We launched our biggest fundraising drive yet on Saturday, August 22, setting a record goal of $27,126,211 and welcoming nine new nonprofit partners serving Rogers, Mayes, and Delaware counties.
We made the announcements during our annual Downtown Deco Challenge at Sixth and Main in downtown Tulsa. Families, runners, volunteers, and their pets joined us for a morning of food, activities, and an easy way to support our community.
Price Family Properties, the event’s presenting sponsor, donated $100 for each person or pet that passed under the multicolored balloon arch, up to $100,000.
Youth Services of Tulsa served T-Town Tacos, The Salvation Army distributed water, and City Year Tulsa joined United of Tulsa spirit squad members to cheer on attendees as they passed under the arch. American Red Cross, Camp Fire Green Country, Global Gardens, LIFE Senior Services, The Parent Child Center of Tulsa, and Youth at Heart hosted activities for children and families.
“We started this event in 2020 when we wanted to have a safe place for people to get together, and we figured outside in a big parking lot could bring people together to help benefit United Way and bring families back to our beautiful downtown. Every year, it just keeps getting better and better.”
— Jackie Price Johannsen, president of Price Family Properties and chair of our board of directors
Our Largest Fundraising Goal Yet
The final three digits in the $27,126,211 goal recognize 211 Eastern Oklahoma, the free helpline we operate to connect people with local services. In 2025, 211 Eastern Oklahoma responded to nearly 264,000 requests across 37 counties. Utilities, housing, and food were the most common needs.
Lane and Maureen Wilson are serving as co-chairs of our 2026 fundraising drive.
“United Way helps so many different nonprofits that do so many different things in the city. For Maureen and I to be able to share this fundraising effort is meaningful to us, and we hope it will have a big impact on the city.”
— Lane Wilson
Nine Nonprofit Partners Join Our Network
At the Deco Challenge, we also welcomed nine nonprofit partners serving Rogers, Mayes, and Delaware counties:
- William W. Barnes Children’s Advocacy Center
- Rogers County Youth Services
- CASA of Northeast Oklahoma
- Claremore Meals on Wheels
- Rogers County Adult Day Care
- SafeNet Services
- Home of Hope
- Community Crisis Center
- Delaware County Children’s Special Advocacy Network
In an interview with the Tulsa World, Alison Anthony, our president and CEO, shared the importance of expanding our reach:
“We took on nine new partner nonprofits to fund this year because it’s not just Metro Tulsa that needs help; our region needs help, right? And sometimes the rural counties have even more challenges, but fewer services. So we want to invest in those partners in the nonprofit community, not just with dollars. So we are going to be raising dollars for nine new nonprofits in those rural counties today, but we also support them in other ways.”