United Way of Southwest Minnesota

Give Where You Live: Support Your Neighbors Right Here at Home

A true community is more than a series of houses. It's a place where people invest in each other and stand up for their neighbors in tough times. When you give to the United Way of Southwest Minnesota, your investment stays right here in our region—building a stronger future for our neighbors. Every dollar is thoughtfully deployed to power programs that change lives, tackle pressing local challenges, and helps prevent a friend, a neighbor or a co-worker from being left behind. This year, we invite you to put your dollars to work where it matters most: right in your own backyard.

Spotlight Program: Student Emergency Funds

What is the Student Emergency Fund 

When an unexpected financial barrier stands between a student and their education, our Student Emergency Funds provide participating schools with immediate, discretionary resources. School administrators can tap into these funds instantly for urgent needs—like warm winter coats, school supplies, medical care, or food support.

Why We Fund This Program

Unmet basic needs do more than stress a family budget—they directly derail a child's education and well-being.

• Academic Success: Students facing chronic unmet needs are far more likely to fall behind or face attendance barriers.

• Mental Health: Financial stress at home triggers anxiety and isolation, impacting confidence and focus in the classroom.

• Immediate Relief: Removing these barriers protects a student's dignity and keeps them engaged and learning.

How It Helps Students and Families

Your support acts as a safety net when a crisis hits, funding everyday needs like:

• Warm winter clothing: Providing heavy winter coats, boots, and gear so kids can brave the elements safely and enjoy recess with their friends and classmates.

• Basic necessities & hygiene care: Funding a local gym membership so a student facing a temporary housing crisis had a safe, reliable place to shower.

• Academic & extracurricular inclusion: Covering the costs of cap and gown rentals for high school graduation, driver’s education training, adaptive musical instruments, and school field trips.

• Confidence and participation: Purchasing athletic shoes, black concert pants, and shoes for school music performances, or stocking specialized school supplies beyond the essentials.

These aren't just purchases—they give the gift of dignity, inclusion, and relief for a student who just wants to fit in and focus on learning.

Testimonals

"We had a new student move from a warmer climate who thought their old winter coat would be fine. It's always a huge surprise to parents when they realize how cold it really gets here. It felt good to help them out with proper winter outerwear, so they stayed warm and safe."

"Most parents can afford the $5 recorder we use but we had a student with a physical disability who needed an adaptive recorder. It cost 10 times more and the parents couldn't afford it. We were able to purchase it for the student and make their day. It felt good to see them be able to participate like everyone else, which is what they wanted too."

How You Can Support Local Children

When you give to the United Way of Southwest Minnesota, you are sending a powerful message to students and families across our region experiencing a rough patch: You are supported, you matter, and you are not alone. Here in Southwest Minnesota, we take care of our own. We stand up for one another, support each other through tough times, and help our neighbors find stability and hope.

Make your gift today and help a local student stay on the path to a brighter future. Give where you live—because our kids are worth it.

Proceeds will benefit Cradle to Cap 'n Gown programs, including Student Emergency Fund, Dolly Parton Imagination Library, Stuff the Bus and more, and Community Impact Grants.