A New Partnerships in the Path to Recovery

United Way of Knox County partnered with  Knox Area Transit  and the  Mount Vernon Association of Police Chaplains  to deliver medications, groceries, and homemade masks to seniors, those with chronic medical conditions, or anyone else in the county who felt uncomfortable leaving their home to make essential trips.

Knox County Mobility Manager, Susie Simpson, served as the central organizer who took phone calls and arranged deliveries. Through an estimated 125 volunteer hours March through June, the program connected nearly 150 callers with the resources they needed. While the program will continue through the end of the year, the group supporting the program began to discuss how to equip our community for the next phase: Recovery.

Recovery bags containing information about local COVID-19 recovery efforts are available to Knox County residents. The bags contain gloves, non-medical masks, sanitizing wipes and community resources. The bags are a result of a project driven by Knox County Mobility Management. The community group supporting the effort includes Knox County Mobility Management,  Knox County Chamber of Commerce , Knox County Emergency Management Agency, the Emergency Operations Center,  Knox Public Health - Mount Vernon, Ohio , and United Way of Knox County Ohio, Inc .

The project is supported by federal grant funding from the CARES Act. Mobility Management obtained this grant through the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). United Way assisted in bringing partners together, facilitating ordering supplies with Markt , recruiting volunteers (including a few Women United members!), and coordinating distributing partners.

Recovery bags are available to the community at several local social service and nonprofit agencies. Those interested in receiving a recovery bag can contact Knox County Mobility Manager Susie Simpson at 740-485-5002 or visit Knox Public Health’s website ( knoxhealth.com ) for a list of sites where bags are available.

United Way Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program

In this year's Tax Season, 350 clients were touched by our United Way of Knox County Ohio's Tax Preparation Service through the IRS VITA program. Our volunteers and staff completed appointments throughout the day, on weekly evenings, and on 3 different Saturdays. As a conservative $200 price per return, this program saved the community over $70,000 in tax preparation fees. 

Our Tax Assistance volunteers totaled over 110 volunteer hours in Tax appointments, and countless additional office volunteer efforts creating appointment mailings, on the phone making appointment reminders, and entering survey responses into our computer system.

We anticipated an exciting tax year due to transitioning from using the Ohio Benefit Bank software to the VITA software - a task that came with new training and requirements. Mandatory office closures and a new July 15 tax deadline brought even more change. After completing 274 returns in a traditional appointment, we returned to the office June 1 and introduced a curbside tax procedure. Tax clients would remain int heir vehicle while an office representative completed their return inside the building. We are proud of our tax preparation assistance program team, who showed they were motivated and adaptable to help meet the needs of Knox County residents.

Navigating to an Online Manufacturing Camp

Introduced in the Spring of 2020, the Knox County Career Navigator role focuses on identifying and recruiting high school and adult students to consider careers in Knox County manufacturing and healthcare settings. Working closely with WorkDev Knox County Workforce Development Alliance, the Career Navigator is supported by United Way of Knox County Ohio, Inc., Knox County Foundation, Area Development Foundation, and Knox Educational Service Center.

Part of this charge includes leading a Knox County Manufacturing Camp with the support of the Area Development Foundation. In an abundance of caution, this year's version of the camp will be online from July 13th to 17th. The opportunity is offered at no cost to participants and is open to all Knox county students entering 6th, 7th, or 8th grades

Participants will spend a week learning with local Knox County manufacturing companies online and building projects with supplies delivered to their homes.

Knox County Park District's GeoTrail

United Way of Knox County Ohio  was excited to be approached to partner with the Knox County Park District to encourage healthy lifestyles and utilization of the parks and trails in Knox County.

The Knox County Park District has been working on this project since late last year. Located on Knox County's once occupied Pennsylvania railroad the trail offers history as well as historical photos as you explore our beautiful county. To retrieve the GC Coordinates and "Ticket to Ride" visit the website for all the details of the Trail. United Way helped support availability of a much coveted GeoTrail Coin for those who complete the trail.