The Sevier County chapter of the United Way says it will shut its doors unless it receives major financial support. It made the announcement Wednesday following the resignation of its executive director.
The board of the Sevier County chapter says it has faced difficult challenges in recent years, and now it does not have enough money to keep funding the 19 organizations it serves beyond the end of this year.
Some of those organizations include the Boys and Girls Club, Child and Family Tennessee, Boy and Girl Scouts, and the Seymour Volunteer Fire Department.
The board says it will keep its obligations to those organizations through December. It will give them any leftover money as well, so they'll have a little more time to find new sources of funding.
In a news release Wednesday, the board says, "The agencies we support will face significant funding cuts. Our last hope is that members of our community will decide to step forward and help save the United Way."
The announcement follows the resignation of executive director Tom Newman over the summer.
Since then, the board considered several options and decided it would have to close.