DuPage, western Cook County United Way chapters merge

A bevy of suburban United Way branches have merged to create a chapter that will serve more than 65 communities in DuPage and western Cook counties.

Christine Lewis, who until recently was the head of the DuPage area office, will lead the newly formed United Way of DuPage/West Cook chapter.

"Our service population will grow from 1 million to 1.5 million people," Lewis said. "We've spent the past seven to eight months researching this and so the benefits of the merger are what drove our boards' decision."

The West Suburban, Oak Park, Leyden-Proviso, River Forest and Forest Park branches are merging with DuPage.

"We had some smaller operations that were finding it harder and harder to come up with the resources to address those needs in those communities," said Jean Gibbons, vice president of member operations for the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago. "The economy is affecting every for-profit business and nonprofit business, but what made this change appealing was the potential for growth and allowing staff to be more specialized."

United Way officials believe the larger chapter won't affect donations. This will be the largest chapter in the United Way's Chicago system.

"The vast majority (of money) raised by United Way comes from corporations and they like the idea that their dollars are really covering a broader area," Gibbons said.

Lewis said she was receiving inquiries about donations reaching a wider audience before the merger was even considered.

"Philanthropic giving doesn't stop at our county lines," she said.

None of the current employees at the various branches will lose their jobs, Gibbons said. New jobs that are created as a result of the merger will be offered first to current employees.

"Hopefully this will take away some of the duplication of work that was going on," she said.

More than $3.7 million is expected to be distributed to nonprofit groups in the region over the course of the next year.