The United Way of Northern Arizona was essentially born over lunch at the Monte Vista Hotel.
On an unseasonably warm afternoon in February 1967, a group of 35 business and community leaders gathered there for a meeting organized by Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce President J. E. Neihart to discuss the viability of creating a United Fund.
The impetus was that businesses in town were regularly being approached by numerous charities each year for funding. A centralized campaign, it was argued, would simplify the process for business owners, who would only have to deal with one fund drive instead of a dozen separate appeals. |