Workforce Development Starts with Childcare
How United Way and East Tennessee employers are addressing the childcare gap for ALICE workers In Knox County, the average cost of childcare now rivals in-state tuition at the University of Tennessee. For families living paycheck to paycheck, this lack of affordable care has far-reaching consequences—from straining already tight budgets to pushing working parents, often […]
Economic Mobility Takes a Village: Brianne’s Story
Brianne Ogle sits on her living room floor sharing details of her life over the past 14 months, during which she has been part of United Way of Greater Knoxville’s East Tennessee Collaborative Program (ETC), which serves more than 740 families across 10 counties. As she speaks, her almost three-year-old son chimes in to share details about a spider he saw. She pauses to pick […]
Coaching Brings Confidence and a New Career: Madasia’s Story
Madasia Middlebrook beams as she shows off her graduation cap, decorated with glitter, flowers and the words: Let everything you do be done in love. She shuffles through a set of documents– her degree as a dental assistant, which she earned in November 2024, and certificates in corona polishing, sealants, radiology, and nitrous gas, which she wrapped up in May of this year. She […]
Chrystal Armstrong Brown to lead United Way of Greater Knoxville as CEO after nationwide search
United Way of Greater Knoxville (UWGK) has selected Chrystal Armstrong Brown as president and chief executive officer (CEO) following a committee-led, national search to fill the position. Armstrong Brown had served as the organization’s interim CEO since November 2024, adding those duties to the existing role of chief impact officer that she’s held since joining […]
United Way of Greater Knoxville Announces $550,000 in Emergency Funding to Sustain Essential Nonprofit Services
Knoxville, TENN., June 30, 2025 — United Way of Greater Knoxville (UWGK) announces $550,000 in emergency funding to 15 nonprofit organizations. The new Grants for Advancement & Preservation (GAP) initiative will provide one-time, general operating grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 to address urgent budget shortfalls and help sustain essential services disrupted by shifts in […]