Our History
United Way of Horry County was founded in 1973 by a group of concerned citizens who wanted to find the most efficient and effective way to address problems they saw in their community.
Those citizens saw the wastefulness of money and volunteer time in having many different human service agencies staff and operate fund drives each year.
Since that time, United Way of Horry County has been an organization focused on creating results you can see. No two communities are alike; therefore, no two United Way organizations are either. Each United Way is an independent agency, led by volunteers from our community who have an intimate understanding of Horry County, their neighbors, and what concerns they may face.
A local Volunteer Board of Directors and Executive Committee, which are elected each year by member-donors, governs United Way of Horry County. Twenty local individuals from all parts of the county volunteer their time and talents to oversee the organization.
There are over 500 Horry County volunteers consisting of people from businesses, faith groups, non-profits, and citizens, who want to give their time to help others in their community.
The first campaign for United Way of Horry County was in 1973 for the 1974 calendar year. That goal was $149,800, which supported 13 agencies. Since then United Way of Horry County has raised over $44,900,000 for the needs of our community.
- The 2020-2021 campaign goal is $950,000, which will support numerous programs giving access to health, education and financial stability to all in Horry County.
- The money raised in Horry County is used in Horry County to help the people in the community.
