United Way of Central Ohio

08/28/2026

27,000 backpacks. 800+ volunteers. One unforgettable day. 🎒

Swipe through to see what we pulled off together at Stuff the Backpack and how you can help us reach even more kids before giving closes Monday, Aug. 31. 💙

Proud to team up with NBC4 Columbus to reach even more families across central Ohio. 📺

📚 Huge thanks to every volunteer, donor and partner who made it happen.

Thank you for being a Backpack Hero. 🦸

Give now at the link in our bio. Liveunitedcentralohio.org.

United is the Way.💙

08/26/2026

Every kid deserves a warm welcome. 🎉📚

This back-to-school season, we joined families, teachers, and neighbors across ten Columbus City Schools to cheer students into a brand-new year, pom-poms, high-fives, and plenty of first-day smiles included! 💙

To every volunteer, educator and community partner who showed up: thank you. When kids know their community is rooting for them, they never walk into the year alone. ✨

United Is the Way to put every child on a pathway to success by the time they leave third grade. Learn more at liveunitedcentralohio.org or the link in our bio!

08/25/2026

Today we join people around the world in remembering Dolly Parton, who passed away today at 80. 💛

A legendary performer, yes - but to millions of kids, she was simply “the Book Lady.” In 1995 she founded her Imagination Library to mail free books to children from birth to age 5. It’s now one of the largest literacy programs in the world, with 325+ million books gifted and more than 3.5 million mailed every month.

Here in Ohio, more than 20 million books have reached kids in all 88 counties. 📚

“My dream has always been to help children love books and love learning, no matter where they live.” - Dolly Parton

That’s a dream we share. Our Success by Third Grade work rests on the same belief: when kids fall in love with reading early, we open the door to a lifetime of possibility.

Thank you, Dolly, for showing us what it means to dream more, learn more, care more and be more.

Head to Imagination Library of Ohio to enroll your child!

United is the Way. 💙

08/25/2026

New episode alert! 🎙️

One in four Ohio students is chronically absent but the story behind that number is more complicated than you might think. Families care deeply about their kids. They’re just often stretched impossibly thin.

Michael Wilkos sits down with Adero Robinson, CEO of Communities In Schools of Ohio , for a candid conversation about what’s really happening in our local schools and what’s actually working to keep kids connected.

This one will change how you think about absenteeism. 🏫

United is the Way.💙

Episode 14: Behind the Absence - link in bio.

08/19/2026

This August, participating Circle K locations are giving customers a simple way to support their neighbors in central Ohio.

Through Aug. 31, customers can round up eligible purchases at Circle Ks located within central Ohio to support United Way of Central Ohio and Success by Third Grade.

Every round-up donation helps more families thrive and put more students on a pathway to success by the time they leave third grade.

United is the Way.💙

Learn more ➡️ circlek.com/america-250/community or the link in our bio!

08/18/2026

United is the Way to support local students and families! 💙

📚 Every great learning journey begins with a connection.

These eager students were lined up and ready to meet their tutors, marking the growth of a relationships that is helping them grow academically, build confidence, and reach their goals.

We're grateful for the tutors who invest their time and encouragement in our youth and for the students who show up ready to learn. Together, we're building brighter futures—one match at a time. 💙

Thank you to for training our volunteers and supporting Central youth! And to United Way of Central Ohio for supporting success by third grade!

08/17/2026

Happy National Nonprofit Day! 🎉

For over a century, we’ve worked to solve central Ohio’s most pressing issues and we’ve never done it alone. 💙

Our nonprofit partners are how the work actually reaches students and families. Through Success by Third Grade, they meet the unique needs of young learners inside and outside the classroom, accelerating the path to reading proficiency in ways no single organization could.

To every one of our partners: today is for you. Swipe to see what a century of community and a whole lot of collaboration adds up to. 👉

Our young learners are tomorrow’s leaders and innovators, and you’re helping them get there.

United Is the Way.💙

Liveunitedcentralohio.org

08/14/2026

August is National Make-A-Will Month. 💛

Your legacy can support central Ohio not just today but for years to come. Many of our supporters have included a gift to United Way of Central Ohio in their estate plans to make a lasting impact at no cost today.

To create your legacy, we invite you to use FreeWill: an online estate planning tool that makes it 100% free to write your will and designate United Way of Central Ohio as a beneficiary of your legacy.

Create your legacy here -https://partner.freewill.com/unitedway

United Is the Way.💙

🔗 liveunitedcentralohio.org

08/13/2026

💚 Black Men’s Wellness Day is more than an event.. it’s a movement.

This past Saturday, more than 40,000 community members came together for one powerful day rooted in strength, connection and proactive health. United Way of Central Ohio was proud to walk and host a vendor booth, where attendees wrote encouragement cards for local students.

Led by our funded partner, the African American Male Wellness Agency , this annual walk celebrates the resilience of our community and lives out the day’s rallying cry: “Get Checked Out, Not Checked In.”

Thank you to everyone who showed up, got checked out and stood alongside us. 💚

Learn more about the African American Male Wellness Agency and our other nonprofit partners at liveunitedcentralohio.org. 

United Is the Way.💙