Abstract: The La Crosse Community Chest was first proposed by the Citizens Committee in 1932 and adopted by seven agencies later that year. By 1955, 19 agencies were affiliated with the Community Chest, and three new agencies were added in the 1956 campaign. During the 1965 campaign, the La Crosse Community Chest and Welfare Federation was renamed the La Crosse United Fund. In 1974 another name change was administered, as the La Crosse United Fund became the United Way of the La Crosse Area, Inc. The United Way of La Crosse underwent an operational reconstruction in 1997 by funding specific programs instead of the agencies themselves. Sometime after 1999, the United Way of La Crosse was renamed the Great Rivers United Way. As of 2012, this organization remains active.

Records of the Great Rivers United Way include correspondence, files on committees and their activities, campaign and other advertising materials, financial records, photographs, scrapbooks, and other administrative files. Materials range in date from 1948 to 1999.