Grundy Reporter

The United Way of Grundy County celebrated a couple of milestones recently, its 75th anniversary as an organization and the implementation of a 2-1-1 call system that provides human services to those in need.

The United Way of Grundy County got its start in 1946 as Community Chest and officially became part of the United Way organization in 2002 with the goal of fulfilling basic human needs. The anniversary was celebrated at a social event where the theme of the evening was the Roaring '20s.

Among those in attendance was state Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris). “Congratulations to the United Way of Grundy County, who celebrated their 75th Anniversary last night!" Rezin posted on Facebook. "It was a blast from the past with the Roaring '20s as the theme of the evening. I may have forgotten to dress accordingly, but those who did looked like such rockstars! All I can say is it was Roaring Good Time!”

Meanwhile, the UWGC also toasted the implementation of a 2-1-1 service that is now active.  Executive Director Karen Nall is thrilled that it is now available to those in need of its services.

“It’s three digits, 2-1-1, assigned by the Federal Communications Commission to streamline service to human service programs,” Nall said in an interview with WCSJ News. “We fought really hard to bring this. We tried for a couple of years to bring 2-1-1 to Grundy County and we’re excited it is now live.  It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.”

Those who call can get information and referrals to area programs and resources that are available. Crisis response is also available, as is disaster aid, suicide assessment and prevention. There’s also a database to search online to find help.