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties
Over the last four years, donors have raised over $100,000 through the Day of Giving
For the first time, this year’s event included all counties UWKV serves, including Shawnee, Douglas, Jackson and Jefferson Counties
Donors got to see their dollars in action in several ways:
Two volunteer opportunities were provided to allow donors to see how their dollars make it possible for UWKV to connect companies with volunteer opportunities
22 Mercury Broadband employees repaired fencing and provided other clean-up assistance at the Falley Scout Reservation
90 employees at Mars, Inc packed activity kits for families that will be distributed at this summer’s SPIKE summer learning event
Also highlighted the Mobile Access Partnership, a collaboration between the Topeka Rescue Mission, Valeo, Stormont Vail Health, and the City of Topeka .
Idea for MAP came out of conversations that happened during Tuesday afternoon calls
Example of the kind of convening and collaboration that United Way makes possible
In Douglas County, partnered with Great Plains Media for an all-day radiothon across all three stations. Allowed UWKV partner agencies the opportunity to come on and share about their work and how they partner with United Way
Also partnered with KU Football for a food drive at Checkers- filling five large barrels of food
Douglas County businesses provided over $6,000 in match gifts through the Radiothon.
“The generosity of our donors never ceases to amaze us. We are so thankful to all donors who made the choice to invest in strong, healthy and equitable communities on our Day of Giving. This kind of impact reminds us that we truly are stronger when we Live United.”- Jessica
“It was exciting for Douglas County to take part of this year’s Day of Giving! Through the Great Plains Radiothon, the community heard about the important work our partners are doing every day. The dollars raised, combined with food collected from this year’s food drive, will make a (delete tremendous) difference in the lives of families throughout Douglas County.”- Kathy
United Way Day of Giving Nets $30,000 in Third Year
This year’s United Way of Greater Topeka (UWGT) Day of Giving was the most successful yet, according to UWGT Vice President of Resource Development, Angel Romero. Romero said, “We couldn’t be more excited about these results! This has been our most successful Day of Giving ever- but even more important than the amount is the lives that will be changed because of the donors who stepped forward. For example, these dollars would pay for an entire week of high-quality preschool for a whole classroom of students at Pine Ridge Prep Preschool. That’s a significant investment in our community’s future.”
The $30,179 raised from the third year of the one-day, mostly online giving event was a $10,000 increase from the year before. UWGT uses the Day of Giving to punctuate the final month of the annual campaign and encourage those who may have missed the opportunity to donate earlier.
UWGT CEO Jessica Lehnherr was pleased by this year’s Day of Giving success, and said, “We’ve always known what a generous community we live in – but it still amazes us each year to see the kind of impact that can be made on a single day. The COVID-19 pandemic showed us that we truly are stronger when we work together to tackle our community’s biggest challenges. These dollars will enable us to continue the important work of building a strong, healthy and equitable community for everyone.”
Romero provided additional examples of what the money raised on Day of Giving could mean in the community.
• One week of high-quality preschool for a classroom of students at Pine Ridge Prep
• Five years of books for 10 kids through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
• 34 kids get access to a real-life financial simulation and classroom instruction to learn about financial management and planning
• 133 seniors receive a prepared meal, safety visit, and monthly education opportunity
UWGT also used the day to connect with workplace campaign and community partners. Laird Noller Ford and MCP Group held breakfast kickoffs for their employees to promote the Day of Giving. Both companies are important corporate partners to United Way--running workplace campaigns, volunteering at Nancy Perry Day of Caring, serving on investment panels, and participating in Christmas Bureau.
UWGT staff and volunteers also distributed books and activity kits to students and their families gathered at Topeka Public Schools summer nutrition sites at Pine Ridge Prep, Quincy Elementary and Westminster Presbyterian Church. And volunteers from the 190th Air Refueling Wing of the Kansas Air National Guard helped paint and clean at one of the Boys & Girls Club facilities.
Thank you for an inspiring Day of Giving! A large last-minute gift arrived in the mail and pushed us past last year's total. More than 60 donors came together to contribute $20,079! Your generosity makes great things possible, like:
- 30 seniors have access to home-based meal delivery and wellness checks
- All 51 students at Pine Ridge Prep Preschool get access to additional high-quality instruction
- 4 months of financial mentoring for a family or individual
In addition to the dollars raised, we also engaged 55 volunteers throughout the day, including at our Pine Ridge Prep Volunteer project. The economic value of that volunteer time is $4,542.40.
Thanks to everyone who stopped by for a cup of coffee and to the many kids, families and caregivers who had fun with Kyler's musical storytime at Redbud Park. It was great to see you all!
Day of Giving raised $19,496 This is the highest total dollar raised in UWGT history through an online event.