Thanksgiving In July

In the Fall of 1954, the Muscatine Community Campaign was faltering, and a group of concerned citizens organized to run a supplemental campaign.

This concern for the agency needs led to the organization of the United Fund of Muscatine. Encouraged by their campaign success, the newly founded United Fund Board Members filed papers for the incorporation with the State of Iowa’s Attorney General’s Office.

The Founding Trustees of the United Fund of Muscatine, Inc. were Robert Toborg, Bob Veerhusen, Howard Lemkau, Sam Banks, Pat Barloon, Dr. J.M. Woodhouse, Verle Neitzel, Mrs. Verle Neitzel, Art Howe, Kelly Burns, Glen Bloom, Rev. John Riggs, Mr. Henderson, Mr. Moore, and Mr Tharp.

Robert Toborg served as the First President, and Glen Bloom was designated as the 1956 Campaign Chair.

The 1955 Charter Agencies and their allocations were as follows:

Through the years the Muscatine United Fund has been known as the United Fund, Community Services, and in 1970, the name United Way was adopted so that the organization could be more closely identified with the United Way of America.

The Muscatine Way raised its first $100,000 under the campaign leadership of Arthur Stanley in 1962. Ten years later, the 1972 Campaign Chair Charles Thurman topped the $200,000 mark by $8,000. In 1977 the $300,000 milestone was reached when Nick Ogilvie chaired the campaign. The 1980’s were years of phenomenal growth. Starting with the 1980 Campaign of Don Martin which raised $420,000 the United Way almost doubled the number of dollars raised. The milestones of $511,000 raised in 1982 by Dick Marr; $610,000 raised in 1984 by Charles Bullock; $749,000 raised in 1987 by Loren Backhaus; and the 1989 total of $809,355 raised by Mel Hershey have positioned the United Way of Muscatine as a very viable community organization. Current campaigns average over $1,000,000!