One of Chester County’s unsung community heroes needs your vote TODAY to win the Delaware Valley’s most prestigious community service awards.

Chris Saello, President and CEO of the United Way of Chester County, is one of 30 candidate nominated to receive the 2020 Greater Philadelphia Social Innovations Awards.

The award honors the region’s, “most passionate and accomplished social innovators and entrepreneurs and the work that they are doing to make Greater Philadelphia a more inclusive, equitable and thriving region of opportunity for all of its residents.”

Chris’ nomination was spurred by his work leading the Mobile Home Tax Reassessment Pilot Project, an innovative initiative that saw the annual property tax bill for 177 Chester County mobile homeowners reduced by a combined total of $171,580.

The entire nomination reads as follows:

Mobile Home Tax Reassessment Pilot Project: Mobile homes depreciate over time, unlike other forms of real estate. Because the tax assessment system makes no provision for that reality, mobile home taxes are accurate only in the first years after purchase, and become increasingly inaccurate.

Some of these homeowners end up with a tax liability several times higher than reasonable. UWCC partnered with Honey Brook Food Pantry & Legal Aid of SEPA to assist with hearings/paperwork.

Results: 177 Appeals, total Annual Tax Reduction, beginning 2020: $171,580.09. Previous Assessed Value $6,465,846; total reduction from Pilot, $4,530,036.

Chris Saello, president and CEO of the United Way of Chester County recognized that the organization’s funds could have a much greater impact by supporting this Mobile Home Tax Reassessment Pilot Project, an extraordinary example of a thoughtful collective impact effort drawing upon a diverse group of partners.

Chris has always been an innovative leader, seeking opportunities that address the social determinants of health. Through advocating this opportunity to his board to provide seed money to ensure the successful implementation of this pilot project, he is likely to attract other funders, in order to have an even great impact. In the last 3 decades, he has made quite a mark, by improving the well-being of thousands of individuals.

He is highly respected for his willingness to serve as an advocate for the disadvantaged, and for taking action to help improve so many lives. He is an authentic, thoughtful, strategic, and inspiring leader who generously gives of his time and expertise to many organizations. His unique approach to helping to solve some of the community’s most challenging systemic issues has produced some solid, unique results.

This project is just one of the many exciting efforts under Chris’ helm.

Voting ends today. Propel Chris’s nomination by clicking here and casting your vote for one of Chester County’s most innovative and thoughtful nonprofit heroes.