🔍 How United Way, Penn State, and Mount Nittany Health Reflect America’s Civic Tradition
- 1831: Tocqueville visits America and identifies its greatest strength: local action.
- 1855: Penn State is founded as a land-grant university, designed to educate and serve.
- 1857: Toilet paper is invented. (Just a reminder: we figured out civic engagement first.)
- 1887: United Way concept is created
- 2025: We’re in another decentralization wave—Government moving from federal to the state to the communities + AI, workforce shifts, and local governance = YOU
The United Way & The Tocqueville Blueprint: The Recipe for a Thriving Happy Valley
The Power of Tax-Exempt Organizations & Why They Matter
Centre County is home to a powerful network of tax-exempt organizations that drive progress and enhance quality of life. From Penn State and Mount Nittany Health to the Centre County United Way, these institutions exist not to profit, but to serve—ensuring that every dollar earned is reinvested into education, healthcare, and social services rather than distributed to shareholders.
This model of civic engagement and philanthropy is deeply embedded in American history, tracing back to Alexis de Tocqueville, who observed in Democracy in America that America’s greatness was rooted in local associations, philanthropy, and civic action—not just government programs.
📌 Key Takeaways:
✅ Why Tax-Exempt? Organizations like the United Way, Penn State, and Mount Nittany exist to uplift people, funding essential services that strengthen our community.
✅ The Tocqueville Connection: The Tocqueville Society, named in Tocqueville’s honor, represents the highest level of United Way giving—recognizing those who contribute at least $10,000 annually to local change.
✅ United Way’s Impact in Centre County:
- Supports 51,225 residents annually with vital services.
- Assists 18,844 people through food programs.
- Partners with Penn State, which funds 40% of its campaigns.
- Partners with 24 local agencies provide over 35 programs to holistically address community needs.
- Provide crucial financial support through donations from our community…neighbors helping neighbors.
A Legacy of Collective Action
The United Way movement was born out of necessity and a shared vision for a better society. On October 16, 1887, in Denver, Colorado, a diverse group—a woman, a priest, two ministers, and a rabbi—did not walk into a bar- but came together to address growing social welfare challenges. They set up the Charity Organization Society, a unified effort to coordinate services, streamline fundraising, and reduce competition among charities.
This innovative approach became a model for the nation, ensuring that resources were distributed efficiently and equitably. Over time, this system evolved into the United Way, which today works in nearly 1,800 communities worldwide, focusing on the pillars of education, financial stability, and health.
Let’s build a stronger, more connected Happy Valley—one where generosity fuels growth and opportunity.
- How do we foster civic engagement in an era of digital fragmentation?
The solution lies in collective leadership and action—just as United Way has done for over a century.
🔗 Get involved today: www.ccunitedway.org
Share your thoughts below. (You can click on the text, or comment below).
5 Responses
A strong social network (not the digital kind) is critical in times of change. A timely topic!
Jody – Yes! Very much agree …
The Housing Foundation and State College Land Trust are two local nonprofits performing an extraordinary service to our community. Through their program, my husband and I were able to become first time home buyers, an achievement that can be only a dream for most people in my generation. Their program also provide financial counselling to ensure that those making a home purchase have long term success. Making housing accessible to working class people might not make a group of shareholders even richer, but it strengthens, stabilizes and enriches our community and these programs are outstanding examples of how it can be done.
Thank you for sharing your story, Rachel.
Centre County United Way funds both of those organizations through donations made to our annual campaign. We are proud to call them our partners in helping our neighbors in Centre County Thrive.
Wonderful story, I especially liked tying it all in to Alex Tocqueville! Very good insight!
I’ve been sold on the good and impact of the CCUW for a while now; I kind of look at it like a local “mutual fund for charities”- they fund a variety of organizations across a broad spectrum of needs in the county, and they keep tabs on how the money is being spent, how they are operating- all so I don’t have to do that work myself!