One United Lancaster, an independent, nonpartisan digital news outlet, founded and sponsored by United Way of Lancaster County, is ending its publication effective June 1, 2025. The decision was made after much consideration on how the organization can most effectively serve the Lancaster County community by concentrating their efforts and resources on addressing the most urgent needs.
The President & CEO of United Way of Lancaster County at the time of the publication's creation, Kevin Ressler, launched it in April 2020. The goal of One United Lancaster was to serve the community through its mission: “to report the truth with context on critical issues impacting the wellbeing of Lancaster residents.”
Ressler and United Way of Lancaster County’s Vice President of Marketing and Communications at the time, Brad Peterson, along with former editor of One United Lancaster and experienced journalist, Tim Stuhldreher, rallied together to clear the air on the everchanging and unclear information that surrounded the Covid-19 pandemic.
The three thought it was important to have someone report unbiasedly about the pandemic. One United Lancaster started reporting the numbers of Covid-19 cases in the county, CDC guidelines and resources available to the public.
From there, the publication continued to grow. By the time current Vice President of Marketing and Communcations for United Way of Lancaster County, Maddie Seiler, joined the team in September 2020, the publication started to cover broader topics such as local government, nonprofit news and community-based causes. These topics are often overlooked by larger news outlets, but these stories impact Lancaster County greatly.
Between the many press releases One United Lancaster receives daily and the connections Stuhldreher had as a seasoned journalist, the publication was able to cover a wide range of topics throughout the county.
The decision to end the publication was not an easy one. Current President & CEO of United Way of Lancaster County, Kate Zimmerman, explained that the decision was reached in a strategic planning meeting. “We want to be cognizant of the fact that we have a lot of different brands and programs out there. Not everybody always knows they are ours,” she said. “So, we think it’s really important to still cover stories in the nonprofit community, but we’d like to bring it under our umbrella a little bit more, so people know this story is because of United Way.”
Additionally, with limited resources stretched across United Way of Lancaster County’s many programs and initiatives, it became difficult to justify continuing to share stories through this platform.
“I think it was an excellent publication and really met the time when it was created. I think it was beloved in the community,” Zimmerman said. “I know a lot of nonprofit folks really saw it as a way to get stories out because nonprofits aren’t always as exciting to cover, but still a really important story to tell.”
Zimmerman also believes many of the stories reported by One United Lancaster are already being told throughout the community. “There are ways we can focus our energy on different spaces and our resources to meet community needs that don’t involve covering the government for instance,” she said.
The stories told through One United Lancaster will continue to live on its website throughout the summer. After that time, the articles will be archived by Lancaster History as well as on the United Way of Lancaster County website.
“It wasn’t just nonprofits telling stories, it was to journalistic standards, and we are lucky to have had it as long as we did. I think I’m excited to see what comes next and the stories we can still tell alongside our partners,” said Zimmerman.
United Way of Lancaster County will carry forward the spirit of One United Lancaster with a new blog launching on its website in June 2025. The blog will offer a more informal space for readers to find tips on utilizing United Way’s programs, grant updates and news about key events in Lancaster County.
United Way of Lancaster County is also partnering with the Lancaster County Community Foundation to share their “Federal Action. Local Impact.” storytelling initiative that aims to help the community understand the impact federal funding cuts have on the Lancaster County community.
“I think the blog will be pivotal to keep telling the stories of our nonprofit partners. The mission of the United Way is directly related to the nonprofit community,” Zimmerman said. “So, elevating their stories, elevating partnerships, elevating the good work that’s happening on the ground and the needs that are happening on the ground. I think is still an important story to tell.”
United Way of Lancaster County extends heartfelt gratitude to everyone who contributed to, read, and supported One United Lancaster over the past five years. To our contributors—thank you for informing and inspiring our community. To our readers—your engagement helped strengthen Lancaster County. We’re deeply proud of what we’ve all accomplished together.
