Page 6 - BusinessWest January 6, 2021

Marking a
Milestone
United Way of Pioneer Valley Celebrates a Century of Meeting Needs
OBy George O’Brien
ver the years, Paul Mina says, the name over
the door and on the stationery has changed
many times — previous incarnations include Community Chest, Red Feather, and United Fund — but the basic mission of the United Way of Pioneer Valley (UWPV) certainly hasn’t.
“The names have changed, the faces have changed, but the work is the same,” said Mina, who serves as administrator of both the
United Way of Pioneer Valley and the United Way of Tri County in Framingham in an arrangement that speaks to the many fiscal
challenges the organization has confronted in recent years and the need to consolidate and achieve economies of
scale. “And that is, very simply, to improve the quality of life for people living in the Pioneer Valley area.”
As he talked with BusinessWest about this mis- sion, on the occasion of the agency’s centennial
(the actual birthday is Jan. 10), Mina was looking through some old news clippings, brochures, and assorted memorabilia that had been gathered to
help with various efforts to mark this milestone. Together, these pieces help tell the story, he said, adding that the United Way has certainly evolved, as its name has, over the years.
But, as he noted, the underlying mis- sion hasn’t.
“I look for a golden thread throughout the narrative,” he said as he thumbed through a large scrapbook and collections of news stories and promotional material. “And through all of that narrative, all of that archival material ... the golden thread that links 1921 to 2021 is helping to improve people’s lives; that’s the endgame.
“And it’s very significant to note that it was never about giving a handout — it was always about giving a helping hand — and to do it with as much dignity and respect as possible,” he continued. “Whether it’s 1921 or 2021, there are still people who need a helping hand so they can move from dependence to independence and self-sufficiency. That has been the goal, it is the goal, and it will always be the goal.”
It is somewhat fitting, said Mina, that the agency’s milestone celebration comes in the midst of a crisis — the COVID-19 pandemic — because, while the United Way of Pioneer Val- ley has been there to serve those in need every month of every year since January 1921, it has
6 JANUARY 6, 2021
FEATURE
BusinessWest